Plant based Aaron Brunet
Aaron Brunet makes a Japanese classic vegan friendly
One of my biggest food surprises recently was at a regular vegan potluck dinner where everyone brings a plate of food and hangs out for a few hours. There was a plate of what looked incredibly like salmon sushi — surely not? Turns out it was baked watermelon. Now there’s an idea I had never thought of. When it’s sliced, marinated and baked, it transforms from light and crispy to firm and fleshy. I’ve used vinegar, ginger and smoked paprika to add depth to the unsurprisingly sweet but curiously rich result. You could use soy sauce too but that makes the colour darker, which is a bit of a shame.
Let’s be honest, this is novelty food. It’s not something I’d make every day but it sure is fun to shake up expectations and be truly surprised in the kitchen. Dishes like this remind me to keep playing with food and not to take it too seriously. Being willing to try things and make mistakes (and I do make plenty) also opens the door to unexpected delights.
I’m into nice sushi rice and I’ve given a not-tooshort-not-too-long description of how to do it. If you want to see the ultimate realisation of this I suggest watching the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi and see what happens when someone who cares spends a lifetime perfecting their craft.