Making Sushi, My Way!

Simple, Elegant and Very Comforting - Sushi is a canvas for creativity!

Sushi is definitely one of my top 10 favourite things to eat. Till now, I was widely fascinated by it's presentation, flavours and simplicity. I mean, it's all Rice, Nori and Veggies and one could really play so much by ingredients / colours and flavours. There's so much fuss about Sushi rice (cook it this way, do this, do that!) and Rolling it that I honestly kept myself away from making it for a long long time. Something inside me told me to break out of my comfort zone and try it - and turns out, this is probably one of the easiest, non-fussy foods you can make!!

Seriously, if you can make Tea - you can make Sushi! I got it right the first time - no practice, no fuss! I highly recommend everyone (who loves Sushi) to go ahead and make it - it's fun, super-cheap to do it at your home and you can always customise it just the way YOU want! Do check my 1st rolling attempt in video below!

Ingredients:

• Nori (or Yaki Nori - which is roasted seaweed sheet)
• Sushi Rice (or any short-grain rice)
• Assorted Vegetables cut into strips - Cucumbers, Carrots, Peppers, Avocado, Chilly (I used fiery hot red ones!)
• Cream Cheese - optional, but highly recommended
• Toasted Sesame Seeds
• Accompaniments: Wasabi Paste, Pickled Ginger (Fresh Ginger + Lime juice marinated for 30 mins), Dark Soy Sauce.

Recipe:

• Cooking Sushi rice is very easy. All you need to do is cook rice normally, and then once cooked add seasoned rice vinegar (3-4 table spoons of vinegar + 1tsp sugar + 1/2tsp salt) and mix gently into the rice, while folding it. Allow the rice to cool down by spreading it on a flat surface and then keep in a bowl with wet towel on it to ensure rice is not dry.
• Assembling Sushi is very simple - simply lay down the Nori (shiny side down and rough side facing you) on a Sushi rolling mat, and spread rice on Nori (about 1/2 cup of rice is enough). Ensure an even spread of rice which is not too much. Sprinkle Sesame Seeds and then layer your favourite vegetables on it. Try to be very colourful and innovative here. I even added some cream cheese to it to make it decadent. The Indian in me couldn't help but add beautiful strips of Benares-red-chilly! In the end, all the flavours really came together very well and tasted incredible!
• Roll the Sushi and then gently cut it using a sharp knife, while cleaning knife after every cut to ensure smooth and even cuts.
• Serve with Soy, Pickled Ginger and Wasabi - itadakimasu!

Ps: This is a jain recipe! You're welcome!