Start with sustainable, seasonal ingredients, sliced in long, thin segments. Also, if you are so inclined, mis a teaspoon prepared wasabi, a tablespoon organic soy sauce, and three tablespoons mayo for an additional sushi ingredient.
- Start with sustainable, seasonal ingredients, sliced in long, thin segments. Also, if you are so inclined, mis a teaspoon prepared wasabi, a tablespoon organic soy sauce, and three tablespoons mayo for an additional sushi ingredient.
- I use line-caught Alaskan salmon that's been Marine Stewardship Council certified, local avocados, a cucumber from a friend's garden, and grated carrots and kohlrabi mixed with a pickling liquid of rice vinegar, sugar and chili flakes, and enoki mushrooms (admittedly from Korea).
- Cook your sushi rice on the stovetop or in a rice maker, according to bag instructions, and add in a green tea bag or use diluted green tea in the place of water for extra nuance and flavor.
- Prepare your sushi (nigiri) wrapper, rough side up, on your bamboo roller. I've been told to use the rounded, light side of the roller, but personally I get better results using the darker flat side -- your choice.
- After the rice has cooled to at least room temperature, add in 1/4 - 1/3 cup rice vinegar, depending on how much rice you've prepared.
- Spread the rice evenly on the first third of the nori sheet.
- Place "stuffing" in the center of the rice. For enoki mushrooms, homemade tempura, or other frilly ingredients, face them out for visual effect.
- Add an even line of the mayo sauce and cucumbers, or whatever ingredients you choose.
- Add a little of the pickled carrots/kohlrabi that's been squeezed or drained, and slices of your sustainable seafood, raw or steamed.
- Start by making the first roll, so that the edge of the nori wrapper is tucked under only once.
- Gently squeeze the sushi roller to fix this shape, bending your knuckles to kind of square it off.
- It should look like this if you unrolled it at this point.
- Cover it with the roller and continue rolling to finish the wrapper -- there will be enough moisture from the rice and ingredients to hold the entire nori wrapper together.
- It should look like this.
- Place the finished rolls on a dish to the side.
- Rolling is the first task, cutting the rolls should be done as a secondary phase all at once, and if you are rolling ahead (don't prepare sushi rolls more than two hours before planned eating), wait until serving to cut them.
- One common mishap is squeezing the roller too hard and making the ingredients push out the side -- remedy by simply cutting off the excess with a wetted, sharp knife rather than trying to squish it back inside the nori wrapper.
- Use either a carbon steel edged knife or a sharp knife with small indents to cut the rolls so that the finished rolls don't get muddled or stick to the blade.
- Wipe your knife very carefully with a clean, damp cloth after each cut -- don't skip this step, trust me!
- Ta-da! Sustainable sushi at home -- now it is just time to dig in. Try using shiso leaves, prepared wasabi, pickled ginger, grated daikon radish as condiments.
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