Saturday, February 4, 2012

Sushi, Sushi, Sushi!

I LOVE SUSHI.
Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters

I just love it. It's delicious, healthy, and super fun to make. This was my first attempt, and I am hoping for many more soon (in fact, I think a friend is coming over tomorrow and we can make some)!

Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters
You ready for the fun fact? I didn't use a recipe. I just kind of made it up.

You see, I decided that I wanted to spend two weeks on an All-Asian (or mostly Asian, mostly Japanese) Diet. Boyfriend and I went to Chinatown in NYC to get some groceries and discovered how inexpensive fresh fish and vegetables are out there. Like...I want to ONLY buy from Chinatown because of it. So we bought over a pound of fresh salmon, some imitation crab sticks, sushi rice, a bamboo sushi mat, nice chopsticks, wooden skewers, and the list goes on! Once I finally move to the city for good, you can bet your britches I'm going to be buying awesome bowls and plates. So I decided to try my hand at making sushi! I did look up a sushi rice recipe (involving rice vinegar and salt that I added to taste), and took a chance! So here's my take on a Philadelphia Roll, a California Roll, and a Spicy Crab Roll!
Delicious ingredients! - Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters
Ingredients:
-3 c. sushi rice, cooked, rice vinegar and salt added (this may leave you with extra rice, I can't quite remember)
-3 sheets nori

Philadelphia Roll
-1 oz. fresh salmon, raw, cut into small, relatively thin strips
-2 tbsp. light cream cheese, spreadable
-1/4 cucumber, julienned
Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters

California Roll
-2 imitation crab sticks, cut in half lengthwise
-1 tbsp. light cream cheese, spreadable
-1/4 cucumber, julienned (1/2 avocado is preferred, but I didn't have any at the time of my original picture-taking)
Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters

Spicy Crab Roll
-2 imitation crab sticks, shredded
-1 tbsp. light mayonnaise
-3/4 tbsp. sriracha hot sauce
-1/2 avocado, halved and thinly sliced
-2 green onions, thinly sliced
Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters

1. Lay a piece of nori on the sushi mat.
2. Gently spread rice evenly across the nori. Do not make the layer too thick, but be sure to cover the surface.
Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters
3. Pile on the ingredients of your choice. I placed all of them at the end so they would end up in the center when I rolled. If you want a mix of rice and ingredients, cover the entire sheet.
Philadelphia Roll. - Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters
4. Firmly roll up the nori using the bamboo mat. Make sure the ingredients stay together!
Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters
5. Slice evenly and plate. Enjoy!
Philadelphia and California Rolls. - Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters



Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters
I also attempted a roll with the rice on the outside and the nori on the inside, like you see in many restaurants. That was much harder and a horse of a completely different color. I'll try again sometime.
Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters

Spicy Crab Roll. - Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters
Making sushi in your own home is much more simple than you think! It takes a bit of patience but it is so worth it!

Photo Copyright 2012 Katie Peters
Happy Eating!

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