Recipe: Vegan Sushi Rice Bowls

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

One of my favorite takeout lunches from Whole Foods is their sushi rice bowl, which usually contains a mixture of fish and vegetables over a bed of sushi rice. Since I don’t have easy access to sashimi-quality fish, vegetable-based rice bowls are much easier (not to mention more budget-friendly) to throw together at home! This rice bowl is chock-full of delicious vegetables and hearty enough to make a satisfying lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

1 cup short-grain brown rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 cups water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 bunch (about 8 ounces) asparagus
Salt
1 bunch radishes with tops attached, washed and dried
1 avocado
Toasted sesame seeds
Shredded nori
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons red miso paste
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
1 1/2 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Instructions

Rinse the rice thoroughly and drain. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the rice and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until toasty smelling, about 1 minute. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings and make the dressing.
Trim the asparagus and thinly slice on the bias into 1-inch-long pieces. Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes; set aside.
Thinly slice the radishes and set aside. Coarsely chop the tops and place in a medium bowl.
Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Fluff the rice with a fork and divide among 3 bowls. Drizzle a tablespoon of dressing over each serving of rice.
Add 2 tablespoons of the dressing to the bowl of radish tops and toss to combine. Divide the radish tops, radishes, and asparagus among the bowls of rice. Thinly slice the avocado and divide among the bowls. Drizzle with more of the remaining dressing as desired, sprinkle with the sesame and nori, and serve.