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Sushi Related Japanese Words and Phrases - Sushi - Literally, “vinegared rice,” but in general, refers to anything made from the sticky vinegared rice.
- Nori - Dried and pressed sheets of seaweed.
- Maki OR “norimaki“- Regular old seaweed on the outside sushi roll.
- Futomaki - Super big maki roll using a whole piece of Nori, rather than half.
- Ura Maki - Inside out roll.
- Temaki - Cone shaped hand roll.
- Nigiri - A topping laid over a small bed of rice. Usually, this is fish, but you can use any veggie you like.
- Onigiri - A plain old rice ball filled with fun stuffin’s.
- Kappa - Cucumber (Kappa maki = cucumber roll).
- Kombu - Kelp
For sushi, use a short grain sticky white rice (usually labeled as “Sushi Rice”). I used 2 cups of uncooked rice here. I’ve found this at both my local grocery stores and the local Asian grocery stores. It’s always cheaper at the Asian markets.
Rinse the sushi rice that you are going to cook until the water you are rinsing it in remains clear, not cloudy. You will probably have to change the water several times. I find it’s handy to put the rice into a large fine mesh strainer and then lower the strainer into a bowl of water, so I can remove the rice and change the water easily. If the water still looks cloudy, rinse again.
After the rice has been rinsed thoroughly, you need to cook it. For every cup of uncooked rice, use 1 & 1/4 cup of water. Bring the water and rice to a boil. After the water boils, cover the pot and turn the heat down to low/simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the water is all absorbed. Then, remove it from the heat and let it cool down a bit for about 10-15 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, slice up the veggies.
Fluff the rice a bit in the pot so it won’t pour out into the bowl all in one big clump. Remember, this is STICKY rice. Transfer the rice to a non-metallic bowl. Metal will interact negatively with the vinegar that the rice is seasoned with. Season the rice with 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar for every cup of uncooked rice that you started with in the pot. I don’t like to use rice wine vinegar (sushi vinegar). This sweetened, for a non-sweet rice use apple cider vinegar. Start with a whole sheet of nori. I’ve found the cheapest nori at Asian grocery stores. Though there are tons of them in any grocery store.
For making maki (small/medium seaweed rolls), fold the sheet in half. If we were making futomaki (the really fat rolls), we’d use the whole sheet.
If you are a novice you might want to start with a layer of plastic wrap on your mat prior to your nori.
Cover the sheet with a thin even layer of the rice. It’s VERY sticky. Leave about a 1/2 - 3/4 inch edge. Keep a small bowl of water nearby to dip your hands into if you don’t want the rice to stick to them. Add a thin line of wasabi down center.
Place some of the veggies on top the rice. It helps to run a wet finger along the un-riced edge so it will stick and seal the roll closed, or use a little more Wasabi for an added kick. Make sure the edge of the seaweed is lined up with the edge of the mat. Hold the veggies with your fingertips and use your thumbs to start curling the mat up. Guide the veggies firmly toward the center of the roll as you bring the edge of the mat up and over to start forming the roll. As you start rolling the mat up and over the veggies, the tube will start to form. When the mat hits the edge as you are rolling, then just peel it back, fold it under a bit, and start rolling again so that the edge of the mat will come over the roll. Once the maki is rolled all the way, put your fingers over the roll and give it a good squeeze and tug to make sure it’s nice and firm, and round out the shape.
If you have veggie pieces sticking out from the ends, just give them a trim with a good SHARP knife to make the ends flat.
Use a VERY SHARP knife and slice it into about 6 pieces. A sharp knife is very important to making sure the roll has straight even edges and won’t rip when cutting. It helps to dip the knife into some water before cutting the roll. Make sure there is no rice on the edge of the blade from cutting previous rolls. Start from the center and continue to halve the remaining sides for an eight slice roll.
Put on a fancy plate and serve with garnish!
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