Shopping list
sushi rice
a sachet vinegar powder
nori sheets
fish to taste
cucumber
shitake mushrooms
optional
wasabi paste
pickled ginger
Japanese soy sauce
Yesterday we already cooked a large pot of sushi rice and kept half under a damp cloth in the refrigerator. Thus today we make maki sushi.
The wasabi you find only in the dip, the kids do not like it, it's too strong. But a tiny bit of wasabi paste under the salmon gives it something extra. With a warning that this paste is adapted to the Western taste. In Japan, people use a - mostly homemade - wasabi, which has a milder flavour.
Replacement for kids is a little Japanese mayonnaise with the fish. Adults often find it delicious too.
Let the rice get to room temperature.
Cut the smoked salmon in smaller pieces.
Slice cucumber without seed in match sticks.
Place cling film & a nori sheet on the sushi mat.
Place the sheet of nori always with the shiny side on the outside (downwards).
Spread the rice on the seaweed.
Place the pieces of salmon on top.
Spread cucumber on top of the fish.
Make for variation another sushi roll in which you replace the salmon by surimi and the cucumber by fresh ginger or spring onion for example.
Now comes the hard part: the rolling of the sushi.
1. Roll the beginning of the mat taut over the sushi.
2. Fold the mat back and press the sushi in with your fingers.
3. Roll over the mat firmly back and forth on your worksheet.
Open the mat and twist the cling film tight as you can around the roll.
The cutting of the sushi roll
1. Trim the ends of the roll neatly with a super sharp knife.
2. Find the center of the roll and cut it in half.
3. Cut the two halves in half again and repeat this one more time.
Remove the cling film and place the sushi on a platter.
Finally we place some onigiri in elongated shape for variation on the platter. Simple to make and pretty to see. They will be even easier to make if you buy a special sushi mold at the Asian grocery store.
Grab a little rice with some cling film, stick two crayfish in it and add some rice again.
Twist the rice in a loaf shape and decorate with nori, cucumber, ginger or shitake.
For more flavour variation you can also use tofu, omelette, other kinds of fish and veg.