Copyright 2002 Blacks Culinary

Making and Seasoning the Sushi Rice For cooking the rice I suggest a Zojirushi rice cooker. Rinse your rice before cooking to remove any unwanted starch or particles from processing. There are many places to learn the proper way to rinse your rice (including in the rice cooker manual). The process requires agitating the rice in cold water to remove starch and impurities. Drain the water and repeat till the water is clear or almost clear. The best way to season your rice is fresh from the rice cooker. Place the steaming rice in a bamboo rice bowl and toss with the sushi vinegar while fanning to cool. Set aside. Making sushi is an art form that can take years of practice to do properly. This is not that kind of sushi. The main objective is to get a decent looking roll that can hold together and include all of the flavors and textures. The traditional California Maki roll is made by wrapping the cucumber, crab stick and avocado with a piece of seaweed. Roll with the sushi rice, then garnish with the French fried onions. Top with yum sauce and eel sauce. The Easy Method For those less adept at rolling sushi, you can get a “sushi bazooka” that will help you make some impressive sushi without having to take a six month course in Tokyo. Layer the sushi rice in both halves of the Bazooka. To the center add the crab, cucumber and avocado. Close and extrude onto a sheet of Nori. Roll and slice. Garnish with the sauces, add crunchies or fried onions and a spot of wasabi. To Make the Eel Sauce Combine the first three ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a boil. Stir well and reduce to a strong simmer. Reduce the sauce to about ¾ cup. Add the cornstarch slurry stirring briskly to combine. Bring to a strong simmer and remove from heat. Sauce will thicken as it cools.