Month: February 2007

Categories
Maki Recipes

Crazy California Roll

crazy california roll

This is a roll that I first tried and loved at the Maki Maki in Irvine, California. I liked it so much that I thought that I should try making it myself… and I was very pleased with the result! It actually tasted almost exactly like the one at the restaurant. 🙂 Yum!

As always, please be careful while you are using dangerous things such as knives and hot oil! Son was actually the one who made this and another roll that we haven’t posted yet because clumsy me stabbed herself with a knife! I was pitting the avocado and the knife slipped and went straight into my hand, so now I have a lovely little battle wound. 😛 Luckily in the week since we made this sushi the stab wound has closed up nicely, although I still can’t push on it or carry heavy things with that hand. No negative effects from the bits of avocado that probably got in my hand 🙂 (I put rubbing alcohol on it once it stopped gushing, but who knows now much good it was able to do by then!) Yes, I am clumsy… always have been and probably always will be. 😀

Makes 6 rolls, or 24 pieces.

Crazy California Roll

Ingredients
Cooking Directions
  1. Cook sushi rice.
  2. Mix imitation crab and mayonnaise, separating crab pieces and mashing into smaller pieces.
  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. If you choose to use cucumber, slice it into long, thin sticks.
  7. Using avocado sticks, cucumber(if desired), and the imitation crab mix as your fillings, roll the sushi inside-out.
  8. Cut the rolls in half and then tempura fry the inside-out rolls. It helps to spoon tempura batter over the roll while you are frying it because when you dip it at first it kind of soaks into the rice and isn’t quite enough. You will have to flip it quite a few times while you are cooking it, putting a little more batter over it each time.
  9. Cut the rolls in half diagonally.
  10. Drizzle eel sauce over it and serve with wasabi, shoyu, and ginger (if desired). Enjoy!

Categories
Other Recipes

Fried Pig + Nutty Monkey = ?

tempura bacon banana

What do you get when you cross a fried pig with a nutty monkey? I have no idea, but it tastes surprisingly good! (Yes, I know my titles are a little crazy and somewhat dorky sometimes. 😀 ) Ok, so it’s not quite sushi although it does use sumeshi… but I figured why not? 🙂 This is one of those things that actually taste a lot better than they sound. It has a nice gooey crunchy sort of texture to it, and would make a great breakfast food. Another thing you might like to try is to omit the bacon and sumeshi, and sprinkle powdered sugar on the finished peanut butter-banana wonton things. I made a few of those, and they would make an amazing dessert! Just make sure you serve them almost immediately so they are crispy when you eat them.

tempura bacon banana roll

So… what else would you like to see up here? I’m always open to your ideas, so feel free to leave a comment or contact me with your sushi requests!

I got the idea for this from “Sushi American Style” by Tracy Griffith, although I changed it slightly to better suit my purposes.

Makes 36-48 pieces.

Ingredients
  • 1 package wonton skins
  • 3 cups sumeshi
  • bacon
  • bananas
  • peanut butter
  • ingredients for making tempura
Cooking Directions
  1. Cook sushi rice.
  2. Fry the bacon as crispy as you like it.
  3. Place a dab of peanut butter in the middle of a wonton skin.
  4. Place about 1 teaspoon of sumeshi on top of the peanut butter.
  5. Place a slice of banana and a 1 inch piece of bacon on top of the sumeshi.
  6. Fold all four sides of the wonton skin in. Place a dab of peanut butter on the last flap to keep it closed.
  7. Dip in the tempura batter and tempura fry it.
  8. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Categories
Other Sushi Randomness

The Complete Book of Sushi

The Complete Book of Sushi
by Hideo Dekura, Brigid Treloar, Ryuichi Yoshii

“The Complete Book of Sushi” is perfect for not only the sushi newcomer, but also as a reference book for the sushi lover. It is extremely comprehensive, including information from sushi customs to rolling sushi, and even provides recipes for soups and sauces that are commonly eaten with sushi.

For example, if you are planning on throwing a party or having a picnic, it has tips on what sushi to make and how to prepare and store it so it will taste great for the party. It gives recommendations for serving and storing the sushi so it won’t make anyone sick or go bad from sitting out. The book also has many tips on presentation, with a wonderful section on garnishes and sauces to make your sushi look fantastic.

