2 tablespoons sake
¼ cup rice vinegar
1½ to 2 tablespoons sugar, to your taste
1 teaspoon salt
1. Wash the rice thoroughly. Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl and fill the bowl about half-full with cold tap water. Swirl the rice in the water with your hand. Carefully pour off most of the water, holding one cupped hand under the stream to catch any grains of rice carried away with the water. Holding the bowl steady with one hand, use the other to rub and squeeze the wet rice, turning the bowl as you go so that all the rice is “scrubbed.” (One friend calls this giving the rice a massage, and you definitely do want to use some muscle power.) The small amount of water in the bowl will turn chalky white. Now, run cold water into the bowl, give the rice a quick swish, and carefully drain off the water as before. Repeat the scrubbing and pouring-off process twice more. By the third time, the water you pour off will be nearly clear.
2. Add the cooking water. Some cooks like to use bottled water; do this if you are not crazy about the taste of your tap water. (Note that you are using slightly less water than the regular 3-cup level marker on your cooker bowl; the exact amount depends on how much water remains in your washed and drained rice.) Let the rice soak in the rice cooker bowl for 30 minutes if your machine has a built-in soak period, 45 minutes if it doesn’t.
3. Add the sake to the rice. Close the cover and set for the regular or Sushi cycle.
4. While the rice is cooking, prepare the vinegar mixture. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until the salt and sugar melt. Or you can heat the vinegar mixture in a micro wave oven. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. While the rice is cooking, lay out the following items around your workspace. When the rice is done, you will have to act quickly, so everything should be assembled and available within arm’s reach.
a clean dishcloth or cloth napkin, rinsed in cool water and wrung out
a han giri, a clean bowl, wooden (if it is pristine), plastic, metal, or glass (if your bowl is wooden, rinse it out with cool water to prevent the rice from sticking)
the plastic rice spatula that came with your cooker, rinsed in cool water
your vinegar mixture, at room temperature
an electric fan, a hair dryer with a “cool” setting, a hand fan, or a folded newspaper
6. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 15 minutes. Then use the spatula to scoop all the rice into the bowl. Holding the spatula in one hand (with the curved back side facing up) over the rice and the pan with the vinegar mixture in the other, slowly pour the vinegar over the spatula, letting it run off and fall lightly onto the rice. Move the spatula around the bowl as you pour. The net effect will be to sprinkle the vinegar as evenly as possible over the surface of the rice. Gently nestle the damp cloth over the rice, covering it completely and bunching up the cloth against the side of the bowl. Wait 2 minutes.
7. Mix and cool the rice. You want rice that is shiny, body temperature or a bit cooler, mostly dry, and fairly sticky. The grains should be distinct, not mashed. Force-cooling the rice keeps it from absorbing the vinegar and getting too sticky.
Aim the electric fan at the rice in the bowl (or get your hair dryer or hand fan ready), but don’t turn it on yet. Mix the rice with the spatula, holding the spatula vertically and using it like a knife, gently and repeatedly cutting through and lifting sections of rice. (If you stirred the rice in the traditional manner, you would quickly make rice mush.) Rotate the bowl so that all of the rice gets mixed. After 1 minute of mixing, turn the fan to low or medium speed (or begin to use the hair dryer or to fan the rice by hand). Continue “cutting,” lifting, fanning, and turning the bowl until the rice is shiny and about body temperature (feel it with your palm). The rice is now ready to use.
If you are not ready to assemble your sushi, just set the spatula on top of the rice and re-cover the rice with the towel. The rice can wait, covered with the towel, for about an hour or so.
maki sushi
Maki are seaweed-wrapped rolls of rice with something tasty centered inside. The rolls are sliced to expose a cross section of the fillings, which range from the extremely simple, like cucumber strips, to the inventive, like California rolls, the crab, avocado, sesame, and cucumber combination that indeed was created in the United States. Maki sushi is typically made in three thicknesses; medium (about 1½ inches across) is the easiest to handle. You can be as creative as you want, but remember that anything used to stuff maki sushi should be soft. Raw cucumber is okay, but carrot strips should be cooked.
