Celebrity chef Videhi Sivurusan shares vegan recipes for Veganuary, a plant-based food challenge where people are encouraged to go vegan for a month.
2 cups (500ml) sushi rice
4 cups water
2 tbs (30ml) rice vinegar
4 Nori sheets (seaweed)
1 small carrot julienned
1 small red pepper julienned
1 extra small red cabbage julienned
1 avocado julienned
¼ cucumber julienned
sesame seeds for garnish
1 grass mat for rolling sushi
cling wrap for rolling sushi
Method
Cover the grass mats with cling wrap. Boil the rice as per the instruction on the pack. While the rice is boiling, wash and julienne all the vegetables.
Add rice vinegar to the cooked rice and allow to cool. Place the nori sheets shiny side down on the grass mat. Pat the rice onto the nori sheet about 1cm thick. Start and end 2cm away from top and bottom edges. Wet your hands to prevent the rice from sticking.
Layer a small amount of vegetable side by side. Roll up like a Swiss roll. Roll onto sesame seeds. Use a sharp knife and slice into 8 pieces.
Another option: Pat the rice onto nori sheet. Ensure you cover the entire sheet with rice. Then flip it over on the grass mat and layer the vegetable gently and roll it up.
Serve with rasam and pickled ginger.
Rasam
Main ingredients:
¼ cup tamarind soaked in 1 cup water for 5 minutes (black or brown tamarind)
3-4 cups water
1 tbs oil (add more if you like)
½ small onion finely sliced (optional)
3-4 small cloves garlic
1 small tomato finely chopped
1 tsp salt
¼ cup coriander leaves with the stems
Ingredients for rasam powder:
Dry roast and pound together coarsely...
½ tsp black pepper corns
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1 pinch fenugreek seeds
3-4 dry red chillies
½ tbs thoor dhal
Temper
1 tbs vegetable ghee (optional)
½ tbsp oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
10–12 curry leaves
½ tsp yellow asafoetida
1-2 red chillies roughly crushed
Method for rasam
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water for 10 minutes. Remove the seeds and pulp. Keep aside. Dry roast and pound all the rasam powder ingredients.
Heat oil in a pot. Add the onions and fry until golden brown. Add garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook for a few seconds. Add salt as required.
Now add the rasam powder. Stir it. Add the tamarind extract and the balance of the water. Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat.
To temper: In a separate pan, heat the oil and ghee. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. The seeds should pop and leaves should splutter. Add asafoetida and chillies. Pour into the rasam. Add in fresh coriander leaves. Serve with vegan sushi.