Vegan Sushi Bowl Recipe

While the so-called purists may cringe, the jury is in, and yes, vegan sushi is real sushi. And once you try a few bites of this vegan sushi bowl constructed following a recipe from chef and recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge, you won't care about the semantics one way or the other. This is a delicious, nutritious, and filling meal that is 100 percent vegan. It's a treat whether you make it and eat it right away or you bring it along with you as lunch for a day at the office or while you're on the go.

Want to add some fish or even cooked chicken or beef? Go for it. Want to sub in some different veggies? That's fine too. But whether or not you eat meat and regardless of your favorite vegetables, do go ahead and try the recipe just as Olayinka lays it out at least one time first, because with bowls like this one, it's all about a balance of flavors and textures, not to mention nutrients.

It takes a good number of ingredients to make this sushi bowl just right, not to mention a fair amount of prep, too. So while as laid out here, this recipe is for one serving, don't hesitate to cook up more of everything and serve this bowl as a family meal. Regardless, you'll need sushi rice, water, sugar, salt, red bell pepper, carrot, a tablespoon of nori sheets, avocado, sesame seed oil, smoked tofu, vegan mayo, Sriracha, edamame, and pickled ginger.

And you can always add a bit more spice or omit the Sriracha depending on your spice preferences.

Begin the recipe by rinsing the sushi rice well, then putting the rice, water, sugar, and salt into a saucepan. Then, cook the sushi rice according to its packet instructions. This should take 30 minutes in total for most brands of rice.

While the rice is cooking, chop up the red pepper into three-inch-long slender "matchstick" slices and set aside. Next, use a potato peeler to peel the carrots so that none of the outside skin is left, then continue to use the peeler to shave the carrots into small pieces. Set those aside as well.

Next, cut up the nori sheets into two-inch vertical matchstick shapes and set these aside too. Finally, get the avocado, slice it vertically, take out the pit, and then peel and then slice it into half-inch pieces.

One of the biggest mistakes people make with tofu leads many to think they don't like the food: not rinsing and pressing it. Remove your tofu from its package, then thoroughly rinse it with clean, cool water. Then press it between a few paper towels or a clean kitchen cloth, removing excess water from the tofu.

To cook the tofu, slice it into approximate half-inch pieces, and then get the sesame seed oil and pour it into a pan over a burner set to medium heat. Fry the tofu for five minutes on one side, then flip it and fry for five more.

To make the sauce you will use to drizzle over the bowl, get a small container and mix together the vegan mayo and Sriracha sauce, stirring until they are well incorporated. You can do this ahead of time and store it in the fridge.

For the assembly of the bowl, start with the sushi rice placed into a serving bowl followed by the chopped red bell pepper, the edamame, the shaved carrots, the sliced nori pieces, the smoked tofu, and finally, the pickled ginger.

Now pour the sauce on top, and with that, your sushi bowl is ready to be served and enjoyed.