The only piece of special equipment you will need is a maki-su, the little bamboo-and-string mat used to support the seaweed while you roll it around the rice and fillings (it looks like a miniature window shade). These cost only a few dollars and are easy to find in Asian markets, import stores like Cost Plus, cookware shops, or health food stores. (Or substitute a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil.) The dried seaweed wrappers, yaki sushi nori, wasabi, and ginger are all sold in Asian markets, health food stores, and gourmet markets.
Here we provide general directions for making maki sushi, followed by a selection of common, easy-to-prepare fillings.
YIELD: 6 rolls; serves 4 to 8
1 recipe Sushi Rice
6 sheets yaki sushi nori (roasted seaweed sheets)
Desired fillings
Soy sauce, ready-to-eat wasabi (sold in a plastic tube or as a powder that you mix with water to make the paste), and slices of pickled ginger, for serving
1. Arrange around your work surface for assembly:
the sushi rice in its cloth-covered bowl
the sheets of nori
your fillings
a bamboo rolling mat for forming the rolls, or a 9 x 10-inch sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil
2 forks
a clean, damp dishcloth
CLICK TO SEE SOME FILLINGS FOR MAKI SUSHI
a sharp chef’s knife
a plastic or wooden cutting board
a small saucer of rice vinegar (may be needed to seal the rolls)
a serving platter (a cake plate or small square platter works nicely)
condiments in serving bowls
2. Arrange the rolling mat in front of you, with the pieces of bamboo running horizontally (parallel to the edge of the work surface). Place a piece of nori on the mat, with the smoother side down.
3. Uncover the rice and use the spatula to section the rice into 6 parts. Scoop out one section and place it on the bottom half of the sheet of nori. Re-cover the remaining rice to keep it from drying out. Hold a fork in each hand, tines down, rounded side up. Use the forks like garden rakes to spread out the rice as evenly as possible over the bottom two-thirds of the nori. Don’t leave any margins; spread the rice all the way to the edges. About 1 inch up from the bottom, use the side of a fork to push aside some of the rice and make a sort of depression or trough where the filling will go. The trough should extend all the way across the nori. Don’t expose the nori, though; you want your filling to be enclosed in a layer of rice.
4. Lay the desired filling in the trough. It is okay to mound it rather high. You will compress it as you complete the roll. (You will quickly learn how much filling to use to produce a roll that is neither skimpy nor bulging.)
5. Slide the nori to the edge of the mat closest to you. Lifting the mat, not the nori, begin the roll by bringing the strip of rice closest to you to meet the strip of rice on the other side of the filling. Squeeze the mat gently but firmly, moving your hands along the entire length of the mat, to create a nice, even log shape. Now complete the roll, stopping every so often to gently squeeze the mat and shape the roll. At the end, give a final squeeze, hard enough to firm and seal the roll but not so hard that the filling oozes out the ends. If the nori doesn’t seal, dip your finger in vinegar and wet the edge of the nori.
Set the finished roll aside and continue
filling and rolling the remaining 5 sheets of nori.
6. When all the rolls are finished, cut each into 6 pieces. You will make the cleanest cuts if you use a wet knife, wipe it with the damp towel after every cut, and cut with a back-and-forth sawing motion instead of pressing down. Arrange the rolls cut side up on the serving platter. Serve with the soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.
california rolls
YIELD: 3 rolls ; serves 2 to 4
¼ pound cooked crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1 to 4 teaspoons Chinese (hot) mustard, to your taste
1 to 4 teaspoons mayonnaise, to your taste
1 medium-size avocado (Hass is best)
1 to 2 Japanese cucumbers or part of a long English one
½ recipe Sushi Rice
3 sheets yaki sushi nori (toasted seaweed sheets)
Toasted Japanese sesame seeds
Soy sauce and wasabi paste, for serving
1. Using two forks or your fingers, finely shred the crabmeat. Mix the crabmeat with a dab of Chinese mustard and enough mayonnaise to hold the crab together; start with 1 or 2 teaspoons. Add more mustard if you want a spicier flavor.
