Sushi and salad for lunch
Ken used to teach people to make nori maki. This is sushi rolled in a sheet of nori – a sea weed that is pressed into a thin flat sheet. And the term sushi refers not to raw fish, but to the rice cooking process. Sushi is rice cooked with some rice vinegar to soften it so it can be carefully pressed into shapes or rolled. Sashimi was the term used for raw fish when we were in Japan in 1994 – 95
Here is how I made nori rolls yesterday. Use soft cooked room temperature rice. There is a short grain sticky sushi rice, but this was just white rice. Spread on a sheet of toasted nori that is on a little bamboo mat made for just this purpose. Spread your filling. I used chopped sprouting onion tops, a bit of mayo, some lemon juice and some cod roe Ken bought at Bill’s Imports in Minneapolis.
Then roll while pressing so everything is firm and stays together. Just before you finish rolling dip a finger in water and run the wet finger down the edge of the nori so the nori sticks to itself and holds together.
Slice with a sharp knife and set on a tray or plate. fillings can vary – avocado or Ken used to use long thin slices of cooled cooked carrot and umeboshi paste or cucumbers. Of course you can always use raw ocean fish if you can find it very fresh!
