Sushi Sandwich (Vegan)

I love sushi in all forms! Sushi rolls, sushi bowls, and my recent favorite - Sushi Sandwiches!

To me, sushi's flavor palate is a perfect embodiment of the beauty of balance in nature, with one bite, you'll experience the taste of the ocean from the seaweeds meets the taste of the earth from the rice, fresh and cruchy vegetables, creamy avocado and the sweet and umami tofu I made with my homemade teriyaki sauce.

Flavor wise, sushi sandwiches bear little difference than sushi rolls, only bigger, easier to make, and more hand-food friendly! They make me feel like I'm having a picnic even in the middle of a pandemic quarantine.

INGREDIENTS:

1 block extra firm tofu

1 cup uncooked sushi rice

3 sushi nori sheets

Sushi vinegar

Canola Oil for cooking

Vegetables of choice, I used lettuce, tomato, red cabbage and avocado

For the Teriyaki Sauce:

2 tablespoon Tamari/Soy sauce

1 tablespoon coconut amino

1/2 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

2 tablespoon water

TO MAKE:

- Cook the sushi rice according to package instructions;

- While rice is cooking, drain and pat dry the tofu, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices;

- In a large non-stick frying pan, heat a drizzle of canola oil, place all slices of tofu in, make sure they're not touching each other to prevent sticking together, can work in batches too;

- Pan-fry the tofu slices over medium-high heat, flip when one side is golden until all sides are golden and crispy;

- Meanwhile, whisk together all the sauce ingredients, once all sides of the tofu are fried, pour the sauce slowly into the pan, lower the heat to medium-low and toss to coat all sides of the tofu evenly, continue to flip to coat until all liquid is thickened and stuck to the tofu pieces;

- When rice is cooked, let it cool down and then season with sushi rice, start with 1/2 tablespoon and gradually to add according to your taste, I usually add about 1 tablespoon;

- On a piece of nori sheet, in the center lay down a thin layer of rice that's about a quarter size of the nori sheet, then add tofu slices, veggies, and avocado, finally add another think layer of rice;

- Lift the 4 corners of the nori sheet and pull each corner to the center to wrap the sushi sandwich, the moisture from the rice should be enough to keep the nori sheet closed, if not, seal the opening with a little bit of water;

- Slice each sandwich into halves, top with sesame seeds, enjoy!

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