Sunshine and Sushi

It was a bit of a culture shock coming back from New York - a whirlwind two weeks filled with food, friends and fun. When I was in New York, Jacqueline's amazing mum Deborah took us both out for sushi...I have not been able to get sushi off my mind since returning to Algiers. Luckily, our friend Tim had recently offered to teach a few of us how to make some simple sushi pieces. Check out my rough guide, Sushi for Beginners...

Makes about 20 pieces

You will need:

3 cups of Sushi Rice or Calrose Rice

1/3 cup rice vinegar

3 tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

Nori Seaweed Sheets
Fish - salmon, tuna, crab, prawns
Vegetables - cucumber, avocado, carrot, pepper, onions
Sesame seeds
Red & Black Lumpfish roe
Wasabi paste
Soy sauce

Bamboo rolling board
Clingfilm
Bowl of water

Rinse the rice and place it in a pan with 3 1/2 cups of water. Bring the water to the boil and allow to simmer at a reduced heat for 5 minutes (or until you cannot see any water boiling). Turn off the heat and allow the rice to sit covered until it becomes tender.

Dissolve the sugar and salt into the warmed rice vinegar. Allow to cool. In a non metallic bowl, stir the rice vinegar mix into the cooked rice adding rice and vinegar a little at a time.

Finely peel and chop the vegetables into long strips. Slice the fish into small lengths. Place all the fillings onto a large plate and get everything ready to make sushi.

Cover the bamboo sheet in clingfilm (this helps cleaning up afterwards!) and place a sheet of seaweed down on it. It is easier to make the rolls when the seaweed is in a square shape; bend one edge back and forth until it breaks off and you are left with a more square shaped piece. Wet your hands and pick up a handful of rice, pressing it evenly onto the seaweed sheet. You want to cover the sheet but make sure the rice is not too thick! Keep your hands damp as you do this as it helps stop everything sticking to you.

Arrange your filling along one long edge - be as creative as your imagination lets you. Carefully roll the filling away from you, using the bamboo to help hold and fold the seaweed into a tube. Press firmly and evenly along the bamboo as you roll. If you would like to try sushi with the rice on the outside, cover the seaweed as before and decorate with seeds and roe. Gently lift and flip the seaweed so it is rice down on the mat. Arrange the filling on the seaweed and roll as before.

When you have made a tight tube, you can try cutting it! (Mine tended to go badly wrong at this point!) The trick seemed to be to use the sharpest knife you can get hold of, wet it, and use a confident slight sawing action to cut through it. Arrange the pieces on a plate and serve with wasabi, ginger and soy sauce. Enjoy!

Or try the inside out version...

A little something we made earlier...

More regular blog posts coming shortly...

Love to all in New York!

C