Sushi

Sushi is one of my favorite Asian cuisine foods. My wife and I enjoy having sushi once every couple of months. There is a nice restaurant we like going to, we usually choose the "all you can eat buffet". I attemped making sushi myself only once in the past, but the other day I had the urge to make sushi and so I ran to the fish market for fresh salmon, took out my sushi recipes, put on my apron and voila..... Here's the outcome.....Enjoy!
I must warn you that making sushi is a bit complicated....but once you try it for a few times, you can become a pro! The ingredients costed approximately 20-25 euros and they are enough for a sushi platter for two people.
All the recipes and every other information regarding sushi, can be found in the recipe book Sushi, Made Easy (Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., New York)

All sushi has a base of specially prepared rice, and complemented with other ingredients. Sushi is made with white, short-grained, japanese rice mixed with a dressing made of rice vinegar, sugar and salt.

Ingredients for rice

• 460 g short grain rice
• 2 1/2 cups water

Vinegar mixture

• 75 ml rice vinegar
• 15 ml mirin (sweet wine , made from glutinous rice, used for cooking purposes, can be found in all major supermarkets that sell international food)
• 45 ml sugar
• 30 ml salt

Method

Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Drain for an hour, then place the rice in a pot with tight fitting lid and add the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Lower the heat and steam for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove the lid and cover the pot with a kitchen towel. Let stand for 15 minutes. While the rice is cooking, combine the vinegar mixture ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove the mixture from the heat and cool. Spread the rice evenly over the base of a shallow, wooden bowl. Run a spatula through the rice to gently separate the grains and slowly add the vinegar mixture at the same time. The rice should not be too moist. Fan the rice until it reaches room temperature. Keep it in the wooden bowl, covered with a clean cloth, until ready to use.

Ingredients for sushi rolls (Maki)

Rolling sushi takes practice. It looks simple, but trust me is not. You need a bamboo rolling mat, which is made from skewer-type bamboo sticks woven together with string.

Hosomaki is a slender , rolled sushi, boasting one to three ingredients.

• 500 g vinegared rice (shari)
• 5 sheets seaweed (nori)
• rice vinegar
• wasabi

Ingredients for fillings

• tuna or salmon ( must be really fresh, for aesthetics and hygiene reasons)
• fresh onions
• lettuce
• avocado
• omelette (2 eggs, dash of salt, 10ml water, 15ml sugar, 5ml soy sauce, 25ml sake, oil for cooking)
  
• cucumber
• carrot
• roe

Method

Place a sheet of nori onto the mat. The rolling mat must be dry and placed on a dry chopping board. Moisten your hands in vinegared water and make a bowl out of half a cup of prepared rice. Place this ball on the nori and spread it out carefully. Spread it gently, do not push it down onto the nori. Keep about 12 mm free of rice on the far end of nori to seal the roll.
Place a dab of wasabi on your inded finger and run your finger along the rice, from left to right in a straight line. This line should be at the end closest to you. Place the fillings for your roll on top of the wasabi, and wet the exposed strip of nori with rice vinegar. Lift the front of the bamboo mat closest to you. Roll the maki by pressing the mat down firmly on the nori. The nori will stick to itself when the roll is complete. Shape the ends of the rill so that no rice will fall out and then ler the roll to rest for a minute or two. Moisten a sharp knife with vinegared water before cutting the roll into four or six neat pieces.
( I know that by now you will be completely confused and think that rocket science is easier than making sushi rolls. Trust me it is easier than it sounds, and it is extremely helpful if you could observe someone making these first and then attempt to do it yourself. I watched a few shows on BBC Food before attempting to make these rolls.


Eating sushi


Pour soy sauce in a little bowl, add wasabi to taste, mix well and dip sushi into soy sauce and enjoy. You can also have pickled slices of ginger in between bites to cleanse the pallate. Beverages to accompany sushi are green tea or sake, both to be served warm.