Simply Sushi

Sushi rice is a big hit in this household.  Whether it's seasoned rice served up with some teriyaki chicken on a plate, or sushi, my children's favourite.  Sushi is so easy to make at home if you have all the right ingredients.  I used to use a sushi rolling mat, but find these days I don't really need one if I am careful about how I roll.

To make enough sushi for 3 rolls (ie 24 pieces) which should be a good sized snack for 4 person.

Either follow packet instructions to cook 1 cup of sushi rice OR
Put 1 cup sushi rice and 2.5 cups of water in a rice cooker and leave until cooked.

Once the rice is cooked and cooled down, I season it with a couple of tablespoons of sushi vinegar from my local Asian supermarket.  It's a mixture of vinegar, sugar and salt, and is a must if you want to get decent tasting sushi.  You can make your own sushi seasoning by following one of the many available recipes on the Internet.

At this stage it's worth getting your fillings together and then it's time to start sushi construction.  Favourites in this household include salmon with cucumber/avocado and teriyaki chicken.

To make sushi simply follow the photo steps below...

Nori Sheets

Place the nori on a board and add a handful of rice

Press the rice flat to cover 2/3rds of the nori

Add your filling to the middle of the rice

Fold the nori over and start rolling into a sausage shape

Keep rolling and use water to glue the paper together

Teriyaki Chicken  prepared school lunch box stylee

To make salmon sushi that is not child friendly (ie wasabi) - I follow the same process except I add a strip of wasabi and mayonnaise before I add the salmon and cucumber

Add a strip of mayonnaise and wasabi before adding other fillings

Simply Sushi Salad

This was such an obvious combination to put into a salad, I don't know why I never though of it before especially considering that I eat sushi as often as possible. Tastes like sushi but without all the fuss of rolling it (although that is something I really enjoy but only when I'm in the mood). My 5 year old won't usually eat salads, but has now changed his mind. I will have him eating greek salads by the end of the summer.

Sushi Salad

2 cups basmati rice

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

2.5cm piece ginger finely chopped

1/2 cup soy sauce (tamari, kikomen)

3-5 chillis finely chopped(optional)

3/4 cup rice wine vinegar

8 nori sheets cut into small strips

150g smoked salmon

1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds

1/2 bag baby spinach leaves

1 avocado (optional)

Cook rice according to packet instructions. Heat sesame oil in pan and fry garlic, ginger and a dash of soy sauce for a couple of minutes. Put rice in bowl, and pour over the aromatics, left over soy sauce and vinegar. Add remaining ingredients and mix together garnishing with chopped avocado. Would also be lovely with garlic prawns, roast peppers or cucumber.