Homemade Sushi

Hello all, so sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been getting ready for my junior year of High School, which I hear is the absolute worst grade to be in at this point. Over the past few weeks, I've been preparing myself by hibernating in my house (in the summertime), procrastinating doing my AP homework and making a ton of food.

Thus I avoided doing my work and decided to make sushi. I know it sounds quite daunting but sushi is truly pretty easy to make if you have the right ingredients. The most difficult step is preparing the sushi rice; it takes professional sushi chefs TEN years to master the art of sushi rice, but my recipe has great, restaurant-quality results.

This recipe is another one of those "put whatever you want in it" posts. You only need three basic ingredients to make a stunning work of food art.
* The beautiful sushi plate was made for me by my best friend, Lily! <3

Ingredients: 
2 cups sushi rice, or try brown rice, purple forbidden rice, etc. (needs to be short-grain)
1 pkg. Yaki Nori, or roasted seaweed sheets for sushi making. See note.
3-4 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
sugar or brown rice syrup
various fillings like avocado, carrots, cucumber, shrimp, tuna, crab, etc. thinly sliced!

 * Note: Although they are delicious, avoid the "TJ's roasted seaweed snack" or other small salty snack because they will break when you roll the sushi. If you use raw fish, make sure that it is sushi grade.

Directions: 
1. Make the sushi rice. First rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear. This will help the rice stick together when cooked.

*The rice should look matte and slightly translucent after being rinsed.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the rice and 3 cups water to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cover for 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is fluffy.

3.  Meanwhile, pour rice vinegar, sugar and dash salt in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.

4. Spoon warm cooked rice into a large glass bowl. Fluff with a wooden spoon, letting air in.

5. Pour rice vinegar mixture over rice. Stir gently until rice is sticky with a glossy sheen.

How to Roll Sushi

1.  Cover your workspace with plastic wrap, then place a sushi rolling mat on top. You can purchase sushi rolling mats at any Asian market online here. Cover mat with another layer of plastic wrap. 

2. Put a sheet of seaweed in the center of your mat.  Spread about 3/4 cup of seasoned rice all over the nori, leaving about a 1/2 inch border of nori on the top. 

 3. Arrange desired fillings halfway along the rice mixture. Try not to use too many fillings or else the sushi won't roll properly.

4. Have a small bowl of water nearby. Dap a few water droplets on the top of the nori. This will help "glue" the roll together.

 5. Starting from the bottom end of the mat, use your thumbs to slowly roll the mat over the filling mixture AWAY FROM YOU. Make sure the filling mixture is surrounded by rice and squeeze the whole roll tightly.

6. Press the wet end of the nori over the roll to seal the edge. This will prevent the filling from bursting out of the roll.

 7. Remove the plastic wrap from the roll. Dip a sharp knife in the bowl of water and cut the roll into six to eight pieces. Try not to tear the nori.

How to Make an Inside-Out Roll (aka rice on the outside)

1. Follow steps 1 and 2.  Carefully flip the nori and rice over so the nori side is facing on top.

2. Place toppings in the middle of the nori. Tightly roll the sushi, then remove the plastic wrap. Slice as you would with regular maki rolls. 

 How to Make Nigiri (finger sushi)

1. Wet your hands with water, then scoop a small amount of rice in your hands. Gently mold the rice into an oval shape using your thumbs and forefingers.

2. Place a small amount of wasabi on the top of the rice, if desired. Slice a piece of cocktail shrimp and drape over the sushi. For restaurant-quality, use cooked jumbo shrimp with the tail still on. 

3. Brush soy sauce on the top of the shrimp for a pretty sheen. 

  ENJOY & EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT SUSHI COMBINATIONS!!!