Day 21, or "That's How We Roll"

To celebrate my grandmother's arrival in Germany, I decided to plan a sushi-making girls' night in her honor. I had never made sushi before, mostly because I've heard it's a huge pain. Not so! Yes, the prep work can be complicated, and yes, there are lots of specialty ingredients, but the fun entirely outweighs any 'negative' factors. Plus, once you've bought the basic ingredients, the next time you decide to make sushi will be much cheaper than going out for Japanese. With that, I give you (drum roll please) the grocery list!

Basic Items:

short grain brown rice and/or white sushi rice (we made one pot of each)

rice vinegar

soy sauce

wasabi

pickled ginger

nori seaweed sheets

at least one bamboo mat (I bought two so that two people could roll at one time)

vegan mayonnaise

sriracha (hot chili) sauce

chopsticks

tin foil or plastic wrap

sugar

salt

Filling Suggestions:

avocado

cucumber

carrots

shitake mushrooms (I used dried)

1 block smoked tofu

1 package toasted sesame seeds

sesame oil

I recommend going to your local Asian food store for the bulk of the ingredients - the products tend to be much cheaper than at other locations (or at least that was the case here). 

For our sushi, I relied on two main recipes. The first, 'Spicy Sushi Rolls with Avocado and Cucumber' (pp. 48-50), comes from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, and the second comes from a German magazine, Leichter Genuss, for 'Shitake-Tofu-Sushi' (Sonderheft 02/2009, p. 52). The recipe that follows is a combination of the two, because each person ended up just using whatever ingredients they wanted in their roll. 

Basic Vegan Sushi

Step 1: Soak 5-6 shitake mushrooms in water for 60 minutes. Rinse under cold water and boil for 10 minutes. Cool and cut into slivers; set aside.

Step 2: While the mushrooms are soaking, prepare the rice. 

For Brown Sushi Rice: Combine 1 cup rice with 2 cups water in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Place the rice in a shallow bowl. Drizzle one tbsp rice vinegar, one tsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt over rice and stir, using a slashing movement (not a tossing one) to avoid making the rice gummy. Set the rice aside (do not refrigerate) and let cool to room temperature. The rice can be used for several hours after it has cooled.

For White Sushi Rice: Combine 1 cup rice with 2 cups water and boil over high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes, covered. Drizzle 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp sugar over rice and stir, using slashing movement (see above). Cool.

Step 3: While the rice is cooling, prepare the fillings.

 Peel and slice the cucumbers (I used two mini cukes) and carrots (I used three small ones) into long, thin strips. If you're using a large cucumber, be sure to remove the seeds as well. (Wait until you sit down to actually roll the sushi to slice the avocado, otherwise it will brown.) Cut the tofu in half (to make it into two thinner patties) and then slice into long, thin strips.

Heat 2 tsp sesame oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Panfry the tofu and shitake mushrooms until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Season with soy sauce and let cool. 

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise with 1/2 to 1 tbsp sriracha, depending on how spicy you want the rolls to be.

Step 4: Assemble!

Wrap sushi mat in foil or plastic wrap (this makes it easier to clean later). Lay 1 nori sheet, shiny side down, on the mat. Have a small bowl of water nearby and keep your hands wet so the rice doesn't stick to them. Place a handful of rice on the nori and spread evenly on the two-thirds of the mat closest to you, leaving the space above free. 

Drizzle a line of mayonnaise on the the rice.

Top the mayonnaise with the desired fillings. 

Hold the fillings firmly in place with the fingertips of both hands. Using both thumbs, lift the edge of the mat closest to you up and over, enclosing the fillings. Roll away from you, applying gentle pressure to ensure a compact roll. Be sure the mat does not get rolled in with the sushi. If needed, apply a bit of water (or wasabi) to the edge of the nori sheet to help it seal.

Allow the finished rolls to sit while assembling the others. 

Starting with the oldest rolls (and allowing the fresh ones to sit), slice into the desired thickness using a wet, sharp serrated knife.

Serve with wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.

To complete the Asian-themed girls' night, we drank prosecco flavored with lychee-infused wine, and had passionfruit sorbet for dessert. I will definitely be making sushi again. . . Probably next week!