Week 14
Theme: Japanese
Cookbook Used: Japanese Home Cooking
Author: Shunsuke Fukushima
This week I had planned to make sukiyaki beef, but ran out of time. I had time to make sushi, and I had a few critics who helped me eat it all at a picnic on Saturday night.
Disappointed that Woolworths didn't stock sushi rice, Hamsley and I had to take a trip to the nearest Asian grocery shop in Clayton. We ended up having a ball shopping there, finding Japanese iceypoles, as you can see here on twitter. We found the shop keepers so friendly and cheery; as well as all the ingredients we needed nice and cheap.
I have made sushi before, but the 2nd time I made it the rice was super gluggy as I over worked the rice whilst trying to make it cool down. This time, I seasoned it then let it cool down; only stirring it occasionally until it was cold.
I used the rice cooking instructions from Taste.com.au as they were FAR less complicated than the ones in the book. The rice was cooked to perfection, nice and fluffy; not gluggy or too dry.
I made 3 different flavours; vegetarian, chicken and tuna. I cut off the bum ends as they weren't very pretty, and Hamsley and his housemate gobbled them up. Hamsley was unsure if he would like sushi, but after one bite, he was hooked. His house mate had expressed his thoughts on sushi whilst I was rolling it, by saying 'I had sushi once... didn't like it'. We invited him to try my sushi, and he was pleasantly surprised. He stuck around and ate more.
Sushi
Get your hands on:
1 cup sushi rice
1/4 cup sushi vinegar
Your choice of fillings: eg; tuna, chicken, avocado, carrot, omelet, etc..
Japanese mayonnaise
Serve it with:
Wasabi
Soy Sauce
Pickled Ginger
1. Rinse and drain rice 3 times or until water runs clear. Place rice in a strainer. Drain for 10 minutes.
2. Place rice and 1 cup cold water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 12 minutes or until rice has absorbed water. Remove from heat. Stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large ceramic dish. Stir rice with a plastic spatula to break up lumps. Gradually add seasoning while lifting and turning rice every now and then, until the rice is cold.
4. Cut each roll into 6 piece, and serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.
Rice recipe makes 3 cups.
1. Rinse and drain rice 3 times or until water runs clear. Place rice in a strainer. Drain for 10 minutes.
2. Place rice and 1 cup cold water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 12 minutes or until rice has absorbed water. Remove from heat. Stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large ceramic dish. Stir rice with a plastic spatula to break up lumps. Gradually add seasoning while lifting and turning rice every now and then, until the rice is cold.
3. Place a nori sheet, shiny-side down, on a clean work surface. Use wet hands to spread one-quarter of the rice mixture over half the nori sheet, leaving a 2cm-wide border along the edge closest to you. Arrange your fillings across the centre of the rice.. Roll up firmly to enclose filling. Brush edge of nori with warm water to seal. Repeat with remaining nori, rice, avocado, capsicum, cucumber and carrot. Set rolls aside, seam-side down, for 5 minutes to rest.
Rice recipe makes 3 cups.
I like making sushi - best when there's a few people to cook for though, rather than just myself, otherwise I end u with too much.