Sushi

Method:

Start with preserving ginger. Peel it and slice it as finely as you possible can preferably using a mandoline or even a potato peeler. Put it into a colander with a generous sprinkling of salt and cover it with a weighted plate. Leave it for a couple of hours, then rinse off the salt. Put it into a bowl and mix in the vinegar and sugar.

To prepare the rice (sumeshi) it should be soaked in plenty of cold water for half an hour then rinsed and drained. Put it into a large saucepan with about 750ml or water and bring it to the boil. Let it simmer, covered, for 10 minutes then remove it from the heat and leave it for a further 15-20 minutes without removing the lid.

Meanwhile warm the vinegar enough to melt the sugar, add two teaspoonfuls of salt and allow that liquid to cool. When everything has nearly reached room temperature, put the rice into a bowl and sprinkle on the liquid. To help it cool quickly, lift and toss it with a wooden spoon and fan it as it loses heat until it is glossy. It will also be sticky, so prepare a bowl of cold water into which you can dip your fingers if they get gluey while you work on it.

While the rice is cooking, prepare some fillings. Cut half the salmon and half the tuna into narrow strips Do the same to the radish, the peeled avocado and the spring onions. Peel the cucumber and cut that into strips too, discarding the seeds.

To assemble the little rolls. Spread a sheet of Nori on top of the bamboo mat. Spread some of the rice over the Nori until it covers three quarters of it, being careful not to make it too thick (no more than 1cm thick). Dampen the edge of the exposed Nori with a few drops of cold water, which will help it to stick. Dot the rice sparingly with Wasabi, take care as it has a powerful taste, then put an arrangement of salmon and cucumber across the middle of the rice and, holding it steady with one hand, use the other to roll up the mat, lifting it so that it doesn’t get caught. It should stick together in a neat roll. When you want to serve it, cut it with a wet, sharp knife into bite-sized pieces.

Use up the other strips you have cut, in any combinations you like, with more rice. Your aim is to have enough rice left to make Nigiri Sushi from the remaining fish. You do this by slicing it into small rectangles. Dot each with Wasabi then take a walnut sized spoonful of rice into the palm of your hand and press it into the same shape as the fish. Put the fish on top. Another trick is to make a small patty of rice, the shape of a tiny hamburger, and wall it in with a piece of Nori leaving space above the rice which you can fill with salmon eggs, caviar or fish.

Serve the various Sushi on big plates, accompanied by the ginger and a little bowl of soy sauce.

Method for California Rolls:   

Makes 2 rolls.  Place a half-sheet of nori on a chopping-board, and spread about a cup of vinegared rice evenly over it. Then sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds. Line a side of a makisu (sushi rolling bamboo mat) with cling film and turn the rice-covered nori on to it rice-side down. Spread half the crab in a row in the centre across the nori, and add 2 avocado slices and half the cucumber along the crab, then roll the ingredients in the nori using the makisu, This rice-side out roll is called uramaki (reverse roll). Repeat this process once more using the remaining ingredients. Slice the fillet of sea bass and place a piece on top of each roll.  Cut each roll into 5-6 pieces, and serve.