(Vegan) Thai Sweet Chili Tempeh Sushi

My (Gianni) first experience with sushi was a California roll from Kroger in high school. I loved combination of the crisp, fresh veggies and the salty nori (sushi seaweed wrap) and the umami punch of the soy dipping sauce.

Flash forward to current day and I love all types of sushi and sashimi authentic, Americanized, hot, cold, raw, cooked and even deep fried. But I still have a special place in my heart for Kroger sushi.

Some of my favorite sushi has come from a unique chain restaurant based in Columbus, OH called Fusian. When Cara and I lived in Columbus, we would eat at Fusian at least twice a week. It was such a cool concept of fast-casual “Chipotle-style” build your own sushi roll. They had so many choices for proteins, veggies, toppings, and sauces that the roll possibilities are endless!

Anyway, I could talk about Fusian for hours. I miss it. A moment of silence please… so anyway, this recipe is inspired by one of my favorite vegan rolls that I used to make whenever I would go to heaven, I mean Fusian.

The protein is a soy-ginger marinated tempeh, and it can be combined with leftover rice, any combination of fresh julienned (cut into thin strips) vegetables, wrapped in nori and drizzled with sweet soy sauce and spicy mayo (recipes included) for an amazing flavor packed roll!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• Soy-ginger tempeh

• 1 package tempeh (usually found near the tofu)

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 tbs freshly grated ginger OR 1 tsp of ground ginger

• Sushi fillings3 cups leftover rice (spruce it up with a few dashes of rice wine/mirin and 2 teaspoons of sugar)

• 8 sheets of nori

• 1 carrot, julienned

• 1 cucumber, julienned

• 1 jalepeño, julienned

• Green onions, cut into 2 inch slices

• Avocado sliced

• Sauces/Toppings

• Sweet soy sauce (mix 1/2 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup honey, bring to a boil then let simmer for 10 minutes until reduced and thickened).

• Spicy mayo (mix 1/4 cup mayo and 1-2 tbs sriracha, depending on spice preference).

• Panko breadcrumbs, to top rolls

• Thai sweet chili sauce (can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores.)

Directions:

1. Cut tempeh into thin slices, and place (along with soy sauce and ginger) into a tupperware container and marinate for 2-4 hours.

2. After marinating, heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, and working in batches, sauté tempeh strips for about a minute on each side.

3. After all tempeh is sautéd, toss with thai sweet chili sauce.

4. Place nori onto a sushi mat covered with rice

5. Place tempeh and veggies on lower 1/3 of nori, then roll away! (Here’s a helpful video on how to roll sushi.)

6. Top with sauces, and panko.

7. Enjoy!