Vegan Sushi - Sweet Chili Tofu / Sesame Ginger Tofu

One of Japan's national dishes is sushi, so this recipe shows you how to make two different types of vegan sushi: One with tofu fried in sticky sesame ginger sauce with mango, avocado, cucumber, spring onion and sesame seeds, and the other with crispy tofu in sweet chili sauce with basil, avocado, cucumber and sweet chili mayo.

Sesame Ginger Tofu (left) and Sweet Chili Crispy Tofu (right)

Serves: 8 Sushi rolls (48 pieces of sushi)

Recipe:

Ingredients:

For the rolls:

• 450g sushi rice
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp mirin
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 sheets nori
• 1/3 of a mango
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 a cucumber
• sesame seeds
• 3 spring onions
• large handful fresh basil leaves (about 16 leaves)
• couple tbsp vegan mayo

For the Sesame Ginger Tofu:

• 1/2 block extra firm tofu (pressed for at least 30 mins)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil (divided)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tbsp tapioca starch
• 4 tbsp vegetable stock
• 80ml soy sauce
• 2 tbsp agave
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 2 tsp rice vinegar

For the Sweet Chili Crispy Tofu:

• 1/2 block extra firm tofu (pressed for at least 30 mins)
• salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• about 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce (I used this recipe)

Method:

First, prepare the sushi rice:

1. Thoroughly rinse 450g sushi rice in cold water, for about 5 minutes. Transfer the rinsed rice into a bowl and soak in cold water for about 30 minutes.
2. Once soaked, drain the rice and add to 550ml water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover, then cook for about 15 minutes- keep covered and don't stir it, but make sure the heat is low enough so it doesn't burn. After about 15 mins the rice should be soft (more water may be needed). Remove from heat and keep covered for 10 minutes to finish cooking.
3. Meanwhile, place the rice vinegar, sugar, mirin, and salt into a microwavable bowl, then microwave for about 10 seconds at a time (stirring in between) until the sugar is dissolved. 
4. Add the rice to a bowl and pour over the microwaved rice vinegar mixture. Stir through, then allow to cool before transferring to the fridge to chill.

 Make the sesame ginger tofu:

1. Cut 1/2 a block of the pressed tofu into thin strips- 1/2 a block should yield about 12 strips.
2. Fry 3 minced garlic cloves and the grated ginger in 1 tbsp sesame oil until fragrant. Add the tofu strips and fry until golden. 
3. Meanwhile whisk the tapioca starch with the vegetable stock in a small bowl until smooth and set aside.
4. To the pan with the tofu add the soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, the agave, mirin, rice vinegar and the whisked stock.
5. Stir everything together and cook until the mixture is thick, sticky and bubbling. Allow to cool before transferring to the fridge.

Make the sweet chili tofu:

1. Cut the other 1/2 block of the pressed tofu into thin strips, toss them in a mixture of the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Air fry the strips for about 15 minutes.
2. Toss the air-fried tofu strips in the sweet chili sauce, then transfer to the fridge.

Assemble the sushi:

1. First, prep the fillings: slice the avocado, cucumber, mango, and spring onion into strips. Stir a couple tablespoons of sweet chili sauce into a couple tablespoons of the vegan mayo.  
2.  Make the sesame ginger sushi rolls: on a sushi mat, lay a sheet of nori. Spread a thin layer of the cold rice over the nori (wetting your hands helps to prevent the rice from being too sticky), leaving about a cm of nori uncovered on the right side of the nori sheet. 
3. Add the fillings in a line down the left side of the nori sheet, a couple centimetres from the edge: 1/4 of the sesame ginger tofu, 1/8 of the mango strips, 1/8 of the avocado strips, 1/8 of the cucumber strips, and 1/4 of the spring onion strips. Drizzle some of the sesame ginger sauce over the fillings. 
4. Roll the sushi up tightly using the bamboo mat as a guide. Cut the roll (using a sharp serrated knife) into 6 even pieces- you may need to trim the messy ends of the roll. 
5. Repeat this (steps 2-4) three more times to use of the rest of the sesame ginger tofu.
6. Next, make the sweet chili tofu rolls: on a sushi mat, lay a sheet of nori. Spread a thin layer of the cold rice over the nori (wetting your hands helps to prevent the rice from being too sticky), leaving about a cm of nori uncovered on the right side of the nori sheet. 
7. Add the fillings in a line down the left side of the nori sheet, a couple centimetres from the edge: 1/4 of the sweet chili tofu, 4 basil leaves, 1/8 of the avocado strips, 1/8 of the cucumber strips, and spread some of the sweet chili mayo beside the line of filling. 
8. Roll the sushi up tightly using the bamboo mat as a guide. Cut the roll (using a sharp serrated knife) into 6 even pieces- you may need to trim the messy ends of the roll. 
9. Repeat this (steps 6-8) three more times to use of the rest of the sweet chili tofu.
10. Serve the sushi with sides of choice: e.g. soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger, sriracha, more sweet chili mayo etc.

Tofu fried in a soy, sesame and ginger sauce, with avocado, mango, and cucumber.

Air-fried crispy tofu in sweet chili sauce with basil, avocado, cucumber and chili mayo.

Enjoy! :)