photo by fotographix.ca
Being a vegetarian all my life, I was open to any cuisine, except Sushi, until recently. I mean, the common stereotype is that fish is the ONLY way sushi is made. Sushi is a Japanese food that comprises of steamed rice bound together in seaweed with other ingredients placed in the middle. Sushi is accompanied with soy sauce, wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and fresh peeled ginger. Much to my reluctance, I decided to take sushi head on with my non-vegetarian friends. They told me that I will have no issues finding options on the menu to eat. Besides, if there wasn’t any food I know I could count on Sake for the evening! We decided to go to Japonais Restaurant in Chicago, based on their past experience there. Let me tell you, as soon as I walked through the front door, I was in awe! The décor and staff was very nice and accommodating.
I love SUSHI!:
I decided to try Vegetable Sushi Rolls with Avocado, Asparagus and Carrot and another one with Oshinko (pickled radish), Yamagobo (Japanese mountain root) and Kaiware (Japanese radish sprout). I never even heard of these vegetables before, but I was being brave. I also ordered a side dish of Shitake Rice casserole. Surprisingly, I loved the Sushi Rolls and the rice was amazing. I ordered seconds and I was thankful to my friends for introducing me to this new cuisine. For Mother’s Day, we went to Wok n Fire with the family and had a delicious Maki Roll with Cucumber and Avocado; this dish was a flip flop since it had crab stick.
Make Sushi at Home!
After trying vegetarian sushi and falling in love with it, I decided to make sushi at home. That was probably not the best idea as making this home requires a lot of patience and attention to detail. I found some really good blogs that teach how to make and roll (most important part) sushi properly.
Conclusion:
What I learned from this dining experience is that vegetables are a central component of sushi and because of this vegetarians and vegans should have no problem finding options at sushi bars. Next time your non-vegetarian friends suggest sushi, be happy and join them because even if you don’t find “vegetarian” sushi on the menu, just let your waiter know and they will gladly make a special vegetarian roll for you!
Do you have any pics of your fav vegetarian/vegan sushi? Join our Flickr group and drop add your pic there: http://www.flickr.com/groups/discoverveggie/. We will display it on our blog!
So my fellow foodies, I would highly recommend trying new cuisines, such as Sushi at Japonias or any other restaurant you desire. Do you have a favorite restaurant that you enjoy eating vegetarian sushi or other Japanese dishes, drop us a comment.