Exotic Comforts

Passport & Plate - Sushi

Japan | Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | 2 photos

Ingredients
short grain rice
vinegar
mirin
sugar
salt
salmon
tuna
avocado
egg
crab
spinach
Japanese mayo
nori

 

How to prepare this recipe
First, I make the short grain rice-- a ratio of 2:3 rice: water. When it is cooked, I add in the mirin, rice vinegar, sugar and salt and leave it to cool.
Next, I prep the ingredients: I slice the fish as close to its frozen state as possible. I cook the tamago (egg omelet). I slice veggies. I arrange them on large tray close at hand.
When the rice is cool, I begin to create: I lay out sheets of nori (dried sea weed), put on a thin layer of rice and press it down to cover most of the surface. I start with the each rolls: avocado, cucumber; then tuna and salmon rolls. I thereafter start to improvise and use more elaborate combos: tuna and green onion; crab and avocado; carrot and tuna; red pepper flakes and tuna; etc.
I lay out the ingredients in bands atop the rice. I carefully roll up the rice to put the ingredients into the middle of the roll. I close the roll and use some water dabbed almost the uncovered edge of the sushi. When the nori is pressed together, the water makes the two surfaces set.
I consider to make rolls until we have enough to serve guests two to three rolls per person. When I am done, I begin to cut and arrange the rolls. The smaller rolls are cut into six pieces. The large rolls (eg. California rolls) are cut into eight segments.

 

The story behind this recipe
I have always loved sushi. Sushi can taste great and it can be art. I like to merge these two concept into what I make to result in some that it fascinating to look at and delicious. I first started making sushi over 20 years ago. Since then, I have gotten more artistic and more daring. I love to experiment with new ingredients and push the limits: both by adding more obscure traditional ingredients like fish roe; and more challenging new ingredients like chicken karage and tamago in lieu of a sushi wrapper.