Last Updated on June 3, 2023

We all love vegan sushi, right? The combination of flavors is outstanding especially when combined with wasabi and soy sauce. The only problem is the hassle of making it! Well, we have you in mind with this no roll sushi bowl with spicy “tuna.”  It packs the same taste you remember with way less work involved.

The Origin of Spicy Tuna Roll

We were curios about how spicy tuna gain its popularity so we googled it. Some say in the early 70s a famous Japanese chef created and made this popular in Little Tokyo in L.A. but no one knows who the chef was nor what his restaurant was called. It’s a mystery. Either way, we all love and appreciate the taste it brings, the cruelty free way of course! We enjoy eating vegan sushi with wasabi and soy sauce but like the added kick of the spicy mayo.

Spicy Mayo

According to our web-research, mayo in general originated way back in the mid 1600s  somewhere in Western Europe. In case you don’t know, Japanese love cooking with mayo. The most popular Japanese mayo is made by Kewpie which is not vegan but tastes richer and creamier than American ones. Probably, with their love for mayo and the hospitality to please the palette of non-Japanese, they added their own spin on it using a foreign ingredient, sriracha, from a different part of Asia.  We like using the combination of this organic mayo and sriracha to make our vegan spicy mayo. It sounds simple but the sriracha already has a compound flavor and with scallions it’s fantastic.

That Spicy “TUNA”

Now for the “tuna”,  there are some vegan friendly mocked tuna you can find in grocery stores. We’ve tried a couple of them. To be honest, they all are just okay and we thrive on using real ingredients possible. So we use tomatoes! We find that peeled tomato flesh works brilliantly to give you that tuna-like texture. One of our very first dishes that we made for Instagram was “Tuna Sushi” and it was extremely close to the real thing. The key is to use Roma tomatoes for firmer flesh and less water content. Don’t forget to peel the skin! It will make a big difference in the consistency and the texture, and the overall flavor profile of the dish.

Bowl vs Roll

It’s completely up to you but for us, sushi bowls make frequent appearance on the table more than rolls. The same ingredients, the same great flavor!

Feeling Inspired?

Make sure to check out our most popular vegan sushi recipes!

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Print Recipe

5 from 18 votes

Spicy Mayo “Tuna” Sushi Bowl

Sushi without the hassle of rolling! Japanese white sushi rice with spicy mayo "tuna" made with tomatoes accompanied by wasabi, soy sauce, avocado and other toppings of your choice! What's not to love?

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Entree, Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine: Japanese, Japanese Inspired, Vegan

Servings: 4 people

Author: Plant-Based Matters

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

• 3 cups uncooked white Japanese rice (starchy short grain rice)
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup sushi vinegar
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Spicy “Tuna” Tomatoes

• 4 Roma tomatoes (not too ripe)
• 3 tbsp vegan mayo
• 1 1/2 tbsp sriracha
• 1 scallion minced

Toppings & Condiments

• 2 Hass avocados halved and thinly sliced
• 1 cup sprouts or your choice (preferably spicy sprouts)
• Handful of shredded nori (kizami nori)
• Soy sauce to taste
• Wasabi to taste

Instructions

• Prepare the sushi rice. Put rice in a large bowl. Pour water in the bowl to cover the rice. Wash it with your hand moving in circular motion then discard water. Repeat the process until water becomes clear. Transfer to a fine mesh colander to drain and set aside for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the tomatoes to make "tuna." Boil water in a medium pot. Reduce the heat to medium high and drop tomatoes gently in the boiling water. When the skin starts peeling (cracking), scoop and transfer to a bowl of ice bath (ice cubes and water.) Peel the skin off with hands.
• Cut the peeled tomatoes in half. Using a small knife or grapefruit spoon to remove the core and seeds. Use paper towel to pat dry the flesh of tomatoes. Dice them and transfer to a fine mesh colander over a bowl or a sink. Let them stand for 45 minutes to remove excess tomato juice.
• While waiting for the tomatoes to drain, start cooking rice. In a heavy medium pot, combine rice and water. Cover it with the lid and turn the heat to medium to medium high. Once it starts boiling (bubbling), reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes until water is completely absorbed. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
• Transfer the rice to a wooden sushi rice bowl (or use any proper size prep bowl you have.) Swirl in sushi vinegar and mix gently in folding/cutting motion. Let it cool off to at the body temperature. Add toasted sesame seeds and mix (optional.) Set aside.
• While waiting for the rice to cool down, prepare the spicy “tuna” tomatoes. In a small bowl, combine mayo, sriracha, and scallion. Mix well. Transfer the drained diced tomatoes into the mixture and stir gently without breaking the tomatoes.
• Place the sushi rice in a bowl, then top it with avocado, tomato “tuna”, sprouts, and shredded nori. Serve with some soy sauce and wasabi to taste.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @plantbased_matters or tag #plantbased_matters!