2. To prepare the avocado, cut it in half the long way, working your knife around the pit. Remove the pit and use a knife to score the avocado into slices about ⅓ -inch thick. Don’t cut all the way through the skin. Use a large soup spoon to scoop the slices right out of the avocado shell. If the avocado is large, you may wish to halve the slices lengthwise.Prepare the cucumbers.
3. For each California maki,spread the rice on the nori. In the trough, layer the crab salad, cucumber, and avocado strips. Sprinkle the rice generously with the sesame seeds. Roll up carefully and cut each maki into 6 pieces, wiping the knife with a damp towel between cuts.
4. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi paste for dipping.
note: Toasted Japanese sesame seeds are light tan and sold in a shaker jar in Japanese markets; they are larger and more flavorful than ordinary sesame seeds and have already been toasted; toast them again in a small skillet to enhance the flavor.
variation: Shrimp-filled California rolls were the stars of the sushi platter at a Japanese restaurant in the shrimp-fishing town of Mazatlán, Mexico. Substitute ¼ pound poached shrimp, shelled and finely chopped, for the crabmeat.
inari zushi
These stuffed tofu pockets are great picnic or lunch box sushi; they travel well and are neat and easy to eat. Despite their exotic look, they are not difficult to make. You buy the tofu pockets packaged and ready to go in Asian markets. Look for packages marked “fried bean curd” or “seasoned fried bean curd” (ajitsuke inari age). Shirakiku is one brand.
Inari zushi can be starkly simple; vine-gared sushi rice is a delicious filling on its own. You can add toasted sesame seeds, cooked egg, bits of vegetables like seasoned shiitake mushrooms or blanched grated carrot, or cooked fish. Whatever ingredients you mix with the rice should be soft and diced, shredded, or minced very finely. If you keep the tofu pockets on hand in the freezer, you can pull out a few whenever you make maki or hand roll sushi; finely chop your leftover fillings, mix with vinegared rice, and stuff a few inari zushi. If you are short on time, you can just add a package of the prepared vegetable mix called gomoku sushi no moto to freshly cooked hot rice. (This product typically is sold in cans or plastic pouches.)These vegetable mixes include the vinegar; you just mix them into the hot rice while fanning to cool.
When you shop for tofu pockets, you are likely to see three styles. One (ajitsuke inari age), sold frozen in a plastic boil-in bag, is already seasoned and ready to use after thawing or boiling for about 10 minutes in a covered pot of boiling water. A second kind is canned; it is the easiest to use but not as tasty as frozen or fresh age. The third style is fresh, abura age. It is sold in plastic bags at Asian markets and, please note, it is not seasoned.
6 fresh or canned abura age
Boiling water
2 cups dashi
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
¼ cup sugar
½ recipe (Sushi Rice), mixed with additional filling ingredients as desired
1. To use canned or fresh abura age, open the bag or can and place the desired number of pouches in a large bowl or a colander in the sink. Pour boiling water over the pouches to remove excess oil. (Or blanch them for a minute or two in a pot of boiling water.)
2. Slice each pouch in half crosswise and gently open it up with your fingers, as you would open a pita half. Then season by simmering in a small pot with Dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Continue simmering the tofu pouches for 20 to 30 minutes more, covered with a sheet of parchment paper, a saucer, the lid to a slightly smaller pan, or an otoshi buta (a flat wooden drop lid designed to keep simmering items submerged and yet allow some steam to escape; they are sold in Japanese markets or hardware stores).
3. To stuff, drain, then let the tofu pouches cool until you can handle them. Gently use your fingers to open one, being careful not to tear it. (Again, this is somewhat like opening a pita.) Fill with sushi rice. For the neatest looking inari zushi and to lessen the chance of ripping the pouch, shape the rice into a small oval first. Place about 3 tablespoons of your rice stuffing on a square of plastic wrap. Bring the ends of the plastic wrap tightly together and use your fingers to gently but firmly shape the rice into an oval. Remove the plastic and carefully insert the rice into the tofu pouch. (You can also shape the rice balls by hand, dampening your hands first with vinegar water.)
