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Received from: SV Wind-Borne III (Rick and Carolyn)
Ingredients
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups Uncooked Japanese Short or Medium
Grain Rice
4 cups water
5 sheets Sushi Nori
1 large cucumber
2 avocados -- (2 to 3)
Fresh lemon juice
Cooked Snow Crab Meat or Imitation Crab
Sticks
Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)
Soy Sauce
Pickled Ginger
Preparation
In a
small saucepan over medium heat, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Heat mixture just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let
cool.
Wash
rice, stirring with your hand, until water runs clear. Place rice in a
saucepan with water; soak 30 minutes. Drain rice in colander and transfer
to a heavy pot or rice cooker; add 4 cups water. If you don't have a rice
cooker, place rice and water into a large heavy saucepan over medium-high
heat; bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15
minutes. Turn off heat and leave pan, covered, for 15 additional minutes.
Wash,
peel, and seed cucumber. Slice in half lengthwise, then cut into long,
slender strips. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, then remove the pit;
cut each section in half again (lengthwise), and carefully remove the
peel. Cut the section in long slender strips. Sprinkle the sliced avocado
with lemon juice to keep from discoloring. If
you are using snow, crab, remove the crab meat from the thicker portion of
the legs and cut in half lengthwise. If you are using imitation crab
sticks, remove the plastic wrapping and cut each in half lengthwise.
Place the cucumber slices, avocado slice, and crab slices on a plate;
cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to use.
When
rice is done cooking, transfer to a large bowl; loosen rice grains gently
with a wooden spatula or spoon by cutting and folding (do not stir, as
this will crush the rice). Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice,
mixing together as you sprinkle (add enough dressing to coat the rice but
not make it damp - you may not need to use all the vinegar dressing).
Spread the hot rice on top of a large sheet of aluminum foil and let cool.
Lay
the bamboo sushi rolling mat on a cutting board with bamboo strips going
horizontally from you. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the bamboo
mat. Place the nori on top of the plastic wrap (shiny side down).
Spread a thin layer, 3/4 to 1 cup, of rice over 3/4 of the nori leaving
approximately one inch of uncovered nori at each end (it helps to wet your
fingers with cold water when you are patting the rice onto the nori).
NOTE:
To make the Inside-Out Rolls, after spreading the rice on the nori,
sprinkle with poppy or roasted sesame seeds. Cover with a sheet of plastic
wrap on top. Lifting with the bottom plastic wrap, turn over the nori/rice
sheet onto the bamboo rolling mat. Remove top plastic wrap and proceed as
below.
Arrange strips of avocado and cucumber along the center of the rice; top
with crab meat. Placing your fingers on the ingredients, carefully bring
the bottom end of the rolling mat and the plastic wrap up and over the
ingredients (tucking the end of the nori to start a roll). Pull back the
rolling mat and plastic wrap, as necessary, so it does not get rolled into
the sushi. Continue rolling the sushi and pulling back the rolling mat and
plastic wrap, as necessary, until you have approximately 1 to 2 inches of
the
top of the nori showing. Rub a small amount of cold water on the edge of
the nori and bring the nori around so that it completes the sushi roll.
Gently squeeze the rolling mat around the sushi roll until it is firm and
forms an even roll (be carefuly not to squeeze too hard, as you may crush
the ingredients or squeeze them out). Wrap the plastic wrap around the
roll and set aside until ready to cut or refrigerate or for longer
storage. Repeat with remaining 4 nori sheets to make additional rolls.
Place
rolls on a flat cutting board and remove plastic wrap. Using a sharp
knife, cut each roll into 8 pieces (wet the knife between each cut to make
it easier to cut and keep the rice from sticking to the knife). Arrange
California Rolls on a serving platter and serve with wasabi, soy sauce,
and pickled ginger. Always serve sushi rolls at room temperature.
Makes
40 California Rolls.
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