Monday, July 22, 2013

Philadelphia Roll

Sushi is something that I can never get enough of.  I could eat it every day and not get sick of it!  When the boy and I go out for date night, we always end up going out for sushi….no questions about it.  This gets kind of expensive in the long run, so it’s nice to be able to make it at home and satisfy any cravings we might have.

I used to be fairly intimidated by making sushi at home, but it’s actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it.  Make sure when you rolls they’re nice & tight otherwise it will fall apart easy. This roll has simple ingredients-but is definitely one of my favorites to make at home!  

Philly Roll

Makes 4 rolls

INGREDIENTS

For the sushi rice:

2 cups sushi rice (Arborio)

2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice beforehand

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the sushi roll:

 1 ½ cup smoked salmon, broken into pieces (or thinly sliced cold smoked salmon!)

Green onions cut into 4” length

½ yellow pepper, thinly sliced

2 ounces cream cheese, sliced into thin strips

4 pieces nori

DIRECTIONS

For the sushi rice:

Place the rice in a large mixing bowl & cover with cool water. Swirl, pour off & repeat until water is clear-approximately 3 or 4 times.

Place the rice & 2 cups water into a medium saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low & cover for 15 minutes. Remove from heat & let stand covered for 10 minutes.

In a small sized saucepan, stir together the rice vinegar, sugar & salt over medium-high heat until dissolved. Transfer the rice into a large mixing bowl (preferably wooden or glass-no metal) & add the vinegar mixture. Fold in thoroughly to  coat. Allow to cool to room temperature.

For the sushi:

On a bamboo mat, lay the nori (shiny side down). Wet your fingertips & lay down a thin layer of rice in the centre.  It will be sticky but keep wetting your hands and gently spread it outwards with your fingertips to make a thin layer (avoid overworking the rice-it will get mushy!)

Place green onions, yellow pepper, salmon, cream cheese evenly across the edge of rice closest towards you from one end to another.

Firmly roll the edge up & over the filling. Continue to roll until you reach the end. Squeeze slightly to secure.

Cut with a sharp knife and divide into 8 pieces.  Repeat with remaining rolls.

Source: Sushi Rice from Alton Brown via The Food Network.