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Raw Articles - Sushi Recipes
Maki Madness: Fresh Sushi Recipes
and Foolproof Directions To Get Your Party Rolling
Sunset, March, 2005 by Charity Ferreira
Don't let sushi chefs have all the fun. Turn the spreading,
layering, tucking, and rolling into a party at home. There's
no wrong way to make sushi: Depending on their dexterity
and ambition, your guests can make traditional maki (rolls),
assemble more free-form cones, or eat chirashi ("scattered-style"
sushi) by piling the rice on their plates and topping
it with the seafood and vegetable fillings.
Sushi party--in 5 steps
 Here's
an easy plan for a do-it-yourself sushi party for six
people. Your part is to cook the rice, prepare the fillings,
set up a rolling station, and make the salad (steps 1
through 4). Your guests' job is to roll and wrap away,
an activity that gets more entertaining in proportion
to the amount of sake they consume in the process.
Round out the menu with items you can buy at an Asian
market, like frozen gyoza (pot-stickers), edamame (soybeans)
in their pods, miso soup from a mix, wasabi-flavored rice
crackers, and some mochi ice cream balls for dessert.
Nori (seaweed wraps), wasabi, and pickled ginger are available
in well-stocked supermarkets and in Asian grocery stores.
Traditional bamboo sushi mats make rolling easy, but sheets
of plastic wrap work surprisingly well. The mats, chopsticks,
and rice paddles are available at Japanese markets, other
import stores, and through www.cooking.com, www.mrslinskitchen.com,
and www.pacificrim-gourmet.com.
STEP 1
Start the rice
You can make the sushi rice up to 4 hours ahead; cover
and let stand at room temperature.
Sushi Rice
1. In a small bowl, stir 3/4 cup rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons
sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon salt until sugar and salt are
dissolved.
2. In a fine strainer, rinse 4 1/2 cups short-grain white
rice under cold running water until water runs clear.
Drain for 5 to 10 minutes. Put rice in a 4- to 5-quart
pan and add 5 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil over high
heat, then lower heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and
cook until water is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Spread rice out in a shallow 12- by 16-inch baking
pan and slowly pour vinegar mixture over it, turning rice
gently and fanning it (the Japanese use a traditional
fan, but you can use a piece of paper) until it comes
to warm room temperature, about 15 minutes. Makes 9 to
10 cups.
STEP 2
Prepare sushi fillings
Choose five to seven items from this list of favorites.
You can get them ready up to 4 hours ahead; chill airtight
until you're ready to roll.
Ahi
Rinse 3 ounces sashimi-grade ahi tuna (yellowfin or bigeye;
for bacteria safety, buy it from a good seafood purveyor);
pat dry. Cut tuna into 1/4-inch-thick strips about 1/2
inch wide and 3 1/2 inches long. Just before serving,
arrange raw fish on a bed of crushed ice on a rimmed plate.
Caviar
Place 2 ounces salmon roe in a wire strainer and rinse
gently under cold running water; mound in a small bowl.
Crab
In a small bowl, mix 8 ounces shelled cooked crab or drained
canned crab (squeeze out liquid) with 1/4 cup may-onnaise
and soy sauce to taste (about 2 teaspoons). Makes about
1 cup.
Smoked salmon
Cut 3 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon into 1/2-inch-wide
strips.
Asparagus
In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring about 1 quart
water to a boil. Snap off and discard tough stem ends
from 8 ounces asparagus. Rinse asparagus and add to boiling
water; cook until barely tender when pierced, 3 to 4 minutes.
Drain and immediately immerse in a bowl of ice water.
When cool, lift out and cut into 3 1/2-inch lengths.
Avocado
Pit and peel 1 firm-ripe avocado (8 oz.); slice lengthwise
into 1/4-inch-thick, 1/2-inch-wide strips about 3 1/2
inches long. Place in a bowl with 2 tablespoons lemon
juice; turn to coat.
Carrot
Peel and shred 3 ounces carrot, or use 3/4 cup shredded
carrot.
Cucumber
Rinse 6 ounces Japanese or English cucumber; cut into
3 1/2-inch lengths. Cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick
slices, then stack 2 or 3 slices at a time and cut lengthwise
into 1/4-inch-thick sticks.
Mushrooms
Trim woody stem ends from 3 ounces enoki mushrooms. Rinse
mushrooms briefly, drain, and gently pat dry.
