If you’re bored of your regular sushi rolls and your garden keeps on giving you eggplants (aubergines) at a pace crazier than you know what to do with, take a leaf out of my book and make eggplant sushi.
I know it isn’t terribly conventional but who cares if it tastes good, right? As vegans, we need to get a bit more creative than most and that’s what I love. When we were visiting Poland this winter, on our last day we went to an all vegan sushi joint and we were in heaven. Those guys managed to do amazing things with sushi rice and vegetables and if I lived there they would get sick of seeing my face all the bl**y time 😉 . Shame I was too busy enjoying my meal instead of taking notes, as I could attempt to recreate some of their ideas, but all I remember was lots of ‘party in my mouth’ moments. My simple eggplant maki rolls are not a patch on the delights they were able to offer, but one has to start somewhere 😉 and who knows where this new found veggie sushi obsession (apart from a larger jeans size 😉 ) may lead… Greeks do wonderful dishes with eggplants, but sometimes I simply get bored and want to shake things up. As eggplants actually come from Asia originally, putting an Asian spin on this delicious meaty fruit (yes, it is!) is a no brainier. I decided to grill them slowly to get the inside cooked through and the exterior nicely charred and then pop them into a super simple sesame marinade and that’s it. I added some raw veggies for colour and crunch and my very own sushi aficionado, Duncan, was a super happy bunny indeed.
2 tbsp sesame seeds 1½ tsp toasted sesame oil 2 tbsp tamari (for GF version) or soy sauce 1 tbsp maple syrup 4 tsp rice vinegar ½ tsp spicy chilli sauce (I used sambal oelek) 2 small eggplants / aubergines approx. 30 g / 1 oz baby spinach leaves 1 carrot, peeled and julienned 1 Lebanese cucumber, cored and julienned
CONDIMENTS
wasabi tamari (for GF version) or soy sauce pickled ginger, store bought or homemade
ASSEMBLY
