When I was younger, I hated sushi. I thought raw fish, rice, and seaweed were gross individually, but together they were like a powerhouse for disaster. Bleh. But now, I love sushi! I even crave that chewy seaweed and sticky rice, the smoothness of raw fish and the creaminess of avocado. These are the textures that made me suffer from a heavy case of food envy last year at lunch, as my friend, Tiffany, ate a bright tray of sushi and enjoyed every bite.
I was lucky enough to create my own little sushi heaven tonight in class. My group made over 200 pieces of sushi, and every single one was beautiful. (I still think its cool that I got to roll sushi for my education today.) Sushi isn't easy but its simpler than I expected. I'm reminded again of Julia Child, "you've just got to have the courage of your convictions!" As I made inside out sushi, I respectfully patted the rice onto a half sheet of nori, spread bright orange caviar down the center of the rice and flipped the whole thing over onto a bamboo rolling mat. It was risky each time because the nori was thin and the rice was heavy.
I think the key to successful sushi is sticky rice. And "hand vinegar", which is a combination of icy cold water and a generous splash of lemon juice/vinegar. Before you pick up a handful of rice, dunk your hands in the "hand vinegar" to get them really cold and then the rice doesn't stick to your fingers. It's pretty darn cool.
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