Sushi!!!

We had a wonderful weekend! My dear friend Cat drove all the way from Ottawa to spend the weekend with our little family. It was a like revisiting a little piece of our Ottawa life, completely lovely! 


Catherine headed home Sunday morning and we decided a fun family activity for the afternoon would be to attempt sushi for the first time. So Sunday afternoon, the three of us headed over to the new Asian grocer in town (a really good one!) and picked up all our supplies. Thus armed with bamboo rolling mat, seaweed and salmon, we embarked on our adventure. 


Here's a little taste of the fun that ensued...

Judah vigorously stirring the soaked rice to ensure thorough drainage

He stirred so vigorously a lot ended up on the floor.

  

But that's ok, because sweeping/getting a close up of the floor cracks, is great fun!

Quality assurance testing...

We brought in the big guns (read daddy) to de-scale the salmon.

Then we cooked the rice and got rolling... we were in such a "sushi zone" at this point, I forgot to take pictures...oops.

Our first ever homemade sushi!! It didn't look too pretty, but it tasted great!

Judah used the opportunity to show off his mad chopstick skills.

Not too shabby guys!

Here's how we did it...

SUSHI RICE 

3 cups short-grain white rice 
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 
1/4 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon salt 

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir gently to dissolve salt and sugar. Cool to room temperature. 

Before cooking the rice, rinse several times in running water until the water runs clear. Drain in a colander for about 1 hour. Cook on the stovetop or in an electric rice cooker according to package directions. While the rice is still warm, transfer to a large non-reactive bowl. Gradually drizzle the vinegar mixture over the rice, fanning the rice as you go. Use a rice paddle to mix gently without mashing the grains. Keep the rice covered with a damp cloth at room temperature until ready to make sushi. Do not refrigerate. 

SPICY SALMON ROLLS 

1/2 cup sushi-grade raw salmon (or tuna), cubed 
2 tablespoons mayonnaise 
2 dashes red pepper sauce 
Nori seaweed 
Prepared sushi rice 
1 bunch radish sprouts 

In a small bowl, mix together salmon with 
mayonnaise and red pepper sauce. 

Cut nori sheet in half (we found 3/4 was the perfect size) and place it on bamboo mat, shiny side down. 

Dampen fingers in water. Spread a thin layer of sushi rice over the seaweed. Leave a 2.5-cm margin (this can actually be a bit smaller) at the ends uncovered to seal the roll. Lay 2 tablespoons spicy salmon mixture across rice. 

To roll; slowly fold the end of the mat closest to you over the filling and tuck it in. Use medium pressure to create a compact tube. Remove the mat from around the roll, press in the loose ends and place it on a cutting board, seam side down. Using a wet, sharp knife, slice the roll in half then into 6 equal pieces. 

Garnish with radish sprouts. Serve with wasabi, soy sauce and pickled ginger

We didn't use radish sprouts, instead we made some vegetarian rolls with avocado and red onion.

It was so much fun! I see a lot more sushi making in our future :)