Sushi

A long time ago, back when I worked for a heartless corporate bookstore which shall remain nameless, I bought my brother a $10 sushi bargain bin kit. It came with a sushi matt and a dvd on making sushi, as well as a recipe book. Being a lover of all things Asian, I thought it the perfect gift for my brother. Sadly, I don't know if he's ever used the kit, but he did learn to make sushi, and has patiently taught me. (It took about 2 times of carefully watching him before I got it). And once you know how to make the rice (really the only complicated part), it is so simple, fun and delicious!

In the following recipe I will attempt to explain the steps involved in making sushi. Don't fret if you burn the rice the first time (I still do that), or if your rolls end up severely lacking in rice near the ends (I usually just snack on those while I'm cooking, and save the pretty ones for guests). All that matters is that it tastes good. While I promised you quick recipes, this one is a little more involved, and I highly reccomend making rolls in advance to take for lunch in that cute little bento box your brother got you for your birthday. (Thank you Max!)

Sushi Rolls
(Should make 4-5 rolls, or serve 4-5 people)

2 cups sushi rice (has to be short grain rice)
3 cups water
4 tblsp brown rice vinegar (found it in whole foods, good to have on hand)
2tsp sugar
5 sheets nori (paper made from seaweed, can be found in most grocery stores)

Suggested Filling (s) :

Jane's Favorite:
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1/4 of a red onion, sliced
1/2 package tempeh (make sure it's the gluten free kind!), sliced thinly
1tblsp olive oil
1tsp crushed red pepper
1tsp crushed garlic
5-6 stalks asparagus, cut into bite size pieces

Spicy Pear ( I like to serve as a desert) :
1 small bartlet pair, sliced into matchstick size pieces
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1tblsp raisins
1/4 cup toffuti better than cream cheese

To Make Rice:
1. First, place 2 cups rice into very fine mesh collander and run water over rice until the water underneath comes out clean. (If you don't have a fine collander, you can do this in a bowl with your hands, very carefully draining, watching to make sure your rice doesn't slip through your fingers into the sink)

2. In a large pot, combine rinsed rice and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 20 min or until most of liquid is absorbed. Making sure to stir rice so it won't burn. (While rice is cooking this would be a good time to make your fillings)

3. When rice is done cooking pour into sheet cake pan, spread with back of wooden spoon or spatula, and allow to cool slightly. While the rice cools, combine rice vinegar and sugar in a small pot. Allow to simmer until all sugar is dissolved into vinegar.

4. When rice has cooled, and can be easily handled, pour vinegar/sugar mixture all over rice, and fold in until well combined. Your rice is now ready to be used in sushi.

To Make Fillings:
Jane's Favorite:
Heat olive oil on medium high. Carefully add tempeh, asparagus, garlic and pepper. Allow tempeh to brown on all sides, and asparagus to get tender. Set aside and let cool.

Spicy Pear:
Simply mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for use in sushi.

To Roll:

1.Once your rice and fillings are made, you are ready to roll the sushi. Lay a piece of nori on a cutting board surface, shiny side up. Carefully spoon about 1/2 cup rice onto the sheet of nori, and spread evenly accross the square using spoon or spatula. Once that is done carefully place a portion of your ingredients along one of the shorter sides of square (ex, 5-6 pieces of tempeh, 3 slices of avocado, 3-4 pieces asparagus and a sprinkling of onion per roll).



2.Carefully lift the side covered in ingredients, and fold over itself, then continue to roll until you reach the end of the square.

3.Using a very sharp knife, slice the roll as you would a baggette, into small bite sized pieces. (If your knife is a bit dull, wetting the knife with a little water helps to slice more smoothly)

4.And there you have it! You're own sushi roll! Decoratively plate, and serve with your favorite sauce, (Mine's by Thai Kitchen!) and a sake cocktail!

Hope that wasn't too hard. Once you get the hang of making it, it really becomes quite easy, and it's such a fun, fancy looking party food! It's also lots of fun to invite your friends over to make the sushi with you! Warning: the fresh ingredients are so tasty, they might not make it to the plate!!