The two foods that I miss the most since becoming vegan are a good cheesy pizza and sushi. That is why I was really excited to learn that JANM Store was going to start carrying a new book called Sushi Modoki: The Japanese Art and Craft of Vegan Sushi. The word Modoki means “to mimic” in Japanese and I was extremely curious how the author was going to recreate the flavor and texture of fish using only vegetables. I was extremely surprised by the outcome!
I decided to test two recipes--the Tuna Modoki Nigiri and the Tazuna (tazuna being a bridle or cord which is what this roll resembles) Roll. The first thing I made was the sushi rice. I had some reservations since their sushi vinegar called for apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and salt. In the past I have always used sugar and rice vinegar for my sushi vinegar, so I was a little skeptical. But in my opinion, it actually came out a lot better than I expected, plus I didn’t have to heat the vinegar on the stove so no stinky vinegar smell and no extra dishes to wash.
For the Tuna Modoki Nigiri I had to prep the bell pepper the night before since the bell pepper needs to be seeded and frozen for at least 8 hours. When it came to cooking and preparing the bell pepper the next day it was extremely easy and took less that 15 minutes. I was really surprised that the texture of the boiled and peeled bell pepper really mimiced the texture of tuna. It still tasted like bell pepper but once you added the sushi rice and wasabi it really took on the appearance, texture and mouth feel of Tuna Nigiri.
Next I made the Tazuna Roll, disclaimer I did not add the Salmon Modoki because we forgot to buy carrots but I still think it was a success even though it was a little difficult to roll. I still view it as a success because it came out really delicious and I felt like I was eating sushi from a fine Japanese restaurant even though I was just eating it in my living room.
So, if you are like me and are tired of just making avocado rolls and are interested in recreating mouthwatering sushi vegan style, this is book is for you!
Jennifer Chavez-Fucik
Author