Sushiii

Sushiii! Is so delicious. I have had a major craving for this stuff for weeks now.

But what is sushi anyway? Sushi is cold boiled rice moistened with rice vinegar, usually shaped into bite-size pieces and topped with raw seafood (nigri) or formed into a long seaweed (nori)-wrapped roll, often around strips of vegetable or raw fish, and sliced into bite-sized pieces (maki).

All the wonderful ingredients: sticky rice, salmon, avocado, cucumber, carrot, and of course nori.

Assembling the maki roll.

Rolling the sushi with the rolling mat. I definitely recommend in investing in one of these.

Sushi roll, also as known as Maki.

Forming the rice for the nigri sushi.

I know that some people are not fans of seaweed or raw fish (can you believe it?), so I made a rice bowl of rice, spinach, carrot, cucumber, tomato, avocado, and grilled teriyaki chicken.

The finished product. Dip sushi into a bowl of (gluten-free) soy sauce. Eat with chopsticks for a legitimate experience.

Sushi Rice (Sumeshi)

• 2 cups sushi or short grain rice
• 2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Place the rice into a mixing bowl and cover with cool water. Swirl the rice in the water, pour off and repeat 2 to 3 times or until the water is clear.
2. Place the rice and 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer the rice into a large wooden or glass mixing bowl and add the vinegar mixture. Fold thoroughly to combine and coat each grain of rice with the mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature before using to make sushi.

How to Make Sushi

1. Lay a piece of nori on the rolling mat, shiny side down.
2. Place about 1/2 cup of sumeshi on the nori.
3. Wet your hands with water so the rice won’t stick to your hands. I find it’s useful to have a small bowl of water sitting next to my work area so I don’t have to keep running between the sink and my work area to keep my hands wet.
4. Spread the rice over the nori with your hands, leaving a ½ inch strip of nori uncovered at the bottom.
5. Place your desired fillings along this strip of uncovered nori on the edge closest to you.
6. Using the rolling mat, begin to tightly roll the sushi. Start at the side nearest to you, and roll away from you.
7. When the sushi is completely rolled, use the rolling mat to squeeze the sushi so it does not unroll when you are trying to cut it.
8. Using a very sharp knife, cut the sushi into six or eight pieces, depending on how thick you like your sushi. It helps to have your knife freshly sharpened; otherwise it’s pretty easy to squish your sushi when you are cutting it. Also, it helps to wet your knife before cutting the sushi, so the rice and fillings won’t stick to it.