occasionally i'll get a craving for food that you usually get in restaurants. today, it was sushi. so i decided to make my own. it's pretty tasty stuff, so i thought i'd share.
i know, a lot of people think sushi is raw fish. that's not really true. sushi is technically a style of cooking rice. it's then combined with other things, like veggies, tofu, or fish. obviously, i'm making the non-fish type.
the first thing you have to do is make the rice. sushi rice is a specific type of rice. it has a very short grain and is really sticky when you cook it. so you can't just use basmati in these recipes, it really needs to be sushi rice. you can find it at any grocery store.
here's the recipe for sushi rice:
* 2 cups uncooked glutinous white rice (sushi rice)
* 3 cups water
* 1/2 cup rice vinegar
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
cook the rice as normal (bring water to boil, reduce to low, then cook covered for 20 minutes or until the water is gone).
in another pan, mix the vinegar, oil, sugar, and salt, and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. when the rice is done, mix the vinegar mixture into the rice. it'll be a little wet. don't worry, this will dry as the rice cools. the rice then needs to be cooled to room temperature before it's ready to handle.
now it's time to prepare your fillings. i'm making three types. first is avocado, sprouts and cucumber (use alfalfa or moong bean sprouts). next, lightly steamed carrot (should still be a little crunchy) and daikon (japanese radish - mooli will work to, it's basically the same thing). last is teriyaki marinated mushroom.
for the teriyaki:
1/2 cup soy sauce (if you don't eat soy sauce, i'm not sure what you can use here. maybe some balsamic vinegar mixed with salt?)
1/4 cup brown sugar
splash sesame oil
some smashed ginger and smashed garlic. no need to cut or peel.
simmer this over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. slice some mushrooms into match-stick shapes, then throw them in the teriyaki sauce and let it sit for an hour or so to absorb the flavor.
now for assembly (this is the hard part):
i'm making maki sushi, which are the rolled kind. they're tricky, but they're my favorite.
first you need a bamboo mat. you can get one at any asian grocery store or sometimes at regular grocery stores. they cost about two dollars and you can use them over and over again.
on the clean bamboo mat, place a sheet of nori. nori is dried seaweed that can be purchased at most grocery stores in the asian food section. i'm assuming it's bibek, because it's a single ingredient food (the only processing is that it's dried before packaging, like raisins). lay the nori on the bamboo mat. spread on this a layer of sushi rice (1/4 inch or thinner). leave an inch or so of nori uncovered at the far end, for rolling. now you're ready for the fillings.
all of the filling veggies should be sliced into thin match stick shapes. lay out the fillings in a line, with the largest one first, then thinner, etc.
when all your ingredients are in place, life the end of the bamboo mat nearest you and fold it over the ingredients, with a careful rolling motion. while doing this, fold the end of the nori into the roll causing it to close and continue to roll the mat applying a light, steady, even pressure. when you have rolled to the end, press the front and back sides of the roll (the sides closest to you and furthest from you) with the mat to firm up the roll and create a vaguely square tube. apply a slight amount of pressure and hopefully the roll will seal. if the roll doesn't seal, you can lightly moisten the nori with water and it should seal. remove the mat and trim any excess nori from the maki with the sharp knife. cut the roll in half, place the halves next to each other and cut two or three more times to make 6 or 8 pieces, depending your preference and the size of the roll.
sushi is traditionally served with ginger pickles, wasabi, and soy sauce. since ginger pickles take a few weeks to make, i didn't make any. wasabi is a type of horseradish and can be found processed in a tube or (better!) you can get the original in root form at asian grocery stores. to serve, grate it very very tiny and use just a tiny dab. it's HOT.
pictures to follow.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥
