Ulrika and Sushi!

Ulrika's recipe to make Sushi (California Rolls) the Yummy Way :)

If you have a rice cooker, take 3 even cups of sticky rice, rice grains (you can ask
for the special sticky rice at Safeway or Superstore where they have it in 20 lb bags)
and wash it in cold water until the water runs clear. Keep changing out the water.
Then, take the well drained rice, put it in the rice cooker along with 4 1/4 cup water.
(This cup that I am talking about is the cup that comes with my rice cooker and it's
about 3/8 of one regular measuring cup). Then, turn on the rice cooker and let it do its
thing for about a half an hour to 40 minutes. Check the rice at the end when it turns off
as you want to make sure you have nice soft rice for your Sushi rolls. If need be, add
some extra water (as in 1/3 of a cup) and put it into the rice cooker and turn it on for
another five or so minutes.

Then, what you want to do for the rice is to get a small pot, put in special Sushi rice
vinegar and that store bought white wine for cooking purposes. Take 1/3 of a regular
measuring cup and pour half vinegar and half white wine (you can also use real white wine)
into the cup, then pour it into the pot. Add 2 TBSP Sugar and 1 TSP Salt. Let it dissolve
in the pot and as soon as it comes to a gentle boil, take it off the burner.

Now, spread the rice on a big plate or put it into a deep bowl. Then pour the rice wine and
vinegar mixture onto the rice, ensuring that you mix it into the rice thoroughly. Don't mash
the rice, just turn it over with a spatula.

Have a bunch of thoroughly cooked through scrambled eggs on hand cut up into a little bowl.
Have some long green onion cut up in another bowl. Have some avocado and cucumber cut
up in lengthwise pieces so that they fit into the rolls. Have cooked Pollock crab flakes. Go to
a Japanese store and buy Sushi sesame seed to sprinkle into the roll and on top of it as well.
If you can, get Japanese Sushi Mayonnaise at Superstore - they have the best stuff there in
their Oriental cooking section. Otherwise, any mayonnaise or sesame seed will do just fine.

Get at least 2 or 3 packages of dried seaweed as this is your first time undertaking
the task of Sushi Making, and after this I guarantee you that you will be hooked!!!

That is just my preference but any soy sauce works. I actually found another favorite
called Kikkoman and bought a gallon of that. We should be out of that one in another
6 months, lol!

Now you are ready to start! Take a kitchen linen towel and wet it completely and squeeze out
any remaining water. Then, fold it in half and put it on your nice big cutting board and put in a
piece of seaweed into it. Fold the kitchen towel over onto the seaweed and pat it for about 30
seconds or more. (And then, of course, Mom came over two weeks ago and said "Why don't you
just use a rolling pin, Ulrika". So that's what I've been using ever since Mom's always right : )

The seaweed needs to be pliable for making sushi. Now you take the seaweed sheet and put it
onto the Bamboo Mat. (Make sure you mix the rice around in the bowl or on the plate now before
you use it as some of it is getting cold and less soft so we want to make sure it's good to go for our
sushi making). Now take your rice cooker spatula and carefully take about a half a cup of sticky rice
and put it onto the seaweed square. Then you want to little by little start spreading it out onto the
square. Add more rice as needed. It should be about a third of an inch thick or less with rice.

Now you spread some mayonnaise onto the square - about a tablespoon all over the sheet.
Then take some egg, some avocado, crab/Pollock flakes, some green onion, cucumber, and
sprinkle some sesame seed into the roll. Keep the ingredients together in one line close to the
top of the seaweed sheet. Now you start rolling the bamboo mat with the seaweed sheet in it,
making sure to keep everything nice and tight together in the roll. Have patience. Sushi making
is an art form. You will get the hang of it. Once your roll is together and nice and tight you take it
out of the bamboo mat, and with a very sharp bread knife, cut it up into 1 inch pieces. I just got
myself some amazing Japanese Sushi Knives. They cut through the sushi like butter and you
never have to wash the knives between, and during roll cutting!

This recipe will yield you two large plates of Yummy California Rolls!!

Now you can eat your Sushi - well, your first Sushi Roll, anyway! Good Job!!
Now you can say: "Yata!" - I did it!

Take a small plate to put your Sushi and Ginger on. Have a smaller dipping bowl which you put your
soy sauce into. (For Christmas, since we're such Sushi fanatics in our house, I got special Sushi dishes
where there is a spot for your soy and wasabi and ginger and a little area to put your Sushi pieces).
You want to take about a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Wasabi and mix it in with your soy sauce. Get your
chop sticks out. Grab about one or two pieces of ginger and put it on top of one piece of Sushi, then
dip the piece of Sushi into the Soy Sauce/Wasabi mixture! Then transfer this delicious concoction to
your eager palate and savor the moment!! Oishi yo! - very delicious!
Welcome to the life of a true Sushi Artist/Connoisseur!!