Recipe #77: SUSHI! (norimaki)

I love making sushi, it is so much fun. I started making it in college when i was missing the wonderful tastes of home, but not willing to pay American sushi prices! I don't like to do much raw fish at home, that makes me a little nervous, but it tastes great with veggies and all sorts of other delicious things!

You need:
about 3 cups cooked rice
sheets of seaweed
rice or sushi vinegar
good insides include: avocado, crab, tuna fish, lettuce, cucumbers, cream cheese, carrots, shrimp, etc.

you will also need a rolling mat. they often come with little sushi kits. one time in a pinch i used a straw place mat...and that worked out too! :)

First put some rice into a bowl and add vinegar. for the 3 cups i used a 1/4 cup or less. it depends on how vinegary you want the rice. Let it cool slightly but not too much.

put a sheet of seaweed on your rolling mat and cover about 2/3s of it with rice. spread the rice out in a thin layer...mine was a little too thick (rice was kind of hot and a little too wet) so it was a little heavy on the rice, but that was okay!

Next layer your toppings on the rice, kind of in the middle of the rice so they are in the center of your sushi.

start rolling! lift up the edge of the mat and use it to start rolling the sushi up, As you roll the sushi keep pulling the mat out, and i tend to squeeze it a bit to make sure it is really tight.

YOu are done! put to the side and roll a couple more.

Alex "helped" out too with Alex sized mats! He had snack time while I rolled my sushi and was a very good sport!

Once you have a couple, take a serrated knife (those always seem to work best for me) Cut the roll in half, then place side by side and cut into smaller rounds. (the fatter the sushi the smaller you cut)

Enjoy your sushi! Mine turned out more like futomaki (fat rolls)
make sure you have your soy sauce and wasabi on the side! (oh the stories i can tell of my friends and wasabi, remember...a little goes a long way! :) )

Enjoy!!