Let’s Roll
By Natalie Findlay
Sushi is the original fast food. The ingredients are few, the materials are minimal, and the flavours are fresh and inexpensive. Did you know that ‘sushi’ arrived in Japan via China in the 8th century? A very different product back then, sushi was made with salted fish (preservation issues) and fermented rice to help prevent the fish form spoiling. The rice was not eaten. Since the Japanese preferred to eat fish with rice, they abandoned the fermented rice and started to eat their ‘fast food’ fresh, changing the dish to closely represent the sushi that we all know and love today. The materials you will need are simply a sushi rolling mat and a knife. The ingredients (I’m going California style here) are cooked sushi rice, roasted seaweed sheets, cucumber, avocado, real or imitation crab, and sesame seeds. The condiments of soya sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger will add authenticity to the final product. Sushi is great for lunch at work or for your kids at school. Just wrap them tightly the night before in plastic wrap and they will stay fresh for lunch the next day. お食事をお楽しみくださいね I hope you enjoy your meal!
26 • June 2013
1.
Wrap your sushi mat with plastic wrap to prevent the rice from sticking.
2.
Slice cucumber, crab and avocado into thin strips.
3. Cut the roasted seaweed in half. 4. Place seaweed on mat. 5.
Cover the seaweed with the cooked sushi rice, about half a centimetre thick.
6. Flip over the seaweed so the rice is on
the outside.
7.
Place your ingredients in the middle of the seaweed making sure to fill from one side to the other with ingredients.
8.
Use the end of the mat to roll the end of the seaweed just to cover the inside ingredients, and give it a bit of a tug to pull the ingredients together tightly.
9.
Extend the mat fully so all of the seaweed has been rolled into a cylinder and again give it a gentle tug to make sure everything is held tight.
10.
Unroll the mat and using a sharp knife (you don’t want your sushi to fall apart) slice sushi in half, then slice the pieces in half, and in half again to produce 8 wonderful pieces. Natalie is a freelance writer, photographer and pastry chef. A graduate of Cordon Bleu’s pastry program, she manages her own business too to create custommade cakes.