The Cooking Ninja

This is part 3 of Daring Cooks' November Challenge hosted by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen.

Now onward to making a Spiral Sushi Roll - similar to makizushi but with 2 sheets of nori joined together at the end edge, and filled with 6 different types of fillings.

Spiral Sushi Roll

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice
Yield: One Roll, cut into 8 pieces

Ingredients

• 2½ cups prepared sushi rice
• 2 sheets of toasted nori, each sized 7»x8» (17.5cmx20cm)
• Six assorted fillings, each filling should be the size of a pencil and compliment each other
• Vinegared Water (½ cup water combined with a dash of rice vinegar)

Directions

1. Join 2 sheets of nori by moistening the adjacent edges and overlapping them about ½ inch (12mm).
2. Place this double sheet shiny side down on a bamboo mat, part of the nori will extend beyond the mat.
3. Moisten fingers in the bowl of vinegared water and place 2½ cups of rice on the nori. Gently rake your fingertips across grains to spread rice evenly, leaving ¼ inch (6mm) nori showing on the both ends of the sheet. Do not mash or squash the rice onto the nori. The rice should appear loosely packed and be evenly distributed over the entire sheet, you should be able to see the nori sheet in a few places.
4. Using your fingers, form six grooves (in the same direction that you will be rolling the mat) at even intervals across the bed of rice. Make the first groove about 2 inches (50 mm) from the edge of the nori sheet. Form the grooves by gently pushing the rice away, leave a loose layer of rice in the bottom of the grooves. Level the areas between the grooves where you have pushed the rice.
5. Place your fillings in the grooves. Fill the grooves a little higher than the surrounding rice bed.
6. Roll the sushi up from the edge closest to you, this will form a spiral pattern of nori, rice and fillings inside the roll.
7. Slice into 8 pieces with a very sharp wet knife, wiping the blade with a damp cloth after each cut.
8. Place the pieces on a platter and garnish.

The Verdict

The spiral roll is truly beautiful and it reminds me of a colourful snail shell. I love the taste of different ingredients in it that compliments each other in every bite. It's remarkably easy to do. The only complaint I had from Pierre is that the roll is too big and couldn't fit into his mouth in a single bite. (and since he has such a big mouth that is certainly a valid objection )

Notes

Make each groove about a finger-width wide (they will hold about 1-2 tablespoons of filling). Use fillings that compliment each other and are highly coloured. Use parboiled vegetables cut into strips, seafood, left over eel, smoked fish or chicken, whole cooked beans, edible flowers etc....

Always dampen your knife with a moist lint-free towel before every cut as this prevents the sushi rice from sticking to your knife.

When using raw fish or raw meat, always ask your fishmonger or butcher for advice and tell them that you are going to eat it raw. If in doubt, don't use. You can purchase flash-frozen sashimi grade fish which is guaranteed to be free of all parasites. Sashimi grade fish should have a clean cool smell, if it smells fishy it is a sign that the fish is old and cannot be used. Consumption of raw fish is not advisable for pregnant women and young children.

If you don't have the bamboo mat, cut out a thin magazine to size and wrapped in plastic wrap or a few layers of parchment paper to a square of about 25 cm (10 inches).

Cooked sushi rice can be placed in plastic bags and frozen for 3 months, microwave when needed.

Conserve the leftover nori (seaweed sheets) in a tightly sealed plastic bag and use it within a few months. It can also be stored in the freezer. Nori will deteriorate if left out of its sealed package. If you can't find nori in your area, you can substitute it with thin cooked egg omelette cut to same size as a nori sheet. (17.5 cm x 20 cm or 7 inches by 8 inches).

This is part 2 of Daring Cooks' November Challenge hosts by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen.

Today I'm going to make a lady Dragon Roll dressed in fresh slices of salmon. It is a westernised version of Uramaki called 'Dragon roll (often also referred as Caterpillar roll), rice on the outside and the nori (seaweed sheet) on the inside. The filling in the centre surrounded is by nori which is usually a thick slice of grilled eel and cucumber, then a layer of rice on the outside wrapped with thinly sliced avocado. Why is it called Dragon Roll? Simply because the green layers of the avocado resembles the scales of a dragon!

