Sushi is not a raw deal for vegetarians anymore

Japan recently honoured the creator of California Roll, Vancouver sushi chef Hidekazu Tojoby on International Sushi Day (celebrated on June 18 every year) by granting him one of the country's highest honours: cultural ambassador.

For the uninitiated, California Roll is a modified sushi that has become popular across the world, first in the US and now in India too.

Ten years ago, one could literally count the number of places serving sushi. Today a simple Google search throws up one in every locality in major metros, with inroads now in tier two cities too.

A friend has been coaxing me to visit her in Ahmedabad. She wants me to try out sushi at a particular eatery in the city. I find it incredible. What have two sushi lovers got to lose?

California Roll is not authentic sushi (a bit of Googling will tell you that it's made up of sushi rice, dried seaweed, a bite of avocado, a fair-sized chunk of crab, with a few slivers of cucumber or radish thrown in) but it is extremely popular.

In India, traditional sushi recipes are also becoming an integral part of mainstream menus, but what is also gaining avid acceptance, is their vegetarian versions.

I joined the sushi loving wagon late. It was only in 2012, when I travelled to Japan. At the time, I was a strict vegetarian due to some personal reasons. Before leaving, I was warned that it will be tough to survive a week in this seafood-obsessed country. And yes, I did face some trouble in the beginning.

My no-meat, only-vegetarian food orders would either be met with non-plussed expressions, or the restaurants would promptly serve me a soup platter with lots of vegetables and some slivers of fish in it.

They just couldn't grasp my concept of "only vegetarian" diet. It was on this trip I discovered rice-based sushi clubbed with vegetables - rolls made with avocado, carrots, zucchini, tofu, pickled radish, mushrooms, peppers, and my favourite makizushi, rice wrapped with nori, the black sushi seaweed - and I came to love it.

In fact, I haven't stopped eating seaweed, considered the most nutritionally potent foods worldwide, since. These are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and iodine and many-many really hard to find otherwise trace minerals.

My love for sesame seeds (which contain anti-cancer compounds, including phytic acid, magnesium, and phytosterols) also stemmed from there, as these are sprinkled liberally on sushi.

I also continue to eat soy sauce (packed with antioxidants, gut friendly, and also highly effective in killing infection-causing colon bacillus), the fiery wasabi (vitamin C rich, anti inflammatory, and helps cut the risk of cancer and heart disease) and picked ginger (probiotic, great for digestion and helps lower cholesterol) which are often served with sushi.

Even the rice vinegar most sushi is doused with has strong antibacterial effects and is also believed to lower blood pressure.

Now, of course, with no such vegetarian restriction binding me, I eat them all: salmon skin roll, king crab roll, spicy tuna roll, shrimp tempura, nigiri (sliced raw fish with a molded ball of rice underneath), which make for a wonder cure-all nutrient omega 3, and yes, enough selenium too, a trace mineral important for strong immune and cognitive function.

That's the good thing about sushi; they are incredibly healthy, besides of course being delicious. I am in any case a big fan of Japanese cuisine and consider it the "healthiest" in the world - all because of the ingredients they use and the least possible cooking they do for most of their dishes. 

And beat this, Twitter tells me that today you can find a sushi doughnut at a restaurant in Texas. Wow!

Sushi is love for all. Even you, the vegetarians