CHO'S SUSHI DELIGHTS

A wonderful vegan sushi spread inspired by Cho Chang. 

This recipe is:

- delicious
- therapeutic
- amazing for Harry Potter themed parties
- perfect for Ravenclaw tower dinners

Yield: 3-4 witches

This blogpost is going to be a complete guide to the sushi spread, all the different inari toppings, sushi balls, watermelon tuna and the vegan tamago.

Keep in mind that making sushi is not a dish that you can whip up in ten minutes, it takes time, love, patience and effort. It will be beyond worth it!

WATERMELON TUNA

This has to be made a day beforehand. It needs a night in the fridge to marinate properly. 

Ingredients

• 1 mini watermelon (approx 150 grams), the smaller ones contain less seeds and water
• 1 thumb size piece of grated ginger
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil
• 2 tbsp tahini paste
• 1 clove of garlic
• juice of 1 lime + zest
• 2 tsp spices for fish (mixture of paprika, italian herbs, coriander etc.)
• 1 tsp Chinese 13 spice
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar or mirin
• 1 tsp vegan chili paste (sambal or gojuchang)
• salt + pepper to taste (I used smoked sea salt)
• Optional: 1/2 nori sheet or 4 drops of algae oil for a fishy taste

Magical method

1.  Cut your watermelon in beautiful cubes. The ones that are not perfectly cubed like ''real'' tuna. Eat those as a snack or infuse your water with a refreshing melon taste. Then set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
3. Mix all your ingredients for the marinade. Mix until combined.
4. Pour half of the marinade into a jar to save.
5. Pour the other half right into the watermelon cubes and mix well. Pour the cubes on a lined baking tray and spread the cubes well.
6. Bake until beautiful and meaty for 45 minutes.
7. After baking let the watermelon tuna cool down completely. After cooling pour over the remaining marinade and let that sit in a container into the fridge overnight.
8. After a whole night take the cubes out and taste for yourself. It is incredibly delicious!

INARI SUSHI

The centerpiece of the sushi spread. Beautiful deep fried tofu pockets filled with sushi rice and several delicious toppings. 

WATERMELON TUNA, GILLYWEED SALAD, VEGAN OMELETTE, CORN SALAD AND CRISPY VEGAN CHICKEN OR TOFU

The deep fried pockets are an easy find at your local Asian supermarket. You only have to fill them.

SIDES

1. EDAMAME BEANS WITH CRISPY ONIONS
2. EXTRA GILLYWEED SALAD
3. 'TUNA' ONIGIRI
4. STUFFED AVOCADO WITH WATERMELON TUNA + SEA SO GOOD TUNA WITH SPICY MAYO
5. TAMAGO SEAWEED ROLLS

Optional: pickled ginger and soy sauce

sushi rice

For this whole spread I used 375 grams of sushi rice. To get the best results you have to wash your rice until the water runs clear. This is an very important step!

Cook your rice according to the instructions on your package. Every rice is different so really use the instructions. When the rice is cooked, let it cool and make a little dressing for your rice with:

1 tbsp of rice vinegar or mirin
a pinch of sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
zest of 1 lime

Mix well and add to the rice, combine and taste. Maybe it needs a little bit more salt and pepper as well.

I love to season my rice even more with some dried seaweed mix. Look what your local Asian supermarket has to offer. 

VEGAN TUNA ONIGRI

This is a very easy assemble. 1,5 cups of sushi rice. (that is already flavoured). 2 tsp vegan mayo, the green parts of a green onion (finely sliced), seaweed dried mix (to taste) and 3 tbsp vegan tuna flakes.

Mix well with your hands and shape them into onigri or any other shape you prefer. Put a slither of seaweed under or round it for a finishing touch.