The book has a superb section about sharpening Japanese knives, which is great for anyone who is a hardcore sushi fan (like me!). There is a comprehensive section about the tools that are often used for sushi preparation, such as the fish scaler, rolling mat, hangiri and square omelet pan. There is also a nice list of less known sushi ingredients such as bonito flakes, daikon radish, kampyo, and miso, with explanations of what these ingredients are and how to prepare and store them for use in sushi.

There is a great section about selecting and preparing fish and other seafood for both sushi and sashimi. The book includes a recipe for sumeshi that is very similar to the recipe that I have included on SushiDay. There are recipes for futomaki-zushi (thick rolls), hosomaki-zushi (thin rolls), tempura, uramaki-zushi (inside-out rolls), nigiri-zushi, temaki-zushi (hand rolls), inari-zushi, gunkan maki-zushi (battleship sushi), chirashi-zushi (sushi in a bowl), soups, sashimi, and other decorative and creative sushi. In addition, there are several recipes for sauces and condiments that are often eaten with sushi.

Overall, I recommend this book for just about everyone! People who are new for sushi will love the easy-to-understand explanations, while those who have been in a long-term relationship with sushi will appreciate the in depth explanations about sharpening sushi knives and selecting fish, in addition to the more creative and innovative sushi recipes.


Categories
Maki Recipes

Bacon Cheese-Sushi

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For a long time, the Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carl’s Jr. was my favorite burger ever. I usually would eat it after long, difficult rehearsals or performances, to get my energy back. (I know, I’m soooo bad to my body! But I’m better now, I promise! 🙂 ) So I figured, why not make a sushi similar to my favorite burger! Obviously there are several differences (onions instead of onion rings, steak instead of hamburger meat) but this creation does taste surprisingly good!

Makes 6 rolls, or 36-48 pieces.

Ingredients
  • 6 sheets nori
  • 3 cups sumeshi
  • 1 1.5 pound flank steak
  • 1 clove garlic, halved
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 medium potato
  • olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 6 “single” slices of American or cheddar cheese
  • 12 strips of bacon
  • BBQ sauce
Cooking Directions
  1. Cook sumeshi.
  2. Trim any excess fat from the flank steak.
  3. Pat the surface of the flank steak dry with a paper towel, then rub with the cut side of the clove of garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  4. Melt the butter in a skillet that is big enough to hold the flank steak. Put the flank steak in the skillet, and cook over medium-high heat until it is browned on the outside but still pink in the center.
  5. Remove the flank steak from the skillet and cover loosely with foil.
  6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  7. Wash and peel the potato, and slice into 1/4″ x 1/4″ strips.
  8. Place the strips on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil.
  9. Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder.
  10. Bake for 25 minutes, rearranging the french fries halfway through so they don’t burn.
  11. Or if you prefer, you can always buy some fries from your favorite fast food restaurant. Works just as well. 🙂
  12. Fry you bacon as crispy as you like it.
  13. Slice the onion into rings, cut these in half.
  14. Slice the cheese into thin slices, about 1.5 inches wide.
  15. Roll the sushi, using a couple of strips of flank steak, onion, french fries, bacon, and cheese as your fillings.
  16. Serve with BBQ sauce. Enjoy!

Coming Soon!

More Pictures

Bacon Cheese-sushiBacon Cheese-sushiBacon Cheese-sushiBacon Cheese-sushi

Categories
Maki Recipes

Tuna Salad Sushi

Tuna Salad Sushi

As simple as it might sound, this roll is actually my favorite roll out of all the rolls I have made thus far!

(It beat out the Crunchy Shrimp Roll, which is my most requested roll by those for whom I make sushi!)

The tart tuna salad goes absolutely wonderfully with the juicy crunch of the lettuce and the sweet/salty taste of the sumeshi. Believe me, it is heavenly! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. 🙂 I must have eaten 3 or 4 rolls of this… 😀

UPDATE: Check out the Spicy Tuna Salad Roll! We used Tanit’s suggestion, and it’s yummy!

Makes 6 rolls, or 36-48 slices.

Ingredients
  • 6 sheets nori
  • 3 cups sumeshi
  • 12 leaves lettuce
  • 3 cans tuna
  • mayonnaise and mustard
  • anything else you like putting in your tuna salad
Cooking Directions
  1. Cook sushi rice.
  2. Open the tuna cans carefully, and drain.
  3. Mix the tuna with mayonnaise, mustard, and anything else you like putting in your tuna salad, to taste.
  4. Wash the lettuce.
  5. Roll the sushi. For your fillings, place a couple of lettuce leaves on the sumeshi-covered nori and place about half a can of tuna salad- then roll the sushi as you normally would.
  6. Serve and enjoy!

