Alternative Sushi

Sushi, in Japanese cuisine, is vinegared rice with other ingredients, usually including some form of fish or seafood. If you've ever watched some of these cooking shows that take you to Japan or China or some other Asian destination, you'll soon discover that these people will eat just about anything. Not so with my family. But originally, it was a fermenting rice dish.

Fermenting rice produces acids, which would be used to cause the fish to break down into amino acids, resulting in one of the five basic tastes - umami - all of which is terribly complex and scientific. You don't really need to know that stuff.

There were numerous ways to serve up this tasty fermented rice, among them the Makizushi, AKA the Maki roll. This is what we're going to be playing with.

OK, so now that the painfully brief history part has been dispensed with, let's get some stuff together for your first maki roll. You will need:

Sushi rice
Rice vinegar
sugar
salt
Nori
Sushi mat
Stuff for inside your roll

Let's start with the sushi rice. Have you ever been to an Indian restaurant and they served you that lovely, light, basmati rice? Well, you don't want that. And have you ever been to Grandma's and had that perfect, sleepy Minute Rice? Well, you don't want that either. You do have to find sushi rice, which is becoming pretty common now, so just go to the most cosmopolitan grocery store in your area and ask for it. They will think you are very worldly.

Rice vinegar is also going to be increasingly easy to find, so you can ask for it while they're showing you where the sushi rice is. And remember, if you can't find it, there will be ample opportunities for you to purchase some from this lens, because you know I'm going to try to sell you something before it's all said and done.

Sugar and salt. You should have these things, and if you don't, you can certainly pick up a few packs while you're at McDonald's tomorrow.

Nori is a fancy shmancy name for the seaweed wrappers you'll become so fond of here. They are square and dark green. Should be easy to spot with all the oriental food, but also easily ordered.

A sushi rolling mat is just a little mat made of what looks like leftover bamboo skewers tied together. They cost about a buck usually, and are an important part of the equation, so get one.

Now that you have all this stuff assembled, you should start with the rice.

Take about 2 cups of sushi rice and put them in a wire strainer and run them under some cold water from the tap for about a minute. If you do not have a wire strainer, or if you have inadvertently discovered that your strainer's holes are just a tad bit bigger than your rice, put the rice in a pot and fill it with water. Swish the rice around with a spoon and pour off most of the water.

Repeat that.

Now, assuming you put in 2 cups of rice, you should add 2 to 2 1/4 cups of cold water and cover the pot. Set the stove to a low-medium heat, because this is not a race. Remember, this is fun. Let the rice simmer until it looks like most of the water has been absorbed, and then turn off the heat and let it just steam. Don't open the lid during the steaming part, because it releases the steam that you are trying to use in the cooking of your rice. The steaming part should take about 10 minutes. After that you can open the top.

If you have one of those rice cookers, you can just cook the rice in it and ignore all the other stuff I just wrote.

While the rice is cooking, take 1/3 cup of the rice vinegar, 2 Tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix them up in a little microwavable bowl and give it about 30 seconds in the microwave to warm it up just enough so that the salt and sugar will dissolve.

Now take the sushi rice and put it into a large glass pan such as the one you use to make brownies, and pour the vinegar mixture over it. Fold it over a bit to mix the vinegar in, and using a rubber spatula spread it all out in the pan so it will cool.

Now if I were a real sushi chef, I'd use a special fan to fan my rice at this point, and spread it with a special wooden paddle thingy, being careful not to bruise the rice, but I trust you're not the kind of person who goes about bruising rice, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Clear off enough space to put down your sushi mat. On top of that you will place one nori sheet.

Now, when you open up your package of seaweed, you'll notice that each sheet has a smooth side and a rough side. Place the smooth side against the mat, and the rough side facing up at your smiling face.

Taking some of your sushi rice, spread it on the nori. You want to leave the far edge un-riced, because, well, because I said so. Just hang with me here.

