SUSHI - Michele Hoak

Ingredients:

5-10 cups dry Calrose or Pearl rice

Seasoned Rice Vinegar

1 pound crab meat

1 English Cucumber (julienned)

1 Avocado (thinly sliced)

4-8 oz. Smoked Salmon(1 package is enough)

1 package Cream Cheese

1 pack Sushi NORI (the seaweed wrappers)

Rice

Clean and rinse and drain, repeat. Rinse rice until the water runs clear. This could take up to 10 times. If you have a rice cooker use it! Follow directions for cooking the rice. However, let your rice rest 30 minutes before cooking. If you do not have a rice cooker, good luck. The water ratio is 1 1/2 water to 1 cup of rice.

When rice is done dump it into a bowl (non-metallic) to cool. Do not let it sit more than an hour. Rice will start to dry out. Using your rice right away is important. If you have a rice cooker you can leave it in there to cool longer just do not lift the lid( be sure to unplug it so it doesn't keep on warming.) Fanning is a good way to cool your rice quickly and not dry it out.

Pour Seasoned rice vinegar over rice, toss and fan all at the same time. 1/3 cup of Vinegar to 3 cups cooked rice is the recipe I have. I have now looked up 5 different recipes and they are all different on the amount of vinegar you should use.(and there are recipes that show you how to make your own sushi-zu, but why mess with an already perfected taste? Buy your seasoned rice vinegar already done.) So do it to taste. You should be able to taste it on the rice but it should not over power the rice.(your nose is not a good judge at this point. It WILL over power your nose even with a little bit.) Fanning and tossing the seasoned rice vinegar will give your rice a pretty shine. Rice is ready, that is the hard part.

Rolls
Cover your bamboo mat with plastic wrap. This helps the rice not stick to it. Place one Nori on the mat and fill with rice. leaving a 1/2 inch gap at the bottom closest to you and about a 1 inch gap at the top. 3/4 cup of rice to one cup is a good amount. Not too much or it makes your rolls to big to get in the mouth.

Filling
Salmon Rolls

About 1/3 the way up your roll, place a thin line of cream cheese and top with salmon. Roll away from you tightly. Done!

California Rolls

About 1/3 the way up your roll, place a line of thinly sliced avocado, two or three strips of julienne cucumber, and a line of crumbled crab. Roll tightly, away from you. The nice thing about sushi is it can all be done to taste. don't like something...leave it out. love something...put more in. Experiment a little. I have seen cooked shrimp in place of crab and steamed asparagus instead of salmon.

Have fun with it!