Vegetarian sushi in Japan

When a group of friends go out to eat at a typical sushi restaurant, the vegetarian in the group usually resigns herself to piecing together some semblance of a meal out of the meager selection of vegetarian options on the menu. This might include ho-hum cucumber rolls, pickled plum rolls, shaved gourd pickle rolls, maybe salad rolls and a bowl of miso soup. Even if you don't mind spending money at an authentic sushi restaurant, whether abroad or in Japan, vegetarian options are considerably limited.

However, it doesn't have to be that way. Fortunately for vegetarian visitors to the Tokyo area, there is a way to enjoy delicious and visually appealing sushi made entirely of vegetables which will completely change your concept of what sushi can be.

Sushi by Shuichi Kurosawa

There is a catch. You won't be able to experience this sensational vegetarian sushi at any restaurant. Instead, you should like and follow the Facebook page of Shuichi Kurosawa who organizes regular sushi parties hosted at different locations in the Tokyo area. Like a masterless samurai, Chef Kurosawa prefers not be tied down and has chosen to practice his craft on the move. After his formal training, Chef Kurosawa opened up his own freelance sushi operation. An accomplished farmer as well as a sushi chef, he grows his own rice and vegetables at his farm and shows the same level of commitment to freshness and quality as he does for his fish and seafood (since he also prepares non-vegetarian sushi for those who request it).

Report: Sushi Tasting Dinner in Ebisu

We attended one of his sushi parties last month. Held at the Tachibanaya Seminar Room in an office building in the trendy Ebisu neighborhood of Tokyo, the event was full, with all 12 available spots taken.

As we sat down, Chef Kurosawa began grating a fresh wasabi root into a paste with a traditional sharkskin grater.

All-you-can-drink premium sake was included in the admission price of 8,000 JPY (tax included).

The party began with Ms. Toshiko Tachibanaya introducing Chef Kurosawa to the guests (and introducing the various sakes which she would serve).

The party was divided into two parts, the first part for vegetarian sushi and the second part for conventional sushi.

Vegetarian Sushi Gallery

Let's take a look at the surprising vegetarian creations which appeared in the first part of the evening:

We began with fresh asparagus and red miso wrapped in a shiso leaf (upper left). It was a light appetizer but the red miso had an umami-rich taste which complemented the asparagus and the fragrant shiso leaf. Next were young bamboo hearts (upper right), refreshing and light, lightly seasoned, not overpowering. Then, the carrot (bottom left) was lightly marinated and flavorful, not boring as you may expect. After that, we had enoki mushrooms (bottom right), hearty with a nice texture, a good meat/fish substitute.

The spinach was a surprise. Demonstrating amazing attention to detail, Chef Kurosawa braided each piece. As for the flavor, it was lightly seasoned but the wasabi gave it a nice kick. The cooked onion slice fooled us into thinking it was squid. In fact it was sweet and tangy, not overpowering but not bland either.

Chef Kurosawa slicing red bell pepper

Chef Kurosawa preparing another of his signature pieces, a micro-tomato gunkan

The okra (top left) was pleasantly sweet, but the micro-tomato gunkan (top right) was a winner. Visually, it almost looked like fish roe. The micro-tomatoes were very tangy and bursting with flavor. The red bell pepper (bottom left) demonstrated Chef Kurosawa's commitment to creating visually appealing vegetarian sushi. Cooked, skinned, sliced and decorated with additional cutting, each piece looks just like maguro. Slightly marinated in soy sauce, it didn't have a plain bell pepper taste, and was satisfyingly flavorful. The yellow pepper (bottom right) was slightly tangier and equally good.

The vegetarian sushi ended with a few meat substitutes. The silky tofu (left) drizzled with an umami-rich sauce and wasabi is an amazing combination. The jellied vegetable dashi (right) is safe for vegetarians and has a subtle, interesting taste.

Conventional Sushi

The second part of the dinner was not as interesting for vegetarians since it was focused on fish and shellfish sushi. However, we would be doing Chef Kurosawa a disservice if we failed to mention that this part of the dinner was equally tasty. Using only the freshest ingredients, each piece of sushi was delicious and memorable.

We had a plump, sweet scallop (upper left), fatty salmon (upper right), steamed and seasoned egg (lower left) and refreshing sayori (Japanese halfbeak) (lower right), seasoned with sauce and some salmon roe.

Here is the sayori being prepared.

Squid (left) and isaki (threeline grunt) (right) were also delicious.

Finally, we had tuna (left) and fatty tuna, lightly basted in sauce (right). These were truly outstanding.

Chef Kurosawa preparing tuna

At the end of the evening, we were more than satisfied with the quality and quantity. (Note: This party was more generous than usual, since Chef Kurosawa wanted to highlight the variety of sushi he can serve. On a normal evening, you can expect about 10 pieces of nigiri, a few sushi rolls and premium sake.)

Although he does not normally offer a vegetarian only meal, exceptions can be made for vegetarians by replacing the fish selections with additional vegetarian items. Moreover, Chef Kurosawa is more than happy to accommodate any requests you may have for private occasions.

Contact Information

Please visit Chef Kurosawa's website here for more information and don't forget to like and follow his Facebook page. You can also view beautiful pictures of his sushi on his Instagram account.

His next sushi party is scheduled for May 19th.