COVER STORY
PAGE 16 • GO! MAGAZINE
Thursday, June 17, 2021 • The BuLLeTIn
Roll with it: Sushi, Father’s days coincide
Story and photos by MAKENZIE WHITTLE • The Bulletin
I
t just so happens that Friday is International Sushi Day, and this year, that coincides nicely with Father’s Day on Sunday, so why not roll your own rolls for him?
Fill them with dad’s favorite fish with some vegetables and whatever sounds good for a delectable Father’s Day treat that may be atypical for feasts of the day —
but always tasty.
It can be a tricky process at first, espe-
cially if you’re rolling by hand and without
the help of something like a sushi bazooka,
a tube where you can build your roll easily
then compress it and press it out in a per-
fectly round roll ready for the outer layer
seaweed sheet, known as nori. (In all hon-
esty, I used one of these because I had never
attempted to make sushi and could use all
the help I could get).
NOTE: These are not the most traditional
nor professional ways to do this, but they are
easy ways to get started with the cuisine.
SUSHI RICE
Probably the most important thing to get
right with sushi is to make sure your rice is
cooked to sticky perfection. If it’s too dry,
the roll falls apart, and if it’s too wet, then it
can turn into a soggy mess. Use a standalone
rice cooker, stovetop or microwave cooker
to get your rice ready.
Ingredients
2 cups sushi rice (short grain, white rice)
1 ½ cups of water
1 piece of kombu/dried kelp (optional)
2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
Directions
In a small bowl rinse your rice until the
water runs almost clear, then drain it com-
pletely and put it into your cooker. Fill with
1½ cups of cold water and let it soak for 20
to 30 minutes with the kombu. Cook for the
standard amount of time for your cooker
(many rice cookers have a specific “sushi
rice” setting).
In a medium bowl (traditionally a
wooden one), gently place the cooked rice
and pour the vinegar over the top. Then us-
ing a rice paddle or rubber spatula gently
cut the rice at 45-degree angles and fold in
the vinegar through the entire bowl.
Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel so
the towel is touching the top of the rice and
let it sit until the rice reaches about room
temperature. You can also put it in the refrig-
erator, but be careful not to let it dry out. If
you make too much or are preparing in ad-
vance, put in an airtight container and freeze
it then reheat when needed in the microwave.
When placing the rice on the rolling mat
or bazooka, wet your fingers to help keep
the rice from sticking to your hands.
Spicy crab roll sushi with a tempura shrimp roll behind.
Yields enough rice for 5 to 7 rolls.
SPICY CRAB ROLL
The style of the crab roll, or in this case
krab roll, is not really traditional, but it is in-
credibly popular in the U.S. If you grab one
at your favorite grocery store sushi counter,
chances are that it will be the “inside out”
version of a sushi roll, meaning the rice is on
the outside and the nori is on the inside. You
can make this either way, but the recipe that
follows has the nori on the outside.
If you want, you can also use smoked
salmon or tempura shrimp instead of the
crab meat, or make different variations for
your own sushi feast.
Ingredients
1 cup of sushi rice, cooked
2 sheets of nori
1 package of imitation crab (you can also
use real crab meat)
1 medium avocado, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced spears
¼ cup Sriracha sauce mayo
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
Directions
Using a sushi mat: Place the nori shiny
side down on the mat and evenly spread
about half the rice on the nori, leaving about
½ inch strip empty on the edge farthest
from you.
Place the crab, avocado and cucumber in
horizontal lines across the rice and drizzle
the Sriracha mayo in one line next to the cu-
cumber.
Pick up the bottom edge of the sushi mat
and start rolling the nori sheet over the fill-
ing, keeping it tight and firm. Once the mat
reaches the rice, pull the mat from opposite
side and work the top side over the roll and
continue until everything is tightly rolled up.
If the nori doesn’t want to stick, use some
water to help seal the roll. Gently squeeze
the mat and then set the roll aside and make
the remaining rolls.
Using a bazooka: lightly grease each side
of the tube and layer in about ¼ cup of rice
in each side. Use the plunger rod to create
an indentation on each side and then add
the fillings.
Place the plunger rod into the screw end
and close the tube and latch it.
Put the stopper on the open end of the
bazooka and then turn the rod four or five
times to compress the roll.
Remove the cap and squeeze the rice roll
out onto the nori (shiny side down). Once
the entire roll has been pushed out, roll the
nori around it and wet the ends to stick
them down.
To finish, dampen a kitchen towel and,
using a very sharp knife, cut your roll into
evenly sized pieces, wiping your blade on
the towel after every cut.
Drizzle the rolls with remaining mayo
and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Yields 2 to 3 rolls.
e
Reporter: 541-383-0304, mwhittle@bendbulletin.com