Sushi Recipes

HOW TO COOK SUSHI RICE

Ingredients: 3 cups Japanese-style short grain rice (Calrose rice), 3 1/2 cups cold water, 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

Recipe: Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear. Let the rice stay in a bowl with a cup of water for 15-30 minutes. Strain the rice again and put it in a rice cooker with the cold water. Turn the rice cooker on and cook the rice. You shouldn't open the lid until the rice is ready. When the light of the rice cooker indicates that the rice is ready take the pot out of the cooker and let it rest for 5 minutes before lifting the lid. Use the plastic spatula that comes with your rice cooker to turn the rice using a slashing motion and fan it until there is no more steam, about 10 minutes. Mix the rice vinegar, sugar and sesame oil together and pour the mixture in the rice. Mix well with the spatula and let the rice rest for at least 1 hour before using it. This recipe yields enough sushi rice for at about 10 maki rolls.

Answer to a question:

question: How long can the sushi rice (after mix with vinegar) stay in warmer?
one day? or 12 hours?
How long can the sushi roll stay in room temperature? 4 hours?

answer: The sushi rice after cooking it shouldn't stay in warmer. It should stay at room temperature. The vinegar in the rice protects it from spoiling. However if you want to refrigerate it and use it again, it will not work. So rice ca stay for at least 6 hours if it is covered properly to protect the moisture. - Sushi rolls are best rolled fresh, but if you have to pre-make them for a catering or something else, yes they can stay at room temperature for at least 4-6 hours, but that is provided the seafood you use is really fresh. And I often see pre-made sushi in grocery stores that stays all day in cold windows, where the temperature is 10-12 C. If you keep it in a fridge, which is 4 C, the sushi will not be tasty.

BROWN RICE SUSHI RECIPE

Brown rice is one of the most flavourful and healthy kinds of rice that can be used for sushi, however it is less sticky than the ordinary sushi rice and therefore harder to work with. I prepare it in a regular rice cooker, much the same way as the calrose rice. For every four cups of rice I use five cups of water. I do not soak the rice or rinse it. Unless you have plenty of time and want to waste it, soaking is not necessary. Cook your rice in a rice cooker until it is done, remove the pot from the cooker and leave it to rest for about 10-15 minutes with the lid on. After that open the lid and try a few grains to check how it is. It should be harder because of the cellulose, almost like hot cereal, but the inside should be perfect. Proceed with fanning and seasoning in the same way like you would a batch of white rice. The brown rice is also an excellent choice for nigiri sushi. The brown rice sushi adds many health benefits to your diet, such as fibre and zinc, and is a good alkaline food.

CALIFORNIA SUSHI ROLL

The California roll is a sushi roll designed for the American customer, that's why it is made inside-out, because it was assumed that the American customer wouldn't like to see and chew on the seaweed from the outside. It order to be able to roll the California roll with the rice on the outside, the sushi mat must be wrapped in plastic.

Ingredients: 4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed), 4 handfuls of cooked sushi rice, 1 avocado, 4 crab sticks, bamboo sushi mat, plastic wrap, toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe: Wrap the sushi mat with plastic wrap and place a nori sheet over it. Wet your hands with water and take one handful of rice. Put it in the centre of the nori and spread it evenly over the nori sheet. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the rice and turn the rice face-down over the sushi mat. Peel and seed the avocado, and slice it to strips. Cut the crab sticks lengthwise to two strips each. Place some avocado and crab sticks in the middle of the nori sheet and roll the sushi mat. Press gently with both hands for 10-15 seconds, then remove the rolled sushi. Take a wet towel and wipe a sharp kitchen knife with it. Cut the California roll to bite-size pieces, wiping the knife with the towel after each use.

RAINBOW SUSHI ROLL

Ingredients: For the rainbow roll you will need to make an inside-out California roll (recipe above) and a few thin slices of each, salmon, tuna, avocado and surf clam.

Recipe: After making the California roll keep it on your plastic-covered sushi mat, top it with the thin slices of fish and avocado and roll it again with the mat, squeezing gently to stick the ingredients nicely. Cut the roll with a wet knife to 8 pieces and arrange it on a plate in the shape of a rainbow. Tip: For the rainbow roll you can use other kind of an inside-out roll that compliments the ingredients on top, but doesn't repeat them. Also, you might find cutting this kind of sushi rolls easier if you cover it with a wide strip of cling wrap and cut through the wrap, to prevent the toppings from falling off the rolls.

