Month: July 2008

Who is Emily? In kindergarten, I had a friend named Emily who had the most beautiful long hair. She was astonished that I walked to and from school every day instead of driving. After kindergarten, she moved away. This is not that Emily.

In elementary school, my mother used to baby sit my classmate Cathy’s family before and after school. She had a very young sister named Emily, who was just a baby at the time. It’s amazing to look at pictures now and see how much she’s grown up since then – sometimes people just don’t age in my mind if I don’t see them often. This is not that Emily.

In middle school, there was a girl named Emily who was in G.A.T.E. with me. She was a year older than me, and was always so nice. She started dating a guy who I used to have a little crush on who was also a year older than me. Ten years later, they are still an adorable couple. This is not that Emily.

When I went to Camp Summersault, a camp for young cancer patients and their siblings, my first counselor was Emily. I adored her. She was so much fun to be around, and she even came to see me perform in the Nutcracker and other ballets several times. This is not that Emily.

In fact, this roll is not named for any Emily I know. Rather, it is my take on a roll of the same name that is from the menu of Tex Wasabi’s, a Californian BBQ and sushi restaurant co-owned by Food Network star Guy Fieri.

Not only is the roll beautiful in presentation (it’s so colorful!), it is also delicious. It starts out rich and salty from the smoked salmon on the outside, and the tobiko that the sushi was rolled in pop in your mouth. Once you get to the center, it is smooth, creamy, and a little crunchy from the tempura. In other words, delicious, delicious, and more delicious.

Ingredients

• 6 sheets nori
• 3 cups sumeshi
• 12 pieces tempura shrimp
• 1/2 small avocado
• 1 cup imitation crab, shredded
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup tobiko
• 6 oz smoked salmon

Cooking Directions

1. Cook sushi rice.
2. Bake tempura shrimp as directed on the package. I used this tempura shrimp, but I’m sure other types, or even homemade tempura shrimp will work just fine. You can also fry the tempura shrimp if you choose, but baking it is healthier, and you can prepare other things (such as the sumeshi) while it’s baking.
3. Cut the avocado in half, discarding the pit.
4. Cut off the hard skin and discard.
5. Slice the avocado into thin sticks.
6. Mix the mayonnaise and imitation crab.
7. When you lay the sumeshi on the nori, press tobiko into the rice before flipping it over.
8. Roll the sushi inside-out, using two pieces of tempura shrimp, a few sticks of avocado, and some imitation crab mix as your fillings.
9. Cover the roll with smoked salmon, and use the rolling mat to press it onto the roll.

I can’t start my day without breakfast. I get cranky, and lightheaded, and, well, it’s not a pretty picture. For me, breakfast is undoubtedly the most important meal of the day (unlike some other people, who refuse to eat breakfast!) So, since certain people refuse to believe my diet consists of anything other than sushi, it makes sense for me to come up with a breakfast sushi.

Because… um… this is what I eat for breakfast every morning. Riiiiight. (Heck, if I had the time and energy in the morning to make this, I would eat this for breakfast every morning!)

Bacon, tamago, and green onion. All perfect in sushi. But it needed something else, something to make it truly a breakfast roll. Shoyu just didn’t do it for me, and maple syrup… way too sweet. Maybe, just maybe… yep, I know what you’re thinking, and yes. I did. A mixture of shoyu and maple syrup did this roll justice, and finished it off perfectly.

If you ever wanted sushi for breakfast? This is your roll.

Breakfast Roll

Ingredients

• 6 sheets nori
• 3 cups sumeshi
• 12 strips bacon
• 2 batches tamago
• 6 stalks green onion
• 1 tbsp shoyu
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Cooking Directions

1. Cook sushi rice.
2. Fry the bacon to the crispiness you prefer.
3. Make the tamago.
4. Wash the green onion, cut the long green stalks off of the white bulb-like things. Discard the white bulbs.
5. Mix the shoyu and maple syrup well.
6. Roll the sushi, using two strips of bacon, some tamago, and a stalk of green onion as your fillings.
7. Drizzle with the shoyu/syrup mix.

Son and I love Korean food. He is sure to get the hot tofu soup (extra spicy!), and I never fail to get the bulgogi (BBQ beef). When the waiter comes out with a burning hot plate, the beef is smoking and onions are still sizzling. You can see the sugars in the onions caramelizing, and smell the smoky-sweetness of the beef. The silky sweet onions are the perfect contrast to the flavorful, chewy beef.

Since I love bulgogi so much, the natural choice (for me at least) would be to put it in a sushi roll. The rice cuts through the richness of the bulgogi and the onions, and balances it wonderfully. Sure, it takes a bit of time to make, but even without rolling it in sushi, the bulgogi is well worth the time spent.

This bulgogi recipe is from My Korean Kitchen.

Bulgogi Roll

Ingredients

• 6 sheets nori
• 3 cups sumeshi
• 6 tbsp shoyu
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1/2 onion, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red apple, grated
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 lbs sirloin, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 carrot, julienned
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Cooking Directions

1. Mix the shoyu, brown sugar, mirin, grated onion, garlic, apple, ginger, and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix in the sliced meat, then the sesame oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
2. Cook sushi rice.
3. Preheat a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add the cooking oil.
4. Add the meat and vegetables. Cook, stirring occassionally, for 3 to 5 mins or until the meat starts to brown.
5. When the meat is nearly cooked, mix in the sesame seeds.
6. Roll the sushi, using several pieces of bulgogi and onion as your fillings.

Imagine walking along the beach on a bright summer day. The cool salt water rushes in to swirl around your ankles, then races away playfully. A slight breeze brings a whiff of salty ocean air. You hear seagulls squawking all around you. The taste of the briny ocean air is on your lips as you watch the sun set over the immense ocean.

After a perfect day at the beach, you need a perfect meal, so why not a summery sushi? To me, summer means one thing – lots of grilling. Perhaps some sweet, salty, teriyaki marinated shrimp on the barbecue? Maybe grill (or even better, saute) an onion, until the bitterness is gone and all that’s left is a soft sweetness? And maybe, just maybe, roll them both in a sushi roll. The result? Absolute heaven. Wonderfully delicious. Completely worth all the effort needed to make it.

Ingredients

• 6 sheets nori
• 3 cups sumeshi
• 30 large raw shrimp
• 1/2 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 small onion
• 1/2 tbsp butter

Cooking Directions

1. Cook sushi rice.
2. Peel and de-vein shrimp.
3. Wash shrimp, pat dry.
4. Mix shoyu, water, sugar, garlic, and ginger to make a teriyaki marinade.
5. Marinate shrimp in the teriyaki marinade for one hour.
6. Soak ten wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
7. Thread shrimp onto skewers, three to a skewer.
8. Grill shrimp until they are no longer translucent.
9. Slice the onion into 2 cm slices.
10. Saute onions in butter until translucent and browned.
11. Roll the sushi, using five shrimp and some grilled onions as your fillings.