I did some more research on the rice to use. I read about making your own sticky rice. I picked up some medium grain rice at our local box store grocery. I read that the smaller the grain= more gluten involved= the stickier the rice. Perfect.
The method I used to make it extra sticky was super easy. Boil the rice for 15 minutes using the water to rice ratio on the package.
Then place a dish towel under the lid and close the lid. Remove form heat and let sit 15 minutes.
Fluff it, don't just stir. Do this for a minute or two to let more steam escape. Let it cool down for a few minutes so you can work with it better and you're good to go- sticky rice.
I used way to much rice with this one, but the idea is right. On the others I spread a thinner layer of rice and left about 1/2 an inch rice free on the edge.
See... too full.
This time we made some California rolls with avocado, cucumber, and crab. We also made what our grocery calls Philadelphia rolls (and my brother assures me is SO NOT authentic). They have cream cheese in addition to the other California roll ingredients.
These turned out better than last time. I'll just have to keep working on them.... and Lou and I'll just have to keep eating them.
Lou asked for a whole plate and even ran and dug out his chopsticks. Bee did eat one this time (cream cheese and avocado only) but asked for our other version of sushi-
The PBJ version.
7 comments:
They look good. I wonder if I am rolling them wrong by doing it length wise. hmmm. Hoping to attend that class and I will maybe learn something. lol
DId you make up the PBJ version? IS there anything Lou doesn't like?
Philadelphia rolls are not authentic to japan, but a perennial favorite here in Mexico!
Any rolls with cheese are not authentic.
I will try to take some pictures of sushi for inspiration. I do have some tips to try and make them more enjoyable for the rest of your family, not based on actually making them but only based on eating experience:
- try rolling them inside out, with the rice on the outside. It needs to be really sticky to do it, but maybe if the outside doesn't look green it may be more appetizing.
- experiment with other fillers. One of my favorites that they do in Mexico is to add fruit inside, like mango. The sweet fruit has a nice flavor with the rice. Maybe watermelon or apple would work well too. What about a sauce inside? Instead of soy or something Japanese-ish you could use a bit of honey or another kid-friendly sauce.
- I have seen them wrapped in an alternate shell other than the seaweed. Cucumber seems to be a popular alternate, but anything flexible and sheet-like could work.
- maybe an alternate seafood would be good. One of my favorites is fried shrimp (large is good). Fish like tuna and salmon are common, but typically raw. What about breaded fish sticks for a kid-friendly version? You could even put some tartar sauce inside the sushi roll.
- are you using anything to help your roll, like a bamboo mat? Getting the rolls nice and tight helps hold them together.
Keep trying and you will find a good combo that everyone should like.
I used to teach a sushi class! can you buy or are you susing full sheets of nori? if so, cover the whole sheet with rice, thin layer, then put your goodies at the bottom of the sheet (with short side at your belly, long sides on the side) then roll up shortside rather than on the longside (there's probably a cool youtube video for this...and i have an extra sushi mat for rolling if you want. does make it easier!) and slice! water on your fingers helps the rice not to stick to your fingers...i'll stop now. you are probably already getting it!
This looks easy and yummy. I can't wait to try it out!
Are you using Sushi rice? A bamboo roller makes it much easier as well.
-Phyllis
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