Tempura Pumpkin Sushi

This pumpkin sushi is made with candy, crispy crusted items of winter squash tucked inside rolls of nori and rice, then completed with a tangy vegan “eel” sauce. It is a enjoyable, decadent home made sushi roll that is excellent for fall!

I like vegan sushi, however once I eat sushi, I eat severe sushi. Sure, fundamental veggie sushi is sweet, however, particularly if I’ll the difficulty of creating home made sushi, I would like one thing actually particular. I am speaking decadence! Assume peanut avocado sushi, cream cheese veggie sushi, or smoked tofu sushi. These rolls will not depart you hungry, and OMG are they tasty.

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However my favourite sushi roll to order at a restaurant has at all times been tempura pumpkin sushi. Have you ever had it? These rolls are full of candy winter squash lined in crispy tempura batter and served with eel sauce (which is usually unintentionally vegan!). It is about as scrumptious and satisfying as sushi will get, and I needed to give you a recipe so I may make it at house.

This vegan pumpkin sushi works with most kinds of candy winter squash, so it is excellent for the cooler months of the 12 months. You will be dipping strips of the squash in tempura batter (tailored from my vegetable tempura recipe), then frying them till golden and crispy, and wrapping all of it in sushi rice and nori. It is precisely what you want on these events if you’re craving sushi and luxury meals.

Elements You will Want

Beneath you will discover a checklist of substances on this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the best way to the underside of the put up to see the total recipe, together with the quantity of every ingredient.

Sushi rice. Persist with sushi rice moderately than any outdated number of rice for this recipe. It is tremendous sticky and has a brief grain, so it is excellent for shaping and holding collectively sushi rolls.
Rice vinegar. Yow will discover this within the worldwide part of the grocery retailer.
Salt.
Sugar. Use natural sugar to maintain the recipe vegan. Standard sugar could also be processed with animal bone char.
Soy sauce. Tamari and liquid aminos will each work as substitutes.
Brown sugar. This also needs to be natural.
Mirin. This can be a cooking wine yow will discover within the worldwide part of most grocery shops.
Cornstarch.
Toasted sesame oil. This can be a flavoring oil — not a cooking oil. Search for it within the worldwide aisle.
Vegetable oil. Any high-heat oil you usually use for frying is sweet right here — peanut oil, corn oil, and canola oil are all nice choices.
Winter squash. I typically use butternut squash for my pumpkin rolls, however acorn, kabocha, and delicata are additionally nice choices. Sugar pumpkin will work, but it surely will not be as candy or dense as the opposite choices.
Flour. I’ve solely examined the recipe with all-purpose wheat flour (also referred to as white flour), in order that’s your finest guess for fulfillment!
Beer or seltzer water. I like making my tempura with beer, which provides a savory, barely bitter taste. However seltzer water is completely nice if that is what you’ve got bought.
Baking powder. You solely want this if you happen to’re going with seltzer water.
Nori.
Accompaniments. You will need to seize some toasted sesame seeds, pickled ginger, and wasabi paste from the worldwide aisle on the retailer.

How It is Made

Beneath is an in depth photograph tutorial on make this dish. Scroll all the best way down if you would like to skip proper to the recipe!

Step 1: Soak the rice. Place it in a saucepan and canopy it with water. Let it sit for about 20 minutes, then drain and rinse it. Return it to the pot.

Step 2: Prepare dinner the rice. Add water to the pot, together with rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Place it over excessive warmth, get the water boiling, then scale back the warmth and let it simmer till the water is absorbed. Go away the lid on the pot for about 10 minutes when it is performed, then fluff it with a fork.

Steps 3 & 4: Make the sauce. Mix your soy sauce, brown sugar, and mirin in a small pot, place it over medium warmth, and produce it to a simmer. Let it cook dinner at a low simmer for 5 minutes, when you combine some chilly water and cornstarch. Add the combination to the sauce, let it thicken, then take it off of warmth and add the sesame oil.

Step 5: Warmth your oil. Place about 2 inches of oil into a big pot, and set it over medium warmth. Let it warmth up when you start getting ready the fillings. You will need it to get to about 350°F.

Partially cooked butternut squash batons on a plate.

Step 6: Precook the squash. Minimize the squash into small baton-shaped items, prepare them on a microwave-safe plate, cowl it with a humid paper towel, then zap them for about 3 minutes. You simply need to begin softening them up.

Bowls with tempura batter and flour on a white wooden surface.

Steps 7 & 8: Put together dipping stations. Place some flour in a single bowl, and in a second bowl, whisk collectively flour, cornstarch, salt, and both ale or seltzer water. Should you go together with seltzer water, you will additionally want some baking powder.

Slotted spoon removing a tempura fried butternut squash baton from frying oil.

Step 9: Fry the squash. Begin by dredging a number of items within the flour you simply added to the bowl, then dip them within the batter, and switch them to the new oil. Fry your squash in batches, being cautious to not crowd the pot. As soon as they’re golden brown, place them on a wire rack to empty.

Steps 10 & 11: Put together to roll. Cowl your bamboo mat with plastic, then place a sheet of nori over the mat. Unfold rice in a skinny layer on the nori, wetting your palms to maintain the rice from sticking.

Tempura fried squash batons on a sheet of nori with rice on the bottom.

Steps 12-16: Fill and roll. Flip your rice lined nori, then prepare the squash in a strip, about an inch from the sting. Roll it up tightly. Slice it into 8 items, then repeat the method to make 3 extra rolls.

Tip: This short video demonstrates the method for rolling uramaki, also referred to as an inside out sushi roll. Should you’re not feeling that at present, attempt making this recipe as maki (nori on the surface), which you’ll be able to see demonstrated in this video.

