Sushi

January 29, 2009

Some years back I attended a hands-on sushi-making class conducted by an importer of Asian ingredients and his Japanese wife.  We were advised expensive was not necessarily the best when it came to the rice - a good short-grain rice was all that was needed along with a high-quality brewed or naturally fermented soy sauce.

Next on the shopping list is mirin, a sweet rice wine,which is readily available as is the sushi vinegar which is ialso used to flavour the rice.

The seaweed wrap, nori comes in packets containing several sheets.

An important part of the sushi process is rinsing the rice. I put it in a pot in the sink and start the cold water tap running in to the pot. If you carefully adjust the rate the water enters the pot until the rice grains are just turning over, but not escaping over the rim of the pot, you've got it right. Let the tap run for about five minutes or until the water is clear, then drain the rice and let it sit in a sieve to dry out for about 30 minutes.

You will also need a bamboo mat for rolling your sushi and a dish of water with a dash or vinegar in it to dampen your hands as your roll the sushi.

For sushi filling you can use strips of cucumber, raw salmon, omelet, avocado, skinned roasted pepper - really whatever you fancy. You can buy assorted Japanese pickles at your supermarket or you might like to use strips of teriyaki chicken or fresh tuna.

Sushi

2 cups short-grain rice
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
sheets of nori (seaweed)
wasabi
pickled ginger
brewed soy sauce

Bring the rice to the boil in a covered pot, and then turn it back to a simmer for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes.

Stir in the mirin, rice vinegar and  teaspoon salt and then tip the rice onto a large shallow dish and fan it while it cools.

Place a sheet of nori on your bamboo mat and spread with the rice. Do not cover the last centimetre or two farthest from you. Keep the rice coating thin - almost so you can see the nori underneath. Dampen the uncovered edge with water.

Place the strips of filling in the third closest to you then, with the aid of the bamboo mat, start rolling the sushi.

When you have your rolls assembled, slice them through with a sharp cook's knife. You can alternate straight and diagonal slices, giving interesting shapes when the sushi is stacked on its flat end.

Arrange on a serving platter and accompany with wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce.

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