Sushi

Submitted by: Ann Deakin

The RiceIngredients:
1.25 Cups Rice (Short-grain sushi rice works best, but Jasmine rice is also good. Long-grain rice gets really dry, so you will probably need to add more vinegar mixture to make it sticky.)

2 Cups Water

2.5 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

1.5 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp salt

Optional: Wash the rice until the water runs clear, then drain for about an hour. This is especially good if you're using bulk rice that's probably dirty. If you get the expensive sushi rice at the store, then you're probably fine.

Directions:

Place the rice and water in a pot with a tight-fitting lid.
Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat and steam for 15 minutes.
Cover with a tea towel and let stand for another 15 minutes.

In a separate saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat gently and stir ingredients until the mixture dissolves. Slowly mix the vinegar mixture into the cooked rice.

Optional: Fan the rice until it reaches room temperature.

One other note: sushi rice doesn't last long.

The Roll Ingredients:
2 sheets of seaweed (nori)

1 fillet of FRESH fish- I used tuna and salmon (try Market Street grill at 10702 South River Front Parkway)

Any other ingredients you may want to add for filling. I used avacado and cream cheese. Cucumber, carrots, lettuce, spring onion, and lots of other stuff work well too.

Wasabi (optional)

Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Bamboo mat- The bamboo mat is nice for getting a more even roll, but you can also use flexible cutting boards. Plastic wrap or wax paper may work well too, but I've never tried it.

1 sheet plastic wrap

Directions:
Place the seaweed (nori) on a clean cutting board. You may want to cut the seaweed shorter if you want a smaller roll.
Gently spread the rice onto the seaweed to make a thin layer. This is where the room-temperature rice comes in handy; if it's too cold, the rice won't stick, but if it's too warm, it will warp the seaweed and make it smell a bit.

Place a piece of plastic wrap over your bamboo mat to keep the rice from sticking to it.

Turn the nori & seaweed upside-down on top of the bamboo mat (so the seaweed is face up). Place a dab of wasabi on your finger and run it down the edge of the seaweed closest to you. Place the fish and other filling ingredients on top of the wasabi.

Starting at the side closest to you (where the filling is), lift the bamboo mat and roll the sushi.

Shape the ends of the roll and let it rest for a minute.

Sprinkle roll with toasted sesame seeds.

Moisten a sharp knife and cut the roll into 6-ish slices.

*There are a plethora of online guides to making sushi. If you really want to get into sushi, you might consider the Sushi kit that I got on Amazon. Sushi for Dummies is also well-reviewed.