chirashi sushi (osaka style)
In Tokyo, chirashi sushi is like unconstructed nigiri or maki sushi, except the ingredients are layered in a bowl. It is typically made with slices of raw fish, vegetables, and other ingredients, beautifully arranged on a bed of rice. In Osaka, though, chirashi sushi is a more casual dish, somewhat akin to a rice salad. Sometimes called barazushi or maze gohan (mixed rice), it is frequently made at home or for parties with friends and family. Like a potato salad, it is subject to the cook’s skill, tastes, and whims, and the ingredients can vary enormously. Here is the way Julie’s colleague Sharon Noguchi makes it. Sharon is a terrific cook whose family came to San Francisco from the Osaka area about a hundred years ago. Sharon notes that it’s considered lucky to make chirashi sushi with an odd number of ingredients: five or seven, usually. She uses seven.
The vinegar dressing Sharon uses is much sweeter and more abundant than that used in the maki sushi recipe, which we learned from a Tokyo-born cook. Sharon’s seasoned shiitake mushrooms, too, are sweeter and much less salty. If you like the Osaka-style sushi rice, by all means use these vinegar dressing proportions to make rice for maki sushi, hand rolls or inari zushi.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) or large (10 cup) rice cooker; fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular or Sushi
YIELD: Serves 10 to 12
RICE
4⅛ cups (5½ rice cooker cups) high-quality sushi rice
About 4⅛ cups water
¾ cup rice vinegar
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
INGREDIENT LAYERS
Kampyo (dried gourd strips)
Grated Carrots
Seasoned Shiitake Mushrooms
Peas or snow peas
Japanese Omelet
1 teaspoon to 3 to 4 tablespoons red pickled ginger strips (beni shoga), to your taste
About ¼ ounce shredded nori (kizami nori) (about 1 loosely packed cup)
1. Make the rice: Wash it as directed for Sushi Rice. Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl. If your machine has a Sushi cycle, add the amount of water directed. If not, add the water so that it’s under the 5-cup water line in the rice bowl (about 41.8 cups). Soak the rice for about 30 minutes. Set for the regular or Sushi cycle.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt and heat on the stove or in a micro wave oven just until the sugar and salt melt. Let the mixture cool. (If you’re short on time, cool quick
ly by placing the container in a larger bowl of ice water.)
3. When the rice is ready, prepare it as described in steps 6 and 7 for Sushi Rice. Cover it with a clean, damp towel and leave at room temperature until you are ready to proceed.
4. Uncover your prepared rice and add the prepared kampyo, mushrooms, and carrots. Mix well with a dampened rice spatula, holding the spatula vertically and using the same cutting and lifting motions you did to mix the rice and vinegar.
5. Arrange the rice in a large serving bowl. Smooth the top without smashing the rice. Top the rice with the peas in a single layer, then with the omelet strips. Arrange a few red pickled ginger strips decoratively on top of the omelet strips or just make a little pile in the center.
6. Just before serving (you don’t want it to get soggy), sprinkle on the nori strips. If you can’t find kizami nori, buy ajitsuke nori (seasoned) in strips and use scissors to cut the strips into fine shreds.
Chirashi sushi can be made several hours ahead of time. If you are making chirashi sushi 2 hours or less before you intend to serve it, complete the dish up through the ginger topping and let it rest, tightly covered, at cool room temperature. Add the nori just before serving.
If you must make chirashi sushi 2 to about 8 hours ahead, complete the recipe up through adding the peas. Store the chirashi sushi tightly covered at room temperature. An oversize plastic container with a snap-on lid is perfect for this—authentic Tupperware will preserve it best. Refrigerate the omelet strips, tightly covered. When you are ready to serve, finish assembling the dish, adding the nori at the very last minute.
kampyo (dried gourd strips)
These are white strips of a dried gourd; the long strands look like fettuccine. They must be soaked with salt to soften, then cooked and seasoned before use. They may look strange, and they’re a bit of work to prepare, but they are moist, sweet, and delicious. You can find kampyo in plastic packets on the shelf in Asian markets.
About 1 ounce kampyo
4 teaspoons salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce, to your taste
The Ultimate Rice Cooker Page 21
