(for Judith)I love seaweed. I love rice.
I love wraps because they can be filled with anything you desire. ANYTHING!
what you need>
-short grain japanese white rice. (or any other grain)
-nori wraps (sheets of seaweed)
-the fillings! could be anything really...use your imagination here.
in the picture above I fried up some yam and tofu in ginger and garlic. (cut into long strips)
There's some broccoli lightly fried. sprouted lentils...why not?
usually I use avocado. sliced thinly carrots. sliced thinly celery, cucumber, red peppers ...etc.
something I also like to sprinkle in is toasted sesame seeds.
why not try roasted squash?...roasted eggplant?....mango?...cream cheese?...potato chips? ...asparagus? ...marzipan?...and of course you can always buy fish or any other wild organic meat....whatever you little heart desires.
garnish>
usually I have braggs liquid aminos or some kind of soya sauce to dip the rolls in.
wasabi is nice spice.
pickled ginger is sometimes good too.
again, you can use whatever you like for garnish. all or some or none.
one of my favorite places to get sushi supplies in Vancouver is http://sakanayaseafood.com/ because they have good variety of stuff and are friendly and have wild fresh seafood.
(there's also a good bookstore beside and a thrift store and library right across the street yup).
but you can buy nori wraps and whatever you need just about anywhere.
making the sticky rice>
if you want to make it sweet tasting,
traditionally you make up a vinegar/ sugar mixture and add it in.
here's a simple step by step> http://japanesefood.about.com/od/sushiforbeginner/r/sushirice.htm
I have used brown rice for making wraps, and it works fine and is more nutritious. I think other grains would work too. millet? quinoa? it helps to add extra water when using other grains so they get sticky. I have never tried adding the vinegar mixture to other grains though. I picture it tasting too weird.
rolling it all together>
wait for the rice to cool down a bit.
have all your ingredients prepared and then start the fun part. assemblage!
get a plate and lay out a nori wrap.
(if you have a bamboo rolling mat, use it instead of the plate. although, you don't need a mat.
I usually just roll it all up with my hands using the nori as the outside layer.)
spoon a layer of rice evenly onto half of the nori.
lay choice bits of your ingredients ontop of the rice. mix and match.
roll it up tightly with two hands.
have a cup of water and dab some water along the end length of the nori so it sticks to itself.
et voila! you have a customized nori roll!
cut it up into individual pieces or eat it the whole roll!
it's good to make extra so you have leftovers for lunch and dinner and breakfast and to share.
lemme know what works for you.
good luck developing you own wrappin' style yo!
luv jess
