May 2, 2020

Vegan Lion’s Mane Mushroom Sushi

Spiky, delicate, lightly flavored mushrooms are the star of this vegan lion’s mane mushroom sushi, rolled with sweet potatoes and chives. Each bite of umami goodness celebrates lion’s mane, an increasingly popular mushroom you’re sure to love. This roll shows how vegan sushi can be so much more than a cucumber roll- there are a world of fun and unique flavors to discover. Dive into the wonderful world of homemade sushi with us!

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Supporting Local Farmers

Supporting local farmers and small businesses has always been important, but it’s become even more important as businesses remain closed. As summer rolls around, traditional sources of income for small farmers like farmers markets or selling directly to restaurants are tenuous. But farmers are a resilient bunch, and many are coming up with alternative methods of selling their goods. I got my lion’s mane mushrooms from one of these new ventures. Our local mushroom farmers have partnered with other local farmers and businesses to create a weekly food delivery program, and will deliver fresh, local produce across the state of Massachusetts- if you happen to be a MA local, I really suggest giving it a shot. You can order from them here. If you’re from a different area of the world, I really encourage you to do a little digging- there might be a similar program nearby, or perhaps farms are setting up pick up stands. Now would also be a great time to join a CSA. Support your local small farms so that we can continue to have delicious, fresh, locally grown produce through this time of economic hardship.

Growing your Own Mushrooms

If you don’t have a great mushroom grower nearby, or perhaps just want the fun of doing it yourself, lion’s mane mushrooms can be grown at home. We were gifted a kit from North Spore to try, and we ended up with some delicious and beautiful mushrooms in a matter of a few weeks. Here’s how the process worked- mushrooms need a substrate to grow (in nature, that’s often a tree or soil), but in this case it’s a cardboard box filled with saw dust. Inside that substrate, North Spore has already started the mycelium (the underground part of a mushroom). Under the right conditions, the mycelium will produce a fruiting body, which is the edible part that we normally think of as being the mushroom. Out in nature, those conditions can take a while to occur, but at home you can make them happen by just exposing your mushroom to air, and giving it plenty of moisture.

I’ve actually grown lion’s mane mushrooms before- I got a kit that was a big plastic bag filled with sawdust. I had to duct tape the top shut, cut holes in the outside, and store it in the basement since it was a pretty messy process. Twice a day I was supposed to go down and spritz it with water, but honestly those mushrooms weren’t really getting the water they needed, because with them in the basement I frequently forgot about them. This was a different story- they are packaged in a neat, tidy little box that didn’t take up much room on the counter- I walked past them several times a day, and they were always well watered. It helped that they kit came with a little spray bottle, so I didn’t have to try and dig one up from somewhere in the basement, or empty out a different container. Watching my lion’s mane mushrooms grow was so much fun, and once I saw the mushrooms start to grow, it was shocking how quickly they developed into full sized, delicious mushrooms.

If you would like to try growing your own lion’s mane, you can get them here from North Spore. At this time, they also sell countertop kits to grow blue, pink, and golden oysters. If you’re looking to get more into mushrooms, they sell more advanced kits for both indoor and outdoor mushroom growing, as well as mushroom spawn. As a bonus to my fellow New Englanders, they are locally based up in Maine!

What is Lion’s Mane Mushroom?

Look at the picture above- this white, almost fluffy looking mushroom can really surprise people. “You eat that???” I sure do, and so should you! If you’re a forager, lion’s mane mushrooms can be found growing on trees in the fall. Otherwise, lion’s mane can be found grown by local specialty mushroom farmers, and more and more frequently in supermarkets across the US. Lion’s mane have a delicate texture, and is sometimes compared to crab (and you can make some amazing “crab” cakes out of them!)

