SUSHI

From http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/dining/05mini.html
“Like rice dishes everywhere — risotto, paella, arroz con pollo, biryani — sushi is a way of taking a common, relatively inexpensive product and giving it more character by adding a bit of something interesting to it.” Fillings do not have to be fish and it doesn’t even have to wrapped in seaweed (nori)

Basics of sushi rice:
Use only short-grain white rice (also called sticky rice). This can be cooked in a pot on the stove (1 cup rice to 1 ½ cups water) or in a rice cooker (Rice to water ratio is a bit less. Just follow the directions on the cooker).
Rice vinegar is the ideal, but even regular white vinegar can be used in a pinch.
Use about ½ cup of awasezu (vinegar and sugar mixture) for 2 cups of cooked rice. Mix only in wooden, plastic, or glass container. Never in metal.
Wet your hands when touching the rice. This will prevent it from sticking to you.
Wet the knife when cutting sushi rolls, for the same reason.
When buying nori (seaweed) look for darker color with few holes.
Ideas for toppings
If you like sashimi (raw fish) on your sushi make sure you buy only fish marked as “sushi grade.” The only place in Denver I’ve found this is H-Mart in Aurora (just off of Parker road near I-225).

Avocado
Cooked chopped spinach, with sesame oil
Cucumber, raw or lightly pickled
Daikon and other radishes
Escabeche of eggplant or other vegetables
Fried tofu (sold in Japanese stores)
Olives
Pickled eggplant
Pickled mustard greens
Pickled winter squash
Poached asparagus or other vegetables
Radish sprouts or other sprouts
Raw or seared tofu, cubed
Roasted eggplant
Roasted pepper, with or without anchovy
Sautéed mushrooms
Scallions
Scrambled eggs
Speck or prosciutto
Thinly sliced cooked meat
Umeboshi (pickled Japanese plum), pitted and halved
Watercress or arugula.


Sushi Rice
Time: 30 to 40 minutes, plus at least 2 hours’ resting for awasezu.
1 cup rice vinegar
3/8 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 cups short-grain white rice
1. Combine vinegar, sugar and 2 tablespoons salt in a container and shake or stir until dissolved. Cover container and let sit for at least 2 hours and up to several days. (Room temperature is fine.) This solution is called ‘awasezu’
2. Wash rice in several changes of water until water runs clear. Add 2 1/2 cups water (if you’re using a rice cooker) or 3 cups water (if you’re cooking it on stovetop). Cook until water is absorbed, about 30 minutes in a rice cooker, about 25 minutes in a covered pot over medium-low heat.
3. Turn rice into a large non-metal bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.
4. Using a rubber spatula, a wooden paddle or spoon, gently fold sweetened vinegar into rice, a little at a time. You will probably need about 1/2 cup for this amount of rice, but a little bit less or more is fine. Rice should be glistening and moist but not wet, and sweet but not overly so. Use immediately with sushi toppings of your choice.
Yield: Approx 4 cups sushi rice

Vegetable Sushi
4 sheets nori (roasted seaweed)
2 cups prepared sushi rice
1 cup cucumber strips
1 cup cooked sweet potatoes
½ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Combine the rice vinegar with the sesame oil. Add the cucumber strips, stirring gently, and allow to marinate for about 4 hours. Remove from the marinade and drain. With a blender, whip the sweet potatoes until they are smooth and creamy.
Lay a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Place half a cup of rice on the plastic wrap and press to the size of a sheet of nori. Place a sheet of nori on top of rice, and then spread ¼ cup of blended sweet potatoes on nori and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place ¼ cup cucumber strips in the middle. Roll up from the outside and dampen the edge to seal (the rice will be on the outside of the roll). Slice with a damp knife into half-inch thick slices. Repeat for remaining ingredients.

Inarizushi
Inarizushi is a deep-fried tofu pouch stuffed with seasoned sushi rice. The pouches are available at Asian food markets. Depending on the type of tofu pouch you have, you may need to pre-soak/cook the pouches in a sauce and cut them in half so they open (like a pita). If you have the pre-seasoned/pre-cut kind, just follow the directions on the package for heating them (usually boil the plastic pouch in water for 3-5 minutes).
4 cups of cooked sushi rice
10 whole (20 halves) inarizushi tofu pouches
Japanese or English cucumber (regular cucumber with the seeds removed works, as well)
Dried shittaki mushrooms
Small carrot
1/3 cup Dashi stock (or dashi powder mixed in equivalent amount water)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Peel and finely slice half of cucumber and soak in salted water for a couple of hours. Drain and squeeze using a sushi mat or your hands.
Soak 3 or 4 dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water until they are soft. This may take 10-15 minutes. Keep the water! Remove stems and any other hard pieces and chop into very small pieces. Peel and finely chop a small carrot. Cook the shiitake mushrooms and carrot in dashi stock, soy sauce, and 1/3 cup of the shiitake liquid for about 5 minutes.
Mix the cucumber with the vegetables and seasoned sushi rice. Fill each of the tofu pockets with this mixture.

California Roll
1 cup sushi rice
2 sheets nori (roasted seaweed)
Small avocado
English cucumber (regular cucumber with seeds removed works, as well)
½ cup crab (or Krab)
Place 1 sheet of nori on sushi mat or plastic wrap. Spread ½ cup sushi rice over nori, leaving top inch bare. In horizontal line, arrange avocado, cucumber and crab across the middle of the rice. Use sushi mat to roll from bottom to top, folding the top inch over the bottom and pressing to form a seal. Using sharp, damp knife, cut roll in 6-8 pieces. Repeat for remaining ingredients.
Optional: For a Philadelphia roll, omit avocado, cucumber, and crab. Use thinly sliced green onions, 4oz smoked salmon, and cream cheese as filling.