Spinach
In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring about 3 quarts
water to a boil. Add 6 ounces rinsed spinach leaves and
cook just until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and immerse
in a large bowl of ice water until cool. Drain again and
spread on a clean kitchen towel. Roll towel up and twist
and squeeze tightly to remove as much liquid as possible.
Sprouts
Gently rinse and drain 2 oz. (1 1/2 cups) radish or broccoli
sprouts; trim off root ends, if present.
STEP 3
Set up a rolling station
Arrange sushi components on the table, or set up a station
on a nearby counter.
1. Mix 1/4 cup rice vinegar with 4 cups water. Pour into
small bowls for guests to moisten their hands while rolling
sushi, so rice doesn't stick.
2. Put 6 precut sheets of nori (7 1/2 by 8 in.) in a covered
serving container to keep dry; mound sushi rice and fillings
on platters or in bowls (vegetables together, seafood
separately). Put condiments--soy sauce, pickled ginger
(1 cup), and wasabi (about 3 tablespoons prepared wasabi
or 4 tablespoons powdered wasabi mixed with about 2 1/2
tablespoons water)--in separate bowls.
3. Arrange ingredients, along with bamboo mats or plastic
wrap, on the table or station.
STEP 4
Make the salad
The longer the cucumbers stand in the vinegar, the more
limp and flavorful they become. Chill salad up to 2 hours.
Ebi Sunomono
PREP TIME: About 20 minutes
MAKES: About 6 servings
8 ounces cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp (31 to 40
per lb.),
tails removed
2 English cucumbers (about 1 1/2 lb. total), rinsed
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
1. Rinse shrimp; drain well. Cut in half lengthwise. Thinly
slice cucumbers.
2. In a bowl, mix vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce. Add cucumbers
and shrimp; mix to coat. Top with peanuts just before
serving (see notes).
Per serving: 115 cal., 35% (40 cal.) from fat; 11 g protein;
4.4 g fat (0.7 g sat.); 8.7 g carbo (2 g fiber); 200 mg
sodium; 74 mg chol.
STEP 5
Roll your sushi
Here are two different styles of rolls to try--the traditional
maki and the free-form hand roll, which is even easier.
Maki Rolls
MAKES: 6 rolls; 6 to 8 servings
1. Place a sheet of nori, shiny side down, on a bamboo
rolling mat (with slats running parallel to you) or a
piece of plastic wrap (about 10 by 12 in.), aligning nori
with the bottom edge of mat. Dip your hands in vinegar-water
mixture and scatter 1 1/2 cups rice over nori; pat into
an even layer, spreading out to the sides and bottom of
nori, but leaving a 2-inch-wide strip bare along the top
edge.
2. With your finger, spread a thin stripe of wasabi horizontally
across center of rice. Arrange three or four sushi fillings
along wasabi stripe (A; it's okay if some ends stick out).
Moisten top edge of nori with vinegar-water mixture. Holding
fillings down with your fingers, lift edge of mat closest
to you with your thumbs (B) and roll it over so that the
near edge of nori meets the far edge of rice. Roll over
to seal, and briefly press mat around roll (C).
3. Remove roll from mat. If desired, trim off any filling
sticking out. With a sharp knife, cut roll into six or
eight equal pieces (D), rinsing knife in water between
cuts.
Per piece of crab, avocado, and cucumber roll: 133 cal.,
15% (20 cal.) from fat; 3.2 g protein; 2.2 g fat (0.4
g sat.); 25 g carbo (0.4 g fiber); 162 mg sodium; 7.2
mg chol.
Per piece of smoked salmon, asparagus, and carrot roll:
112 cal., 2% (2.7 cal.) from fat; 2.3 g protein; 0.2 g
fat (0.1 g sat.); 24 g carbo (0.4 g fiber); 126 mg sodium;
0.5 mg chol.
Hand-Rolled Sushi
MAKES: 8 dozen; 6 to 8 servings
1. With scissors, cut nori into quarters (about 4 in.
square).
2. Dot a square of nori with wasabi if desired, then spoon
a rounded tablespoon of sushi rice diagonally down the
center. Top with two or three sushi fillings (A). Moisten
one corner of nori with vinegar-water mixture, pull opposite
corners around fillings to form a cone, and overlap to
seal (B).
Copyright 2024 Sunset Publishing Corp.
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