We enjoyed a wonderful week with our Alberta girl!  Not a lot is going on around here yet, so we mostly just chatted as we hung out, played games, watched movies and did a little sight-seeing.  We each had a ‘date’ with her.  We did have a few nice days to walk the beach, too.  I loved it…I’ve missed her so. (It’s been a whole year–two years for the kids!)

I savoured every moment.  Lovely memories!

Now for the sushi.  We like sushi…like, really like sushi.  We last had it on Christmas Eve while we were in Ontario.  Sadly, we do not have access to sushi nearby; therefore, it was practically  decided for us that we must learn to make maki sushi, at the very least, here at home.

On our last trip to the city, I popped into a little Asian market and got the makin’s for some California rolls:  nori sheets, sushi rice, and wasabi.  When we went to make it, we picked up the rest of our ingredients.

Because I’ve never made sushi at home, and I was feeling rather insecure about my sushi rolling abilities, I determined to get the ‘sushi bazooka’ from Amazon, as well as a bamboo rolling mat.

 

What better time to try it out than with our Alberta girl.

Begin with the rice.  It does take a little forethought, as you must rinse your rice, and let drain before cooking.  Don’t forget to have your rice vinegar handy.  It’s an important addition.  Food Wishes has a very informative video on preparing the rice:

I used the bowl method this time.  If you’re new to Food Wishes, it is totally worth browsing!

While that was cooking, I prepared my fillings:  cucumber, avocado and ‘crab’ (we missed the opening of crab season here by a few days, so had to make do with the fake stuff).  I sliced my cuke lengthwise into spears, cutting away the inside seedy area.  The avocado just got sliced, though next time I will cut it down into smaller sticks.  The ‘crab’ gets lightly broken into pieces–almost shredded.

Filling the bazooka comes next.  The rice is pressed into both sides of the unit (it’s handy to have a bowl of water close by–to moisten your hands–as the rice is really sticky), then a depression is made down the centre with the plunger. Fill each trough with the cucumber, avocado and crab.

Close her up and presto-change-o plunge the formed rice tube onto a sheet of nori.

Roll up your sushi then slice.  I cut it into eight pieces and they were a very good size.  It was easier to slice the rolls that had rested a bit.  I also kept a wet paper towel to wipe the knife before each cut to keep the rice from sticking.

They were certainly not as perfectly formed, nor as artistic as a Japanese restaurant California roll, but they tasted fabulous.  We ate them with wasabi and soy sauce, but no pickled ginger.  I can’t wait to try some other combinations and a few of the special sauces, as well.

Check out my Pinterest board for lots of Asian inspired foods: