Sushi

Need I say more? Sushi in Japanese means vinegared rice, contradictory to wide belief that it is "raw fish". The thing about sushi is except the rice everything else is raw in it. Sometimes the "nori", which is sea weed used is roasted. I am totally in love with this. I can eat it anytime anywhere. The wasabi and ginger served with this makes it more kickin' ... In my experience with wasabi, it can clear the most severe of sinus blocks... the kick it packs is out of this world... You won't be able to handle it unless you take a bite of vinegared ginger along with wasabi.  To drink you must try "sake" rice wine... it is sort of sweet and tart at the same time, best had when warm. We tried suhi in a Korean restaurant once which was good then we had sushi in a vegan restaurant and fell in love with it. If you ask me, I fall in love with tasty food very easily, my weakness I suppose. So let me not dealy anymore in giving out the recipe of Sushi..

Prep time: 45 mins

cook time: 25 mins for rice

Servings: 24 pieces

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 2 cups, use very starchy rice.

2. Nori sheets - 4 [sea weed sheets, I bought them at whole foods store]

All Raw vegetables are Julienne sliced. Julienne is nothing but match stick thin slices. You can use a wide array of vegetables. Do not use something like potato or starchy ones. There is already rice in it. You can also use flavoured or just plain firm tofu...

3. Carotts: 2

4. Red bellpepper - 1/2

5. Green bell pepper - 1/2

6. Avacado - 1

7. Spring onions - 1 bunch

8. Ready wasabi paste or powder[prepare it according to insturctions on the box] or a horse radish (which has to be peeled, chopped and run in the blender to make a paste. Add a little salt, sugar and vinegar)

7. Raw ginger - 1 medium sized piece

8. Rice vinegar or white vinegar - up to 3/4 cup

9. Sugar - 4 tsp

Method:

Cooking rice:

• Wash rice and put it in a filter to drain all the water and let it stand for an hour.
• Now boil 4 cups of water in a vessel in which you would cook rice. 
• Add rice and cook till well done and all water gets evaporated.
• After the rice cooks, transfer it into a large plate in which you can move it easily.
• Mix 2 tbsp of vinegar and 2 tsp sugar till all the sugar dissolves.
• Add 1 tbsp of this sugar-vinegar mixture and thoroughly mix in the rice by fannig on the rice with one hand. If you have a table fan, then switch it on and mix the rice and vinegar.
• After 1 tbsp of it is incorporated, add the next tbsp and repeat the process till rice and vinegar gets mixed well. The point of the whole fanning process is to get the water to evaporate from rice faster and making rice more workable, this process makes rice sticky and soft enough to hold any shape you make it in to and cuts easily. Set this aside and let it completely cool. Keep in mind, you don't have to use all the vinegar. If you think rice is getting watery, stop using Vinegar.

To prepare Ginger:

• Boil 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 tsp sugar in a pot till sugar dissolves in it. cool completely before using.
• Younger the ginger root the better. 
• Wash the ginger root and peel out it's skin and throw it away
• Now peel ginger in to strips, add it to cooled vinegar sugar mixture.
• Soak it atleast 2 hours before you would use it.

How to roll Sushi?

There are a lot of  videos, this one I found was most user friendly for beginners. She demonstrates with a rolling mat, Actually you don't need one, I did not use one, your bare hands are perfect to roll them.... I made them for the first time, the ones in the picture, not so professional looking... but with practice they will get better... So do not fret too much when they do not turn out to be a perfect shape. They don't hold the shape inside your mouth now, do they? LOL! I am posting a video here as watching it makes it very clear than reading about it... you can google further for more interesting informative videos... This is a very fun recipe to try with kids...Make and enjoy.

 

Serving suggestions:

Sushi becomes so much better with wasabi and vinegared ginger... please try it. The possibilities with sushi are just endless. You can add cucumber, zucchini and many such veggies. Try and experiment. This dish can be experimented a lot with.

Tips:

Never soak the nori sheet with water, it will tear. when you use water to wet your hands, make sure not even a drop lands on the nori sheet. Keep dipping the knife in water while you cut these rolls, or all the rice will stick to the knife making it impossible to cut further and all your rolls will go bad.