Lion’s mane is often considered a superfood- like all mushrooms, it’s high in protein, low in calories, and contains no fat. In addition, it’s thought to be amazing for your brain and contains chemicals that stimulate neuronal (brain cell) growth. Some studies have shown promise in using lion’s mane to help treat dementia, Parkinson’s, and depression. Take this all with a grain of salt, but also rest assured that lion’s mane is delicious and deserves to be on your plate, even without the medicinal value.

Looking for More Mushroom recipes? Try one of these!

Making Vegan Lion’s Mane Mushroom Sushi

I want to start by saying that some people take sushi very seriously and I’m no sushi artist, just a home cook who enjoys rolling a sushi roll now and again. So while my techniques may not be the gold standard in sushi making, I enjoy it and I think most of you all will too. So lets get started! To make good sushi rice, choose a short grain rice (often labeled as sushi rice), and make sure to rinse or wash your rice until all the excess starch has been removed. Once the rice is cooked, use rice wine vinegar, salt, and sugar to season it- that’s what will give your rice that sushi rice flavor. The lion’s mane also needs to be cooked- we made a simple marinade to flavor the mushrooms before cooking them until seared. One element not in this sushi that I thought would be nice is a bit of a crunch- maybe cucumber, celery, or jicama- but I didn’t have any around, so we had to do without. I want to encourage you to try it though!

Plan on using one cup of dried rice to make enough for three sushi rolls. Spread the rice in an even layer so it covers roughly 2/3 of the sheet of nori. In the middle of the rice, make a line of chives, lion’s mane, sweet potato, and any other elements you might be using. Roll the sushi tight, and lightly brush the end of the nori without rice with water to help it stick and join the roll together. To cut the sushi into pieces without crushing them, use a sharp serrated knife to cut.

Vegan Lion’s Mane Mushroom Sushi

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 3 rolls

Vegan Lion’s Mane Mushroom Sushi

Ingredients

1 cup short grain sushi rice
2 ½ tbsp. + 1 tsp. rice wine vinegar (divided)
½ tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 oz. lion’s mane mushroom
½ tsp. dulse powder (substitute other seaweed if needed)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
Oil, for cooking
1 small sweet potato
9-12 chives (or a few scallions)
3 sheets of sushi nori

Instructions

First make the rice- rinse the rice in a bowl of water, swishing it around and replacing the water until it stops becoming cloudy and remains clear. Place it in a pot, along with 1 ¼ cup water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, lower the heat to a low simmer, cover with a lid, and cook until all the water is absorbed (8-10 minutes). While the rice is cooking, combine the 2 ½ tbsp. rice vinegar with the sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Once the rice is cooked, place it in a bowl and cover with the vinegar mixture. Stir until it’s all coated, and set aside on the counter until it’s completely cooled.
Next cook the lion’s mane- cut the mushrooms into “steaks”, about ½ inch thick. Mix the remaining tsp. of rice wine vinegar with the dulse powder, soy sauce and 2 tbsp. water and place the mushrooms in, making sure both sides get covered in the marinade for a few minutes. In the meantime, heat a little oil in a large skillet. Place the mushrooms in the hot pan, and cook for a few minutes on each side, until seared. Remove from the pan, let cool, and then cut into thin, long strips.
Cook the sweet potato simply- you could boil or roast it, but I just puncture mine with a few fork holes, and then microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove the skin, and slice into long, thin strips.
Once the rice is totally cooled, assemble the rolls. Place a sheet of nori on a clean surface in landscape position (as opposed to portrait), and use 1/3 of the rice to cover the bottom 2/3 or so with a thin layer of rice, using your fingers to spread it evenly. In the center of the rice, place 3 or so chives down the length of the roll, as well as strips of the cooked lion’s mane and sweet potato. Gently roll the sushi by picking the edge closest to you and rolling it in on itself. Brush a small amount of water on the edge of the nori with no rice to seal it. Repeat with the two remaining rolls. Finally, use a serrated knife to cut the rolls into 6-8 even pieces. Eat immediately, and serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi.

https://veryveganval.com/2020/05/02/vegan-lions-mane-mushroom-sushi/

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