Cauliflower Sushi with Vegan Wasabi Mayonnaise

In this spin on futomaki, sushi rice is replaced with cauliflower — the ‘rice’ here is made by pulsing roasted cauliflower in a food processor and seasoning it with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Carrots, beets, and avocado make each bite a colourful delight, paired with a wasabi mayo made from soymilk. And yes, if you’re not concerned with keeping the meal vegan, you can mix wasabi paste into the mayonnaise of your choice.

Cauliflower Sushi with Vegan Wasabi Mayonnaise

*Note: This recipe is part of a series on how to turn a whole roasted cauliflower into five recipes — check them all out here. This recipe calls for 5 oz of roasted cauliflower, about ⅕ of a 3-pound cauliflower once roasted. To roast a whole head: trim the stems and leaves flush with the bottom and discard, brush the head with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast it in a 450F degree oven on the bottom rack for 50 minutes. You can set aside the remaining amount to make the other recipes, use it to scale up the recipe below, or freeze it for a later use

Ingredients

Wasabi Mayonnaise:

• 3 tsp unsweetened soy milk, cold
• 1 tsp wasabi paste
• ¼ cup canola oil

Sushi:

• 5 oz roasted cauliflower*, room temperature
• ¼ tsp rice vinegar
• Pinch sugar
• Pinch salt
• 20 g carrot (about ⅛ cup, from half a medium carrot), peeled, cut into matchsticks
• 20 g beet (about ⅛ cup, from half a small beet), peeled, cut into matchsticks
• ¼ avocado, thinly sliced
• 1 sheet nori
• ¼ tsp black sesame seeds

Preparation

For the mayonnaise:

Add the soy milk and wasabi to a small bowl, and mix with an immersion blender. With the blender running, add the canola oil very slowly to emulsify the ingredients to the consistency of a thin mayonnaise.

For the sushi:

Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor to a granular-like texture, about 4-6 times. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the rice vinegar, salt and sugar. 

Place a whole nori sheet, shiny side down, on a bamboo rolling mat. Place the prepared cauliflower on the nori sheet. Wet your hands with water and evenly spread the cauliflower over the nori, leaving a ½ inch strip of nori uncovered at the top. Place the carrots, beets, and avocado in a line, starting on the near edge of the rice layer. Using the rolling mat and starting at the side nearest to you, start rolling the sushi tightly, rolling away from you. Once you’ve rolled to the top, uncovered edge of the nori, dip your finger in water and spread it on the exposed nori. Roll to close, and then cut the roll into 6 even pieces. 

Garnish the sushi with the sesame seeds, and serve the wasabi mayonnaise alongside. 

Yield: Makes 1 roll

Ariel Lefkowitz is a Canadian/American food writer, chef, and video journalist based in Montreal, QC. She has been a trained chef for over a decade. Ariel believes that cooking is a critical part of self-care that should be joyful, sustainable and accessible. She is currently developing a comedic cooking show, titled ‘Cooking in the Cut’. Follow her at @cookinginthecut.