Categories
Maki Recipes

Super Bowl Rock N’ Roll

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This roll is a wonderful snack roll, perfect for game day! Another of our wonderful readers, Ralph Whitbeck, came up with the idea for this roll (Thanks, Ralph! 😀 )

We had both spicy and BBQ Buffalo wings when we made this roll. We got them from Domino’s Pizza, but you can get your favorite wings or even make your own! (There’s a good recipe on Yahoo! Food if you want to try them!) I was planning on making them, but it turns out that someone is already bringing wings to the Super Bowl party that Son and I are going to tomorrow, so instead I made another batch of brownies for the party and bought wings for the sushi instead.

We thought the BBQ Buffalo wings tasted the best, although if you like the spicy-sour taste then you might prefer the spicy wings. We also tried both ranch and blue cheese dressing in the sushi, and found that we didn’t really prefer one over the other. Also, we sprinkled a little seasoned salt on the sushi and liked the extra kick it gave.

Also, you might want to try making some Inari Zushi (a.k.a. footballs! 🙂 ) They taste really good with the Buffalo wings… a nice mix of sweet and savory flavor.

NOTE: For anyone outside the United States who isn’t familiar with the Super Bowl, it is one of the biggest eating days that we have! This is the day where the two top football teams (American football, not soccer or futbol!) play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. This year is Super Bowl XLI – the 41st annual game! For more information about the Super Bowl, you can go to this article on Wikipedia.

Makes 6 rolls, or 36-48 slices.

Ingredients
  • 6 sheets nori
  • 3 cups sumeshi
  • 12 buffalo chicken wings
  • 6 celery ribs
  • blue cheese or ranch dressing, whichever you prefer
Cooking Directions
  1. Cook sushi rice.
  2. Remove the chicken from the bones. Discard the chicken bones.
  3. Roll the sushi. For your fillings, use the chicken, celery and your preferred dressing.
  4. Serve with beer and a football game. Enjoy!

Serving Size: 1 roll

  • Calories:424
  • Fat: 21g, 34% DV
  • Saturated Fat: 5g, 25% DV
  • Cholesterol: 53mg, 18% DV
  • Sodium: 1500mg 62% DV
  • Total Carbohydrates: 34g, 11% DV
  • Dietary Fiber: 1g, 5% DV
  • Sugars: 21g
  • Protein: 20g, 39% DV
  • Vitamin A: 13%
  • Vitamin C: 7%
  • Calcium: 4%
  • Iron: 8%
  • Magnesium: 0%
  • Potassium: 1%

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. These values are only estimates based on the individual ingredients, and not meant to replace the advice of a medical professional.

More Pictures

Super Bowl Rock N RollSuper Bowl Rock N RollSuper Bowl Rock N RollSuper Bowl Rock N RollSuper Bowl Rock N' Roll

Categories
Maki Recipes

Monkey Maki

Monkey maki

Monkey Maki!!! I love the name – I was cracking up! Yes, I’m a dork. 😀 This fabulous recipe was thought up by my wonderful reader, Yvo, and I must say it turned out pretty darn well! (Thanks so much, Yvo! 😀 )The banana tempura smelled just like banana bread when I made it (yum!) so with the wasabi mayonnaise it was a nice mix of sweet, salty and spicy. Make sure you get under-ripe bananas, since the banana will get softer when you tempura fry it and then it falls apart when you are tying to get it out of your frying pan. Ours broke in half. 😛 But it’s ok, it still tastes (and looks) just fine!

Already… it’s midterms! I can’t believe the quarter is going by so fast! So it might take me a little longer to reply to comments and get posts up next week but don’t worry, I’ll be back!

Monkey maki

Monkey Maki

Makes 6 rolls, or 36-48 slices.

Ingredients
  • 6 sheets nori
  • 3 cups sumeshi
  • 6 large bananas (try to find some that are not quite ripe… if they are too ripe then they will completely fall apart when you are trying to tempura them)
  • tempura batter
  • mayonnaise
  • wasabi
Cooking Directions
  1. Cook sushi rice.
  2. Tempura the bananas. (Peel the bananas first!)
  3. Place the tempura bananas on some paper towels to soak up the remaining grease.
  4. Roll the sushi. Use the tempura banana as your filling.
  5. Serve with mayonnaise mixed with wasabi (use however much you want to make it as spicy as you would like it!) Enjoy!