Sunday, June 19, 2011

simple sushi how to

It has been about 100 degrees here the last few days and when it's that warm I just don't feel like cooking. Sushi is a cool and yummy meal and the only part I have to cook is the rice. Here is how I make it.

Ingredients:
Rice
Rice vinegar
sugar
salt
pepper
powdered ginger (optional)
Nori (seaweed sheets)
crab flakes or crab sticks and/or lox
cucumber and/or avocado
soy sauce
wasabi paste


Rice. Ideally you want to use a short grain rice. The shorter the rice, the more starch it releases as it cooks, and the stickier it will be. They don't sell much short grain rice here in the southwest so I make do with a medium grain and it gets sticky enough. I follow the directions on the bag. Bring 3 cups of rice and 2 cups of water to boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes. I put the rice into a big glass bowl and add about 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar, and maybe a little salt, pepper, and powdered ginger to taste. Mix it up well and let it cool.

Once the rice is cooled to about room temperature start assembling your ingredients. We like to use crab sticks or flakes or lox (cured salmon) along with avocado or cucumber and sometimes a little egg. If you want to use egg, just make an thin omelet with 2 eggs, let it cool, and slice it into strips. You can also just stick with veggies if you aren't a seafood fan. Last night I used crab sticks (sliced into thirds), cucumber (cut to just a little longer than the seaweed sheet), and sliced avocado.


Lay out one seaweed sheet and spread a thin layer of sticky rice over it. Leave space at one end to seal the roll. You don't want to spread the rice too thick or the seaweed will split when you roll it up. If you like inside out rolls you can flip the seaweed over at this point. To me it's not worth the extra trouble since it all tastes the same anyway.


Layer the crab and avocado at the end.


Roll the sushi tight. Dip your finger in water and wet the end of the roll that has no rice. This will seal the roll. Like an envelope.


Isn't that pretty?



I usually chill my rolls in the fridge as I go. I think they slice nicer and taste a little better after spending an hour in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, slice the rolls into eighths.


Serve with wasabi and soy sauce. 


Yum!

 

I have heard that cream cheese, lox, and cucumber make a great roll so I'll have to try that next time. You would take a block of cream cheese and make long, square strips.

Tip for those with small children. My 2 year old loves sushi, but she makes a mess. It helps to cut it into small pieces, place it in a bowl, and drizzle the soy sauce over it. Then she can eat with a spoon or fork and it's easier for her to chew the seaweed. For my 4 year old I just cut the pieces in half and she tries to eat with chopsticks like we do :)

1 comment:

Lori said...

One of these days I will have to try this, it looks so easy and I <3 sushi rolls!! Thanks for posting this!!