Vegetarian Hosomaki (Slender Sushi Rolls)

Sushi is one of my favorite foods, second only to Jeni's Ice Cream, so I was super excited to learn how to make my own sushi. My attempts in sushi making thus far has only entailed cucumber rolls and sweet potato rolls, and I must say, I'm not sure I'll ever graduate to the fish variety because sushi-grade fish is so outrageously expensive (at least at the two Japanese markets near me) that I might as well go to a sushi restaurant and pay a professional chef to make it for me! So for now, I'm sticking to vegetarian rolls, especially since it's something that my raw fish-phobic friends are willing eat! However, you can certainly use the recipe below to make hosomaki with fish as the filling; just make sure it is sushi-grade fish, or your tummy will be sorry!

The directions below is a combination of techniques I learned from the book that came with my sushi kit, various web sources (such as this one), and observations of my own.

VEGETARIAN HOSOMAKI (SLENDER SUSHI ROLLS)

Specialized equipment you'll need:

• Bamboo rolling mat, wrapped in saran wrap (but check this out)
• A sharp knife

Ingredients:

For hosomaki:

• Desired filling (e.g., cucumber, sweet potato, avocado, asparagus, carrot, etc.)
• 4-5 sheets of seaweed
• wasabi
  

For hosomaki preparation:

• Rice vinegar and water mixture (to seal the rolls and to moisten hands and knife so rice doesn't stick)

Condiments (should be available at your local supermarket):

• Japanese soy sauce
• wasabi (optional)
• pickled ginger (optional; used to cleanse palate)

Directions for rolls:

1. Prepare sushi rice according to recipe here.
2. Cook filling if necessary. Cut the filling into long strips.
3. Wrap bamboo mat with saran wrap (this prevents the rice from sticking to the mat which makes it hard to clean). Place mat on a dry chopping board. The bamboo sticks should be aligned horizontally (so you can roll the sushi forward).
4. Divide rice into 8 to 9 equal parts.
5. Divide a sheet of seaweed in half.
6. Place the halved sheet of seaweed horizontally on the bamboo mat, with the shiny-side faced down.
7. Dip hands in vinegared water mixture. Spread one part of rice on seaweed evenly and gently. At the far end of the seaweed, leave about a 1-inch space free of rice.
8. If desired, run a little wasabi along the rice at the end closest to you. Place desired filling on top of the wasabi.
9. Wet the strip of seaweed not covered in rice with vinegared water mixture.
10. Lift the front of the bamboo mat closest to you and roll the sushi. Tighten the roll by pressing firmly. The roll will stick to itself once you're done rolling.
11. Let the roll rest for a minute or so.
12. Run vinegared water along the cutting edge of a sharp knife. Cut the roll evenly into six pieces. (It's easier to first cut the roll in half and then each half into three even pieces.)
13. Repeat until you're done with all the ingredients.

Yields: 8-9 rolls (48-54 pieces)

Tips:

• It takes time to figure out how to make presentable sushi, but practice makes perfect!
• If the roll is too full, it won't stick to itself, so try using less rice. It may take a little experimenting before you figure out the most appropriate amount of rice to use. I've found the recommended amount above works for me.
  
• The vinegared water is the secret to not having rice all over your hands. It is also very important to dab it on your knife before cutting each roll; otherwise, it won't cut well.
• Sushi rice only lasts one day, so sushi should not be made ahead.
• Not all soy sauce is the same. Make sure you eat sushi with Japanese soy sauce, not Chinese soy sauce!
  
• Not all chopsticks are the same. Compared to Chinese chopsticks, Japanese chopsticks are shorter and have tapered ends (as opposed to the blunt ends on Chinese chopsticks) that make them easier to pick up delicate foods such as pickled ginger.

Rolling the hosomaki with a bamboo rolling mat.

Links:

• http://claralovesfood.blogspot.com/2009/03/sushi-rice.html (sushi rice recipe)
• http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_Make_Sushi
• http://sushicup.com/making-of-maki-sushi-8/2007/07/11/
• Sushi kit