Slices of a Pumpkin Sushi roll with vegan eel sauce.

Step 17: End and serve. Sprinkle your rolls with sesame seeds, then serve them along with your vegan eel sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi.

Variations

Add to the filling. Tempura-fried squash goes nice with chives, avocado, vegan cream cheese, pickled carrots, daikon, or cucumber. Or get inventive and take a look at your personal additions!
Crunchy topping. Sprinkle the completed rolls with crushed tempura bits or fried onions for some additional crunch.
Quinoa sushi. Exchange as much as half the sushi rice with cooked quinoa.

Ceaselessly Requested Questions

Can this recipe be made gluten-free?

I have never tried making this recipe with gluten-free flour, so I am unsure. If you would like to attempt it, I feel an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix can be your finest guess. You will additionally want to verify your beer is gluten-free (or keep on with seltzer), and exchange the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari.

Can I make this recipe with out frying?

Sure, however I like to recommend skipping the tempura if you would like to bake it. Merely roast the squash as an alternative. You’ll be able to observe the fundamental technique in my roasted sweet potato sushi recipe.

Can I exploit brown rice?

Sure, however be sure that it is brown sushi rice. It’s possible you’ll want to change the cooking technique a bit — seek advice from the package deal directions.

How ought to I retailer leftover pumpkin sushi?

Pumpkin sushi is finest served the day it is made, however if you happen to do have leftovers, they’re going to preserve in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as three days.

What to Serve with Pumpkin Sushi

Like this recipe? If that’s the case, please cease again and depart me a evaluate and score under if you happen to attempt it! Additionally remember to observe me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for extra recipes like this one!

Recipe

Chopsticks grabbing a piece of Pumpkin Sushi from a plate.

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This pumpkin sushi is made with candy, crispy crusted items of winter squash tucked inside rolls of nori and rice, then completed with a tangy vegan "eel" sauce. It's a enjoyable, decadent home made sushi roll that's excellent for fall!

Course Entree

Delicacies American, Japanese

Prep Time 20

Prepare dinner Time 35

Soak Time 20

Complete Time 1 15

Servings

Energy 652kcal

Writer Alissa Saenz

Gear

1 Sushi mat
1 Instant read thermometer

Elements

For the Rice

1 ⅓ cups sushi rice
1 ½ cups water, plus extra for soaking
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon natural granulated sugar

For the Vegan Eel Sauce

¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup natural brown sugar
¼ cup mirin
1 ½ tablespoons chilly water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For the Filling

Vegetable oil
12 ounces winter squash (similar to butternut, kabocha, delicata, or acorn), lower into ¼ to ½ inch thick batons
½ cup all-purpose flour

For the Tempura Batter

½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder (solely use if you happen to're making the batter with seltzer — don’t use with beer)
¾ cup vegan ale or plain seltzer water, chilled

For Rolling

4 nori sheets

For Serving

Toasted sesame seeds
Pickled ginger
Wasabi paste

US Customary – Metric

Directions

Place the rice right into a medium saucepan and canopy it with chilly water. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then drain the water and return the rice to the pot.
Add the 1 ½ cups of water, rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Stir, then set the pot over medium warmth. Deliver the water to a boil, cowl the pot, and scale back the warmth to a low simmer. Let the rice simmer for about 20 minutes, till the liquid is all absorbed. Flip off the warmth and let the pot sit lined for 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the rice with a fork.
Make the sauce whereas the rice cooks. Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, and mirin collectively in a small saucepan. Set it over medium warmth and produce the combination to a simmer. Cut back the warmth and let it cook dinner at a low simmer for about 5 minutes.
Whereas the combination simmers, stir the chilly water and cornstarch collectively in a small container. After the sauce has simmered for five minutes, stir within the cornstarch combination and produce the combination again to a simmer. As soon as it begins to simmer, it ought to thicken barely. Take away it from the warmth, then stir within the sesame oil. Let the sauce cool.
Place about 2 inches of oil into a big pot and set it over medium warmth.
Whereas the oil heats up, place the squash batons onto a microwave-safe plate and canopy them with a humid paper towel. Microwave the squash for about 3 minutes, till the items are simply starting to melt up. Watch out when eradicating the paper towel, because the squash will launch sizzling steam.
Place the ½ cup of flour right into a small bowl.
In a second bowl, whisk collectively the batter substances.
As soon as the oil reaches about 350°F, place a number of of the squash batons into the bowl containing the flour. Gently roll the batons to coat them in flour, then, separately, dip every baton into the batter. Coat the baton with batter, then shake off any extra earlier than transferring it to the new oil. Repeat the method, including as many batons as you’ll be able to at a time with out crowding (you'll find yourself with about 4 batches). Fry the batons for about 3 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to switch them to a wire rack to empty. Proceed till the entire squash is fried.
Wrap a bamboo mat in plastic wrap and place one sheet of nori over prime. Maintain a small bowl of water close by and moist your fingertips.
Distribute one quarter of your rice in a fair layer over the nori, urgent it down till it's good and skinny. Moist your palms periodically to assist forestall the rice from sticking to them.
Rigorously invert your rice-covered nori sheet in order that the rice layer sits on the plastic wrap and the nori is face up.
Organize a few quarter of your squash filling in a strip extending widthwise throughout your nori, about an inch away from you.
Rigorously roll the top of the mat closest to you over your filling strip, tucking and squeezing to get it good and tight. Proceed rolling till you attain the top.
Take your roll and place it seam facet down on a reducing board. Utilizing a big, sharp knife, lower the roll into eight items, wiping the blade clear with a humid towel between cuts.
Repeat the method to make three extra rolls utilizing the remaining substances.
Sprinkle the rolls with toasted sesame seeds, then serve with vegan eel sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi.