One of the things I’ve always loved making, especially when the weather doesn’t tickle my fancy for stews or hotpots, is sushi. I’ve made sushi for up to fifteen people in the past, before stroke that is, and usually have roped in young tykes to do the dirty work. Now those tykes have all grown up and I am left alone to make this delicious dish myself. It won’t be easy with an affected hand but if you have a sous chef handy (partner or friend) it is achievable. You can roll sushi with one hand, but it can be fiddly and messy. Anyway, here are my instructions, in case anyone wants to try.
First you will need sushi rice. I usually buy 5kg bags as I eat a lot over Summer. Sushi rice is like arborio rice, in fact, it is from the same family.
This requires cooking of course. Uncooked rice is highly unpleasant on the dentures. I cook it as I would regular long grain rice. I use about a cup if making sushi for just me. Two cups if making it for about three people. Once cooked, the rice needs to cool. I usually transfer it to a big metal mixing bowl. Once the rice has cooled, the next two ingredients can be added.
Mirin and mayonnaise. What is mirin you may ask? Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine, but if you can’t locate this versatile ingredient, you can substitute with regular rice vinegar added with a bit of sugar to give it sweetness. It’s not the same, but then none of us are. I use Japanese mayonnaise which is creamier than our stuff, but you can use regular mayonnaise at a pinch. About a cup full of mayonnaise and cup full of mirin should do the trick. Add it to the rice and give it a good stir.
Next gather in the fillers, I usually order Japanese radish, but this time I’ve substituted with regular radish (grated) and sandwich pickles. I also like avocado a lot, so this has to be a filler.
Meat wise, I have chosen fresh salmon and seafood sticks. I prefer fresh tuna steaks, but can’t get them in my town. You could substitute with cooked tuna from a tin or chicken, or go veggie with tofu.
The ingredients above, you cannot substitute. Well, I guess you could substitute wasabi with horseradish cream as wasabi from our supermarkets is actually made from horseradish and not the wasabi plant. However, nori sheets are essential for this kind of rolled sushi. You can make sushi without them, but it just isn’t the same, and we are all the same after all. Nori is roasted seaweed, flattened paper thin. Oh, and also you will need a sushi mat. Anyway, I’ll just crack on with the steps.
Place the nori sheet onto the sushi mat, smooth side facing down. Smother the rice onto the sheet, leaving a small lip at the top. Now, you can start adding the fillers.
Wasabi.
Radish.
Sandwich pickle.
Avocado.
Salmon.
I brush the top lip with a bit of water to make it sticky. I then roll the mat from the bottom up, curling it round and then bring the top down on top of that. It creates this …
Next I slice it up into rounds. You need a decently sharp knife, so you can easily slice it without breaking the nori sheet. And this is what I end up with for supper.
I will graze on this over the evening, paired with a good stout. If you don’t drink alcohol, Jasmine tea and green tea pair nicely, however, if you have been to Japan, you will know how much the Japanese love their beer, so beer is fairly traditional too, I guess. I also have a little bowl of Japanese soy sauce to dip the sushi in.
