Shiitake Nigiri

Vegan sushi is totally a thing and it’s delicious. I don’t think I need to say more about this. Just give it a try. Maybe make a thing out of it and make ’em with your partner and friend while drinking kombucha and laughing? Just an idea 😉

12-16 pieces

For the Rice

2/3 cup (1,5 dl) sushi rice, soaked in cold water for 60 minutes and rinsed well in a sieve
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

For the shiitake

2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
12–16 shiitake caps, washed and destemmed
2 tablespoon water
2/3 cup (1.5 dl) Everything Sauce (or teriyaki sauce)
1 teaspoon corn or tapioca starch, dissolved in 1 1/2 tsp cold water

To serve

Black and white sesame seeds
Tamari
Finely cut nori strips

Make it come together;

Boil the sushi rice according to the instructions on the packaging. Once the rice is done, stir in the sesame seeds, rice vinegar, sugar and salt and allow to slightly cool.

Place the sesame oil in a small pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Trim a little off the edges of the shiitake caps to make all of the caps uniform in size if you want. Add in the shiitake caps, gill side down, for about a minute. Flip them over and drizzle a tablespoon of water over the top, and allow to soften for about a minute more. Dab off any remaining moisture with a paper-towel.

Add the everything sauce over the shiitake, then flip again. Drizzle the cornstarch/water mixture over the top, stirring immediately. Once it thickens, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to slightly cool.

To form the nigiri, separate the cooled rice into 6-8 equally sized, football-shaped pieces (wet your hands first to prevent sticking). Drag the shiitake through the sauce, then place on top of the rice.