Okay, I was really intimidated to make sushi for the first time, but here in Germany my craving for some good ol' Crunchy Rolls got the best of me. And Boo wasn't here to say, "Seaweed?? Gross!" In addition to 99% of veggies, Boo also doesn't like anything from the sea. Blasphemous, I know. In case you were wondering, Boo is off playing Army for a week so I decided to indulge. I love indulging, I feel so royal and naughty doing it!
Okay, back to the story... You see, there are sushi restaurants here in Germany (surprising, I know), and they really aren't all that bad (even more shocking). But once you have had the heavenly Crunchy Rolls from Hana (my favorite sushi joint in New Orleans) for $4 a serving, there is no going back... especially since one small serving of sushi here costs me 6 euro... which is roughly about $8 US.
I'm cheap. I know. But the less I spend on food the more I have for shoes! I love shoes! I love sushi! So let's make enough sushi for 800 people for a total of $15 -- why that sounds like a deal to me!! (and leaves me money for shoes! Win-win if you ask me!) On we go...
Okay, back to the story... You see, there are sushi restaurants here in Germany (surprising, I know), and they really aren't all that bad (even more shocking). But once you have had the heavenly Crunchy Rolls from Hana (my favorite sushi joint in New Orleans) for $4 a serving, there is no going back... especially since one small serving of sushi here costs me 6 euro... which is roughly about $8 US.
I'm cheap. I know. But the less I spend on food the more I have for shoes! I love shoes! I love sushi! So let's make enough sushi for 800 people for a total of $15 -- why that sounds like a deal to me!! (and leaves me money for shoes! Win-win if you ask me!) On we go...
Here's what you need:
1-1/2 Cups - Sushi Rice
[There is a difference, trust me. Uncle Ben's won't work -- no matter how much you overcook it. Buy the sushi rice!]
2 cups- Water
1/3 cup - Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1 pack Nori Seaweed Sheets
1 pound Imitation Crab Meat
Panko Bread Crumbs
and an Avocado
Here's how you do it:
1) Make rice as directed on bag... Okay, Fine... I'll tell you how to do it! Sheesh! Calm down!
Take rice, put in pot, add water.
Bring water and rice to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let sit for 20 min. (Rice will be sticky and gooey- this is perfect!)
2) Once rice is finished cooking, add 1/3 cup of Rice Vinegar
(I know I freaked out a little bit too, but we're in this together and I was the guinea pig for you... Deep breath, do it again... Okay, back to work!)
Gently stir, set aside and let cool to room temperature.
Okay, whew! Hard part is done!
Now the fun part about sushi is that you can put whatever you want in it! Since I was craving Crunchy Rolls, I made Crunchy Rolls... but feel free to be creative here. You can put cucumber, cream cheese, carrots, squid... what ever tickles your fancy! It just makes it even more fun! Okay, pep talk done. On we go!
For my filling:
I finely chopped about One Cup of Imitation Crab Meat,
Added One Tablespoon Light Mayo
Mixed 'er up, put 'er in the fridge.
Still Wondering where the "Crunchy" comes in? Here it comes:
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a small pot,
(once oil gurgles and spits when you put a drop of water in the pot, you know it's ready)
Dump 1/2 cup- Panko Bread crumbs into oil fry until it starts floating (this will literally only take seconds). Scoop crumbs out with a strainer and drain on a paper towel
Slice up Avocado into long strips
Filling ingredients Done!
Now lets make some SUSHI!
Take a flexible cutting board (or a bamboo sushi mat if you're hard core)
Spray lightly with Pam cooking spray (this is an important step, that rice is uber sticky)
Spoon a about 4 tablespoons of rice on to the edge of the mat
Pat the rice into a rectangle the size of the sheet of Nori Seaweed, the rice should be a little less than a 1/2 inch thick.
Place seaweed on top of rice and push it down, make it as flat as you can! You can do it!
Now comes the fun part... Fill 'er up!
Fun, eh?
Now that you have the filling in, lift up the edge of the (flexible) cutting board. Now lift up the opposite edge, and roll the sushi towards the opposite edge. Roll it tight, and push the cutting board down as you roll it. Kinda like how you would use a rolling pin on a pie crust. Got it? Good.
It should look like this right about now:
[There is a difference, trust me. Uncle Ben's won't work -- no matter how much you overcook it. Buy the sushi rice!]
2 cups- Water
1/3 cup - Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1 pack Nori Seaweed Sheets
1 pound Imitation Crab Meat
Panko Bread Crumbs
and an Avocado
Here's how you do it:
1) Make rice as directed on bag... Okay, Fine... I'll tell you how to do it! Sheesh! Calm down!
Take rice, put in pot, add water.
Bring water and rice to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let sit for 20 min. (Rice will be sticky and gooey- this is perfect!)
2) Once rice is finished cooking, add 1/3 cup of Rice Vinegar
(I know I freaked out a little bit too, but we're in this together and I was the guinea pig for you... Deep breath, do it again... Okay, back to work!)
Gently stir, set aside and let cool to room temperature.
Okay, whew! Hard part is done!
Now the fun part about sushi is that you can put whatever you want in it! Since I was craving Crunchy Rolls, I made Crunchy Rolls... but feel free to be creative here. You can put cucumber, cream cheese, carrots, squid... what ever tickles your fancy! It just makes it even more fun! Okay, pep talk done. On we go!
For my filling:
I finely chopped about One Cup of Imitation Crab Meat,
Added One Tablespoon Light Mayo
Mixed 'er up, put 'er in the fridge.
Still Wondering where the "Crunchy" comes in? Here it comes:
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a small pot,
(once oil gurgles and spits when you put a drop of water in the pot, you know it's ready)
Dump 1/2 cup- Panko Bread crumbs into oil fry until it starts floating (this will literally only take seconds). Scoop crumbs out with a strainer and drain on a paper towel
Slice up Avocado into long strips
Filling ingredients Done!
Now lets make some SUSHI!
Take a flexible cutting board (or a bamboo sushi mat if you're hard core)
Spray lightly with Pam cooking spray (this is an important step, that rice is uber sticky)
Spoon a about 4 tablespoons of rice on to the edge of the mat
Pat the rice into a rectangle the size of the sheet of Nori Seaweed, the rice should be a little less than a 1/2 inch thick.
Place seaweed on top of rice and push it down, make it as flat as you can! You can do it!
Now comes the fun part... Fill 'er up!
Fun, eh?
Now that you have the filling in, lift up the edge of the (flexible) cutting board. Now lift up the opposite edge, and roll the sushi towards the opposite edge. Roll it tight, and push the cutting board down as you roll it. Kinda like how you would use a rolling pin on a pie crust. Got it? Good.
It should look like this right about now:
Now just slice 'er up and enjoy!*
*TIP -- Use a very sharp smooth blade, and wipe the blade clean after each cut.
*TIP -- Use a very sharp smooth blade, and wipe the blade clean after each cut.
