Sushi

Yes kids, I decided to finally try my hand at sushi making since buying the basic ingredients sooo long ago. Why did I wait so long, you ask? Long story short - sushi at famous restaurant = food poisoning = never wanted to be that sick ever ever again= aversion to even the mention of sushi.

But, nothing in mine is raw and of course my kitchen is contamination free so, bravely I went today!

I started with sushi rice and instantly I knew why most people don't make sushi at home. First, you rinse the rice till the water runs clear. Second, let it soak in the cooking water for 30 minutes. Third bring it to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes, all the while praying it doesn't boil over...then let it cool and add the sushi vinegar.

I do dig the rice though, such cute little roundish grains and they are very sticky!

To stuff it, I sliced long strips of cucumber and avocado, thawed out some pre-cooked flash frozen shrimp and prepared to sushi...ahem.

If I ever attempt this again, I think it would be wise to invest in the little bamboo stick roller upper thingy. It was kind of hard without it. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, and tasted good. Bonus points for no food poisoning too!

Sadly, I just don't like the taste of the seaweed wrap. It's funky to me, maybe that's why people burn their nose hairs with wasbi on sushi? I'll try that next time because I have a bunch of leftover wrappers and rice...and sushi vinegar. Maybe I'll make a bunch and take it to work to feed the folks. How sweet would that be? :)

Here's a super zoom picture. Cute, no? I served it with pickled ginger and sweet red pepper slices. Refreshing.

Like I said - pretty proud of myself today! ;)