FOOD FRIDAY - SUSHI

“With sushi, it is all about balance. Sometimes they cut the fish too thick, sometimes too thin. Often the rice is overcooked or undercooked. Not enough rice vinegar or too much.” - Nobu Matsuhisa

Have you ever tried making sushi at home or is it something you always buy from a specialty take away shop? In Melbourne we have so many of these (very good!) establishments that make excellent Japanese take away food that it seems silly to try and make such delicacies at home. However, it is always a challenge to try one’s hand at cooking something new and if one is really into Japanese food, why not try to make sushi, or sashimi, or tempura, or teriyaki?

Sushi

Ingredients

2 cups short grain rice

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup rice vinegar

Fillings of your choice (e.g. grated carrot, avocado, pickled daikon, mushrooms, tofu, sesame seeds, strips of omelette, boiled prawns, caviar, smoked salmon, grilled chicken)

Pickled ginger

Wasabi (horse radish powder/ paste)

Nori sheets

Mirin rice wine

Shoyu

Method

While the rice is cooking, mix the sugar and vinegar together. Strain the rice and pour the vinegar solution over it.  Stir and fan the rice until all of the grains are glossy then put it aside to cool.

Chop up the vegetables including the ginger.  If you are using wasabi powder, mix in a little water to make it into a paste.

Place the nori shiny side up on the sushi rolling mat.  Rub a little mirin on your hands to lubricate them and cover two thirds of the nori sheet with an even layer of rice about 7.5mm thick, leaving the top third bare.  Place the other fillings in a strip across the middle of the rice.

Rub a little more mirin on the top edge of the nori to make it ready to stick, and then with the help of the mat roll up the sushi by folding the nori sheet in half, rolling it back over itself and then rolling it up like a scroll. You'll end up with a long cylinder, which you can slice to make bite-size pieces.

Refrigerate, cut up and serve with little bowls of wasabi and shoyu

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