Me likey sushi

For Christmas I received a “Sushi for Dummies” book.  I highly recommend it.  The directions for the sushi rice are as perfect as I’ve ever seen, and the authors cover the art of rolling nori and shaping hand rolls and finger sushi wonderfully.  There are some excellent recipes for the novice sushi eater (California rolls – can’t get much more basic than that!) as well as the more adventurous types (a sushi birthday cake, anyone?)  

This weekend I spoiled a few lucky friends with a fabulous array of sushi rolls.  We started with a salad of Asian pears and greens, topped with wasabi vinaigrette.  This was followed by a large platter of nori sushi rolls – California and Caterpillar inside-out rolls and Tuna Cucumber rolls with Zuke sauce – and a smaller tray of Spicy Tuna hand rolls.  This was my first experience working with raw fish (the tuna) but it was excellent and I will definitely try more in the future.  The Caterpillar rolls were made with barbequed eel – this was my second attempt at these, so it was not new, but definitely tasty!  

Making sushi is time-consuming and slightly labor-intensive, and you have to figure out where to track down all the various ingredients (if you’re like me that is and have never ventured into an Asian grocery) but it is well worth the time and effort for such a satisfying treat!