Smoked Salmon Sushi Roll

A very basic and easy way to make sushi rolls.

• Serves : 6
• Yield: 6 rolls
• Ready in: 40 mins (30 mins Prep - 10 mins Cook)
  

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups Japanese sushi rice
• 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 6 sheets nori (dry seaweed)
• 2 tablespoons wasabi paste
• 1 avocado, peeled, stone removed and sliced
• 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 250g smoked salmon, cut into long strips

Preparation method

1. Soak rice for 4 hours. Drain rice and cook in a rice cooker with 2 cups of water until cooked and water absorbed. Remove from heat and immediately stir rice vinegar through the hot rice. Spread rice on a plate until completely cool.
   
2.  Place 1 sheet of seaweed on bamboo mat and spread a thin layer of cool rice on top, leaving about 1 cm of the seaweed uncovered at the top and bottom edge. This will make sealing easier later.
3. Dot a little wasabi across the rice and arrange cucumber, avocado and smoked salmon in a line on top, about 2.5cm from the bottom edge of the seaweed.
4. Roll tightly from bottom to the top edge, with the help of the bamboo mat, dampening the top edge of the seaweed and pressing to seal. Repeat for remaining ingredients.
5. Cut each roll into 8 equal pieces and serve.

Hayashi raisu (Hayashi rice)

Ingredients

• 450g / 1 lb thinly sliced beef
• 4 medium onions, thinly sliced
• About 10-12 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
• Butter or oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 cup (240ml) red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce or Bulldog chuunou sauce
• 1 Tbs. soy sauce
• Parsley or green peas for garnish

The sauce ingredients:

• 1/2 cup demi-glace or 4 cups strong beef stock
• 1 16-oz or 440g can of canned tomatoes
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 3 Tbs. flour
• Water

OR

• 6 blocks (or more if you like it thick) from a hayashi rice roux packet
• Water

Equipment: a large frying pan or sauté pan, a heavy bottomed pot for stewing or a crockpot

Cut the meat up into bite-sized pieces. Heat up a frying pan with butter, oil or combination of both, and sauté the beef until browned. Take out the meat and set aside.

In the same pan, add a bit more butter (no this is not diet food) and add the onions. Sauté over medium-low heat until limp and slightly brown. Add the garlic, mushrooms and carrot. Sauté until the mushrooms are turning limp.

Put all the vegetables in a heavy-bottomed stew pot (a crockpot will do nicely too).

Add the wine. If you’re using the hayashi rice roux blocks, add about 4 cups of water (don’t add the roux at this point yet). If you’re using the other sauce ingredients, add either the demi-glace plus 3 cups of water, the canned tomato and tomato paste, or 4 cups of strong beef stock and the canned tomato and tomato paste. Add the bay leaves and thyme.

Let it all simmer until the liquid has reduced to about half. Add the beef to the pot and contine simmering - the beef should be very tender.

If you’re making your own sauce, make a roux by melting 2 Tbs. of butter in the frying pan and adding the flour. Stir until the flour is grainy and a little bit browned. Add to the stew and stir. Add the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.

If using the roux blocks, add them now and stir well to melt.

Add a little water or stock to thin out if it looks too thick. Simmer a few minutes.

Taste and add salt or pepper as needed. Take out the bay leaves.

Serve over rice that’s been mixed with a little salted butter. Garnish with chopped parsley or a few green peas.

This makes 6 to 8 servings.

Easy Egg Drop Soup

This is great on a dreary day, or when your feeling a little under the weather.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (49.5 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 bunch chopped green onions
• 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cold water

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat chicken broth and green onions in a large pot over medium-high heat. Mix sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/3 cup of cold water in a bowl until smooth. Reduce heat and stir soy sauce mixture in to the broth. Boil soup on high for 1 minute, then reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Beat 3 eggs with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Using a fork, stir egg mixture in to soup and cook until eggs are opaque, about 2 minutes.

Japanese Onion Soup

The basic Japanese soup that's given out as an appetizer at most Japanese restaurants. Very mild, a bit salty, and a touch of tang. It's a very improvisable recipe; most of the ingredients' quantities can be changed according to taste. Use your favorite mushrooms in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 carrot, chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock
• 3 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
• 1 cup chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan or stockpot, combine the celery, onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, and a few of the mushrooms. Add chicken stock, beef bouillon, and water. Place the pot over high heat, and bring to a rolling boil. When the mixture reaches boiling, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 45 minutes.
2. Place all of the remaining mushrooms into a separate pot. When the boiling mixture is done, place a strainer over the pot with the mushrooms in it. Strain the cooked soup into the pot with the mushrooms. Discard strained materials.
3. Serve the broth with mushrooms in small porcelain bowls, and sprinkle fresh chives over the top. Use Asian soup spoons for an elegant effect.