OK, here's where you have fun. Presumably, while the rice was doing it's part, you were gathering together your other ingredients, but if you haven't, you can do that now. What can you put into one of these things? Pretty much anything you like.

You might want to start with some thin slices of carrot, cucumber, and zucchini. You can add some canned tuna if you like. Maybe some creme cheese. Once you have that assembled, you're ready to roll.

Using the mat, lift the front edge of the sushi and begin to roll it over. Remember, the mat does not get rolled inside the sushi. Please tell me you are smarter than that. Use the mat to develop the remainer of the roll. Take a little water on your finger [NO! Don't lick it!] and wet the far edge of the roll. As it makes contact with the outside of the roll, it will seal itself.

Success!

Take a piece of plastic wrap, wrap the roll and put it in the fridge. Repeat the process until all the rice is used up. That's it.

When you are ready, take one or more rolls out of the fridge and place them on a cutting board. Cut the sushi into little bit-size slices and arrange nicely on a plate. Serve with some soy sauce and wasabe.

Now, you may be concerned by the fact that your rolls were fat or lumpy or uneven, kind of like the way your thighs are beginning to look. Fear not! No one will know once you have them arranged on the plate, and everyone will think you're a genius.

There are lots of things you can put into sushi that you might not ever find in a restaurant. Here is a list of some other ingredients to try.

Avocado - Avocado is great in a sushi roll, and you do often see it in Western sushi such as the popular California Roll or applied to the outside of a catterpillar roll.

Creme cheese - Creme cheese is a good additive for a mild, tasty vegetable roll. Also, creme cheese is a great binder for other stuff.

Green onions - Green onions and leeks are easy to use in sushi because they can be easily cut into long strips. Round onions are not so easliy incorporated.

Flowers - There are all kinds of edible flowers that are great in salads, so why not sushi? Nasturtiums, squash blossoms, and chives all have wonderful edible flowers. Try adding them into a sushi roll, or chopping them up and mixing with creme cheese, then add them to your sushi roll. See these lenses: Cooking with flowers - Nasturtiums, and Cooking with flowers - Squash Blossoms.

Spinach - Add a line of single, flat spinach leaves on top of your rice and just roll.

Broccoli - Broccoli florets aren't exactly sushi shaped, but the stems can be sliced thin and used very well in a sushi roll. Pinch off the ends of broccoli florets and sprinkle over the top of your sushi slices instead of sesame seeds.

Asparagus - Raw asparagus is great in a maki roll. Look for the ultra thin spears.

Squash - Summer squash, raw and sliced thin, makes a colorful addition to a sushi roll. Think how pretty a roll can be with carrot, yellow squash, and cucumber slices inside.

Tuna - There are some great "flavored" tunas in packets now. Try a lemon pepper tuna with raw carrots, or a smoked tuna with avocado for a great roll.

Peppers - Hot or not, peppers are packed with both flavor and nutrition. They make a great additive for sushi.

There are scads of other things you can use. give some other tastes a try!

Make your sushi rice and prepare as you would for a normal maki roll. Use baked salmon or tuna, some veggies and spinach for your roll. Instead of using soy sauce and wasabe, top each slice with a drop or two of your favorite salad dressing. A sweet dressing makes a great treat.

Instead of rice, spread your nori with leftover stuffing, and add thin strips of turkey meat, and spread a line of cranberry sauce into the roll. Serve cold with warm gravy instead of soy sauce.

I've done a whole lens on this one now, so take a look at Thanksgiving Leftover Sushi.

Instead of using rice, spread your nori with finely chopped barbecue beef or pork. Add in a row of the slaw of your choice and roll it up. Serve with a pepper sauce such as Tabasco or Texas Pete.

Instead of using vinegar in your rice, use 1/3 cup apple juice and 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Fill sushi with thin slices of fruit such as apples or pears, and roll. Serve with a warm caramel sauce. You can top slices with chopped nuts, or add nuts into the rice.

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