As ever more people are joining the vegan movement and celebrate Veganuary, chefs around the world come up with new creations to satisfy even the most discerning palettes. Creating vegan substitutes for meat or fish is an old practice. In ancient China wheat gluten, or mianjin, was used to replace and imitate meat in vegetarian cooking for Buddhist monks. The same spices or cooking techniques as with meat were used to create perfect mock meat dishes. For a modern, non-vegan raw food lover raw fish isn't a taboo, but many people refuse to eat fish for different reasons, cruelty-free lifestyle being only one of many.
Making a fully raw, vegan substitute for meat or fish presents many challenges. It is not easy to create the same or even similar, texture and taste, and to make the substitute look presentable, at the same time. Experimenting is a part of cooking experience. Not all outcomes are successful, so don't get discouraged.
My mock gravlox turned out quite tasty after one week in dill-mustard-seaweed marinade, but it does not taste like fish. Anyone who tells you that graved carrot, raw or cooked, tastes like fish, has either never had fish before, or has never eaten graved salmon. The truth is, no matter what you do to the carrot, it will never taste like fish. So why bother? The idea of mock lox is solely to add nutrients and variation in taste to raw dishes.
Ingredients:
for the mock gravlox
- 2 large carrots, I used gorgeous red heirloom carrots
for the marinade
- 3 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp raw mustard or 2 Tbsp ground mustard seeds
- 1/4 cup dried wakame seaweed or nori flakes
- 1 tsp raw, unpasteurized white miso paste
- 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
- 2-3 crushed juniper berries
- freshly pressed juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup chopped fresh dill or 1/4 cup dried dill
- 1 Tbsp light virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unrefined coconut blossom sugar if making a fully vegan lox, or light raw honey if making fully raw, non-vegan version
Method:
- Wash and peel the carrots. Using a mandolin slicer or a vegetable peeler cut the carrots into long strips.
- In a large bowl mix all the marinade ingredients. Depending on your personal preferences you may want to add more salt, mustard or sugar. Once you are satisfied with the taste of the marinade, toss in the carrot strips and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture into an airtight glass container and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the carrots to marinade for at least 12 hours. The longer you marinade, the more "sea" flavor they will develop. Open the container every few hours and stir the contents. Make sure that the carrots are completely covered with the marinade. If you are satisfied with the outcome, use you mock gravlox in sandwiches such as the vegan lox and bagel; mixed salads; nori rolls, or vegan poké bowls.
Poké bowls are becoming more and more popular with the trendy urban crowd all over the world. This attractive dish originated in Hawaii. Poké means "to slice or to cut" in Hawaiian language and refers to chopped raw, marinated fish served on top of cooked riced with some condiments. Traditionally the fish was cut into cubes and seasoned with seaweed and kukui nuts.
Tip: If you are making mock gravlox specifically for a poké bowl, you may want to chop your carrots into manageable cubes.
~ Raw Vegan Mock Gravlox Poké Bowl Recipe ~
Ingredients:
for the rice
- 1 medium large cauliflower
- freshly pressed juice of 1 lemon
- freshly pressed juice of 1 orange
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger rhizome
- 1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp nama shoyu (raw soy sauce)
- 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt, add more as needed
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
toppings
- mock gravlox
- sliced radishes
- sliced beet
- avocado
- persimmon
- thinly sliced green onions
- microgreens for garnish
- roughly chopped kukui nuts (candlenuts) or any other nuts for garnish, optional
- black sesame seed, for garnish
- furikake seasoning, optional
Method:
- Using the S-blade of your food processor, make the cauliflower rice. Transfer the chopped up cauliflower to a bowl, add orange juice, lemon juice, grated ginger, and all the remaining seasoning. Mix well. If you are satisfied with the taste, set it aside. Let it sit for as long as you are preparing the toppings.
- Gather all ingredients. Chop up mock gravlox, avocado, and persimmon into manageable chunks.
- Transfer the seasoned cauliflower rice into individual bowls. Arrange the toppings on top of the "rice" and garnish with kukui nuts, microgreens, sesame seeds, and whatever else you are using. Serve right away. Use forks or chopsticks and enjoy in good company!
Poké bowls are incredibly practical dishes. Since most ingredients are chopped into bite-size pieces and seasoned, the bowls are perfect for travel or as an attractive, healthy school or office lunch.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2023