Dragon Rolls (Caterpillar Rolls)

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice
Yield: 2 inside-out (uramaki) sushi rolls

Ingredients

• 2 cups prepared sushi rice
• 1 sheet dried seaweed sheets
• ½ Japanese cucumber or normal cucumber
• Fresh salmon (sliced thinly if possible)
• 1 avocado (sliced)
• Vinegared Water (½ cup water combined with a dash of rice vinegar)
• 2 tbsp fish roe (optional)

Directions

1. Peel, remove core and cut cucumber into strips ¼" (6mm) x 7" (175mm) long, then salt, rinse & pat dry the strips.
2. Slice across against grain, thin pieces of fresh salmon and set aside.
3. Halve, pit and peel the avocado. Cut the avocado halves into thin slices.
4. Re-toast the nori sheet over a gas stove on low flame for 5 to 10 seconds.
5. Place a sheet of nori shiny side down on bamboo mat, lengthwise, on the edge the bamboo mat.
6. Moisten lightly your hands in the bowl of vinegared water.
7. Place one cup of rice on the nori and gently rake your fingertips across grains to spread rice evenly. Do not mash or squash the rice onto the nori, the rice should appear loosely packed and evenly distributed over the entire sheet, you should be able to see the nori sheet in a few places.
8. Place a plastic sheet over it. Place a bamboo mat on top of it. Turn the rice-covered nori over (so the bare nori is now on top) and place on the edge of the mat closest to you. Remove the other bamboo mat.
9. Arrange 1 cucumber strip across the length of the nori, not quite centred on it but a little closer to you. Place some avocado sticks next to it and spread some fish roe next to the avocado sticks.
10. Lift the edge of the mat closest to you with both hands, keeping your fingertips over the fillings, and roll the mat and its contents until the edge of the mat touches straight down on the nori, enclosing the fillings completely. Lift up the edge of the mat you're holding, and continue rolling the inside-out roll away from you until it's sealed. Tug at the mat to tighten the seal. If the rice doesn't quite close the roll add more rice in the gap and re-roll using the mat to completely cover the inside-out roll.
11. Arrange the salmon slices on top to cover the entire roll. Lay the plastic wrap mat over it and squeeze very gently to shape the roll.
12. Leave the plastic wrap over the roll. Slice the roll into 6-8 equal, bite-sized pieces, wiping your knife with a damp towel before each slice. Discard the plastic wrap. Repeat the above to make one more roll.
13. Arrange the cut pieces on a serving plate with the sauces so the finished dish appears as a dragon breathing fire and flames (or a caterpillar with many legs).

The Verdict

Nothing beats making your own rolls. It's both a lot of fun to prepare them (you can invite friends and family to participate) and they just taste so good!

The above is just one of the combination you can do. Feel free to replace salmon with avocado, smoked salmon, ham or whatever you fancy. Do the same with the fillings. Let your imagination and creativity do the work.

Notes

When using raw fish or raw meat, always ask your fishmonger or butcher for advice and tell them that you are going to eat it raw. If in doubt, don't use. You can purchase flash-frozen sashimi grade fish which is guaranteed to be free of all parasites. Sashimi grade fish should have a clean cool smell, if it smells fishy it is a sign that the fish is old and cannot be used. Consumption of raw fish is not advisable for pregnant women and young children.

Don't make the most common mistake of putting too much filling in your roll. Golden rule is less is more when it comes to making sushi as it is easier to roll an under-filled roll than an over-filled roll.

Always dampen your knife with a moist lint-free towel before every cut as this prevents the sushi rice from sticking to your knife.

If you don't have a bamboo mat, cut out a thin magazine to size and wrapped in plastic wrap or a few layers of parchment paper cut to a square of about 25 cm. (10 inches)

Conserve the leftover nori (seaweed sheets) in a tightly sealed plastic bag and use it within a few months. It can also be stored in the freezer. Nori will deteriorate if left out of its sealed package. If you can't find nori in your area, you can substitute it with thin cooked egg omelette cut to same size as a nori sheet. (7 inches by 8 inches or 17.5cm x 20cm)