- Going out for Sushi can be disappointing. There are lack of options, and chefs can be devoid of innovation and consideration for those that choose to keep the fishes swimming happily in the sea.
When I do find an occasional vegetarian option, like say tofu-miso soup....I find out that it has bonito (fish flakes) in it. Many Sushi joints offer one or two "veggie" nigiri rolls, usually to ease newcomers into the sushi world. In my experience, the veggie sushi tends to be miniscule cucumber/carrot rolls or (yawwwn) avocado rolls or sometimes slightly more interesting umboshi-plum rolls. One time (at band-camp, no really), I was left gawking when I was served sushi that consisted of (sit down for this) barely shredded iceberg lettuce and a carrot stick. They might as well have put french fries in it. Is Loblaws sushi is being sold at a resto? What really made me give up on resto sushi, was the time I went to a fusion place in Ottawa and asked for a veggie sushi roll to be created. I waited 45 minutes to be given 2 pricey pieces of "vegan" sushi, consisting of a clumpy bed of rice, a limp piece of steamed asparagus on top, and to make it worse, they omitted the nigiri (seaweed)-simply because the waitress thought vegans don't eat anything that "move" in the sea.
I was much more impressed by Kaizen, a sushi restaurant in Montreal, where the menu clearly stated those items that were vegan (denoted appropriately by a little Buddha). The very values of quality and pride for a traditional preparation that makes Japanese cuisine so special, was applied to my vegan sushi and tempura starter. I was given innovative sushi, with substance and complexity to it.
At times I think, this is what "vegetarians" must have felt like back in the day, when finding something other than a salad on a menu was rare. Having vegan options makes sense, as many vegetarians can easily enjoy them and perhaps even gain insight into veganism.
Here is a Vegan Tempura recipe that is delicate and easy to make. Apparently the best tempura is traditionally made without eggs-traditionally vegan! Most pre-made tempura batter mixes have fillers and eggs in it, when it isn’t really necessary.
Ingredients: - 3 cups All purpose flour (I usually eat nothing but whole wheat but for tempura its a must!)
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 cup Ice cold water
- Eggplant
- Zucchini
- Carrots
- Sweet Potato (or Yams)- crucial!
- Red, Green, Yellow Bell Peppers
- Green beans
- Onions
- Some light non-hydrogenated oil (like Canola)
Steps:
- Wash all your veggies and slice thinly, use a Mandolin if possible (I have a great Japanese Mandolin, a Benriner, that I scored in Chinatown for 20 bucks-its light, so easy to clean that you will use it frequently, much better than any expensive European kind that tends to be heavy and stored in the back of your shelf)
- Place ice cold water (it has to be freeeeeeezing) in a large bowl, and mix flour, baking powder (it should not be over mixed, it should look clumpy and parts should be dry)
- Heat a wok with some oil (enough to fry)
- When oil is heated, dip your thin veggies in the batter and immediately add to wok (try not to let too much batter drip into the wok because it will burn and get messy). To avoid oil from splattering and burning you, slide the veggies pieces gently along the side of the wok and ease them into the oil.
- Do not overlap veggies in pan, and remove quickly. Watch the veggies frying, do not let them turn brown, it should look white but crispy.
- When done, drain as much oil as possible and place on a plate with paper towel to absorb the extra oil
Tempura Dipping Sauce:
You can buy tempura dipping sauce at your grocery store but it often consists of MSG soy sauce and fish sauce/flakes. You can easily make it yourself in 2 minutes for a fraction of the price. I ran out of Mirin (rice vinegar) so improvised with Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and it was great!- Mix no-msg light soy sauce (or use raw Bragg's) with apple cider vinegar (proportion 2:1), enough to fill a 3/4 of a cereal bowl (for about 5 people)
- Mix a table spoon of raw cane sugar
- Make some wasabi paste (Japanese horse-radish powder) and dissolve in sauce
- Chop some green onions, add and dip away
