To be honest, I can’t believe I haven’t written about my love of chirashi bowls yet on these pages. My adoration for such things runs so very deep, I feel like I want to sing it from the rooftops! So here I am, on the virtual rooftop, bellowing as loudly as my lungs will let me. Do you hear me loud and clear?
I became a fan of chirashi bowls a good long time ago when one of our favorite sushi bars, Zento, opened up here in Alexandria, Va. They had a vegetarian chirashi bowl, and I ordered it sight unseen. My heart sang with what was served to me – all manner of vegetables and tofu atop a bed of sushi rice – and I knew instantly that it was destined to become a classic go-to in our home. We already love sushi so much around here, hosting entire parties around it, and chirashi bowls were a perfect fit into the repertoire.
The beauty of these bowls is that the possibilities are endless. Whatever veggies or proteins you have on hand, whatever sauces or toppings you can find the fridge, will have a home atop this rice. And the sushi rice itself is a cinch to make: Just add your sushi rice to a rice cooker (or pot), then add adequate water, and top off with some sugar-vinegar mixture and you’re at the finish line already. Easy!
We typically enjoy our chirashi bowls with some combination of avocado, shredded carrots, cucumber slices or shreds, wasabi peas, Garden “fish,” and rice seasoning, topped with Sriracha or hoisin or soy sauce (or all three!). But really, whatever you have in your fridge or pantry will fit the bill. Edamame? Put it on! Sliced cherry tomatoes? Go for it. Your ingredients need not be traditional to be good.
What’s your favorite chirashi combination? Let us know in the comments!
PrintVegan Chirashi Bowls
The beauty of these bowls is that the possibilities are endless. Whatever veggies or proteins you have on hand, whatever sauces or toppings you can find the fridge, will have a home atop this rice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings
Ingredients
1 cup of sushi rice
1.5 cups of water
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
Rice seasoning, to taste
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cucumber, cut into slices (crosswise or lengthwise – either works!)
¼ cup wasabi peas
1 package Gardein fish (or tofu, or any other veggie protein you have on hand)
Sriracha, hoisin and soy sauce, to taste
Instructions
First, make your sushi rice according to package directions. (My Instant Pot calls for 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water.) As the rice cooks, boil the vinegar and sugar together and let cool. When the rice is ready, drizzle the vinegar mixture through the rice, ensuring an even coat, and spoon the rice into bowls (we typically divide the rice in half into two bowls for a large dinner portion). Top the rice with some rice seasoning if you are so inclined.
Next, divide your veggies and protein up evenly and place atop the bowls of rice. Scatter wasabi peas on top along with your sauces, if using, and dig in! Chopsticks not required (but always encouraged).