Foodie Friday: A SUSHI tutorial

I love sushi -- not the kind with the raw fish -- just the kind with rice, nori and veggies. Making it is not exactly simple, and it is not at all foolproof. In fact, at the end of this sushi tutorial that I have lovingly prepared for you, dear Curvy Girl readers, I am not sharing the final product. The rice, which I had prepared in advance cuz it's a busy week, was no longer sticky. So the result was a bit of a train wreck. A delicious and super ugly train wreck.

I also love swimming pools and I bet you aren't seeing the connection. Allow me to elaborate.

I have three very loud and very demanding daughters. I, myself, am a bit loud and demanding. When we are around, let's just say people are aware we're there.

We want to be invited to your pool this summer. Whether you are a longtime friend, an occasional acquaintance or a complete stranger, the answer is a resounding YES when you ask.

So I want to sweeten the deal to make you ask. I am going to come bearing homemade sushi. So here's the promise:  if you invite us, we will say yes and we will show up with goggles, towels and sushi.

Ok?

Without further ado....

SUSHI TUTORIAL

I am a bit of a spaz in the kitchen so being prepared is not my thing. However, with sushi, it helps to be a wee bit organized and get everything ready before you are, well, ready to roll. You'll need:

* Nori (seaweed wraps) broken in two lengthwise
* Sushi rice, prepared and mixed with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1/2 teaspoon sushi vinegar
* Filling (I use carrots, cukes and avocado)
* A bowl of cold water
* A sharp knife (which of course I don't have)
* A sushi mat (I use the table runner my friend gave me from pier 1 cuz I left my sushi mat on my last vacation and I am too cheap to buy another one)
* Lots of Patience

Lay a piece of saran wrap on top of your table runner...I mean, sushi mat. Press the rice (it helps to dip your hands in the cold water so the rice doesn't stick to them) thinly onto the saran wrap in a rectangle.

Fill 'er up. Try to distruibute stuff evenly so the roll isn't all bulgy and weird.

Now, here's the thing. This is MY method. I have no doubt that this is probably all messed up and the real way to roll sushi is like rolling a .... er, cigarette.... but this is how I do it. I bring the long edges of the saran wrap up above the roll and squeeze it together until the rice gets a chance to stick together. Then I set it down and...

roll the mat over the whole shebang, squeezing and pressing everything until I imagine its eyes popping out the ends.

 So like I said, the end result of this particular sushi roll was a freaking disaster. It definitely was not photo-worthy, but that's sort of irrelevent. It all tastes the same going down :-) THank you google images for showing the people what sushi is supposed to look like. Now get in my belly!