Sushi Is A Lazy Midnight Snack
Lately I've been putting together avocado sushi rolls as a quick snack. I use the lazy method, and as I was doing so this evening, I realized that a lot of sushi lovers reading this might make sushi all the time, but that a lot of other sushi lovers might not realize how easy it can be.
Japanese sushi is prescribed to be assembled a certain way, using particular equipment, not unlike other Japanese arts like calligraphy or flower arranging ~ you don't just take artistic license and do whatever you want, because there are rituals and traditions to be followed. I don't have this equipment, and if I did, I wouldn't drag it all out of the cupboards to throw together a midnight snack.
So here is how I make rolls, without the use of a wooden rice barrel and rice paddle, or a bamboo rolling mat. I've seen people roll up their rolls using cling film, but for small rolls like these, I don't even use that.
Ingredients:
*Nori
*Sushi rice
*Vinegar (I use cider vinegar, because that's what I have; use rice vinegar if you can get it)
*Sugar
*Sesame seeds
*Avocado (or cucumber, or mango, or pickled radish or just whatever you want)
*Wasabi, sushi ginger, and soy sauce (I like Kikkoman)
I wanted to show you the world's most perfect avocado. Tasted so good ~ where were you?
To prepare the rice:
I toasted about two tablespoons of sesame seeds in a dry skillet. And in a small pot, I simmered a quarter cup of vinegar with around two tablespoons of sugar, just until the sugar dissolved, and left it to cool. And I cooked the rice: I used one cup of sushi rice to two and a half cups of water, with a pinch of salt. I brought it to a boil, covered it and simmered for about 15 minutes, then turned off the flame and let it rest for about five minutes. Before it got too cool, I paddled in maybe half of my vinegar mixture (I'll warn you here that I slightly overdo the sweet vinegar, because I like it that way), turning and folding the rice as I did so, and added the sesame seeds in the same way, until the sesame seeds were evenly mixed in with the rice. This is my method, because I like the taste of sesame seeds but I don't like sesame seeds scattered around the kitchen ~ they're easier to control this way.
To assemble the rolls:
While the rice cooled further, I cut my squares of nori in half, and brought my pot of rice and my little pot of remaining vinegar near the cutting boards where I was working. I use my spatula to spread a thin layer of rice onto the nori, leaving a bare edge. Then I slice strips of avocado and lay them across the rice. I then use a small spoon to drizzle a little of my sweet vinegar onto the edge of the nori, to help it adhere. I grab it from the rice edge, and roll it right over onto the vinegar edge and set it aside, seam down, while I work on my other rolls.
Then I use my sharpest knife to cut them and arrange on a plate for my lonely self to eat in the middle of the night. One cup of (uncooked) rice and one avocado made eight rolls. I cut five of them into sixths and inhaled them all within twenty seconds, and put the other three, whole, into a baggie to have for breakfast tomorrow or possibly take to work.
So there you have it. Sushi rolls that take very little time and require no special equipment.
Itadakimasu!
Japanese sushi is prescribed to be assembled a certain way, using particular equipment, not unlike other Japanese arts like calligraphy or flower arranging ~ you don't just take artistic license and do whatever you want, because there are rituals and traditions to be followed. I don't have this equipment, and if I did, I wouldn't drag it all out of the cupboards to throw together a midnight snack.
So here is how I make rolls, without the use of a wooden rice barrel and rice paddle, or a bamboo rolling mat. I've seen people roll up their rolls using cling film, but for small rolls like these, I don't even use that.
Ingredients:
*Nori
*Sushi rice
*Vinegar (I use cider vinegar, because that's what I have; use rice vinegar if you can get it)
*Sugar
*Sesame seeds
*Avocado (or cucumber, or mango, or pickled radish or just whatever you want)
*Wasabi, sushi ginger, and soy sauce (I like Kikkoman)
I wanted to show you the world's most perfect avocado. Tasted so good ~ where were you?
To prepare the rice:
I toasted about two tablespoons of sesame seeds in a dry skillet. And in a small pot, I simmered a quarter cup of vinegar with around two tablespoons of sugar, just until the sugar dissolved, and left it to cool. And I cooked the rice: I used one cup of sushi rice to two and a half cups of water, with a pinch of salt. I brought it to a boil, covered it and simmered for about 15 minutes, then turned off the flame and let it rest for about five minutes. Before it got too cool, I paddled in maybe half of my vinegar mixture (I'll warn you here that I slightly overdo the sweet vinegar, because I like it that way), turning and folding the rice as I did so, and added the sesame seeds in the same way, until the sesame seeds were evenly mixed in with the rice. This is my method, because I like the taste of sesame seeds but I don't like sesame seeds scattered around the kitchen ~ they're easier to control this way.
To assemble the rolls:
While the rice cooled further, I cut my squares of nori in half, and brought my pot of rice and my little pot of remaining vinegar near the cutting boards where I was working. I use my spatula to spread a thin layer of rice onto the nori, leaving a bare edge. Then I slice strips of avocado and lay them across the rice. I then use a small spoon to drizzle a little of my sweet vinegar onto the edge of the nori, to help it adhere. I grab it from the rice edge, and roll it right over onto the vinegar edge and set it aside, seam down, while I work on my other rolls.
Then I use my sharpest knife to cut them and arrange on a plate for my lonely self to eat in the middle of the night. One cup of (uncooked) rice and one avocado made eight rolls. I cut five of them into sixths and inhaled them all within twenty seconds, and put the other three, whole, into a baggie to have for breakfast tomorrow or possibly take to work.
So there you have it. Sushi rolls that take very little time and require no special equipment.
Itadakimasu!