TUNA SUSHI ROLL

Ingredients: 1 (8 oz.) sushi grade tuna steak, 4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed), 4 handfuls of cooked sushi rice (recipe above), wasabi.

Recipe: Place one sheet of nori, smooth side down, over a sushi rolling mat. Dip your hands in water and get one handful of rice. Place the rice in the middle of the nori and spread it over the entire sheet, leaving a 1/3-inch strip not covered at the end. With your finger take a small amount of wasabi and spread a thin line across over the rice. Cut the tuna steak to eight strips. Place two strips over the rice and roll the sushi mat, leaving the strip of nori that is not covered with rice at the end, so it closes the sushi roll. You don't have to wet that strip with water, because the moisture of the rice is enough to make it stick, however, it won't hurt if you decide to do so. Press the rolled sushi mat with both hands for 15 seconds and remove the sushi. Cut the tuna roll to bite-size pieces, wiping the knife with a wet towel after each use. Repeat the same for the other 3 sushi rolls. You can also make thin sushi rolls if you cut the nori sheets to half and use only half a handful of rice for each.

PHILADELPHIA SUSHI ROLL

Ingredients: 80 gr. smoked salmon, sliced, 120 gr. cream cheese, 1/2 English cucumber, 4 sheets of nori (seaweed), 4 handfuls of cooked sushi rice (recipe above).

Recipe: Place one sheet of nori, smooth side down, over a sushi rolling mat. Dip your hands in water and get one handful of rice. Place the rice in the middle of the nori and spread it over the entire sheet, leaving a 1/3-inch strip not covered at the end. Cut the cucumber and cream cheese (while still cold) to 8 strips each. Place two strips each over the rice and 1/4 of the smoked salmon in a line in the middle of the sushi rice. Roll the sushi mat, leaving the strip of nori that is not covered with rice at the end, so it closes the sushi roll. You don't have to wet that strip with water, because the moisture of the rice is enough to make it stick, however, it won't hurt if you decide to do so. Press the rolled sushi mat with both hands for 15 seconds and remove the sushi. Cut the Philadelphia roll to bite-size pieces, wiping the knife with a wet towel after each use. Repeat the same for the other 3 sushi rolls. You can also make thin sushi rolls if you cut the nori sheets to half and use only half a handful of rice for each.

Sushi Glossary:

Pickled Ginger (Gari) - Thinly sliced pickled ginger root, often pink in color, eaten in between or together with slices of sushi for appetite and to cleanse the palate.

Shoyu - Soy sauce. When you are choosing soy sauce, please make sure you choose one that doesn't contain MSG (monosodium glutamate). MSG is sometimes disguised as disodium inosinate and guanylate, Hidrolized vegetable protein, glutamic acid, flavors, spices and so on.

Nori - Dried seeweed, pressed as a sheet of paper and used on the outside of the sushi roll. The nori can also be on the inside, if the sushi is rolled with the rice outside. The sushi rolls made with nori are called maki sushi.

Seasoned Rice Vinegar (Awasezu) - Seasoned rice vinegar is a rice vinegar made of sake with the addition of sugar and salt. It is an essential part of making sushi. After all, sushi means vinegared rice. Seasoned rice vinegar can be purchased from most grocery stores or prepared at home.

Sushi Meshi - This is the name of the prepared sushi rice. Sushi meshi is made of Japanese-style short grain rice. The most essential quality of this rice is its stickiness.

Wasabi - Wasabi is a paste made of Japanese horseradish. It is light green in color with a very spicy taste. Wasabi can also be found in powder, that needs to be mixed with water before use.

Most Popular Seafood Used For Sushi:

Ahi Tuna, Albacore Tuna, Fresh Salmon (Wild or Farm-Raised), Barbequed Eel (Unagi Kabayaki), Red Snapper, Crab, Cooked Shrimp, Octopus, Smoked Salmon, Mackrel, Halibut and Scallops.