Sushi

Back in May, my good friend came over and showed me how to roll sushi.  This is the same friend who showed me how to make lumpia, pancit, yakisoba, and Japanese croquettes.  She just moved on Friday, and I'll miss her.  I'm glad I have these recipes to remember her by, though. 

This isn't really a recipe; more of a method.  I still need a lot of practice; I was flinging sticky rice everywhere.  Also, my friend brought over a rice cooker, which made everything easier.  I don't own one.  First, we made the rice and prepared the fillings.  We prepared a lot of fillings!  If I was doing it alone, I would have just stuck with one or two.  But we made: fried pork cutlets, fried shrimp, cut cucumber, cut avocado, thin egg omelets, cut lettuce, raw tuna in a sauce, and a ginger-beef mixture (she had already made that at home).  We also mixed together mayo and Sriracha sauce to include inside the sushi rolls and to dip into.  

I picked about two fillings for each roll.  I loved the friend shrimp and pork cutlet.  To fry these, dip in flour, egg and panko, and fry in oil (I think! lol).  Then just set aside until needed.  To roll sushi, I'll include some photos of my friend rolling, because that's easier than explaining.  But I will try a little.... start with a bamboo sushi mat, covered with plastic wrap, covered with a sheet of nori.  With wet hands, gently pat down a thin layer of sticky rice on top; add your toppings in a single line, and roll, pressing roll gently so it sticks together. Here come the photos!

Sushi

Sushi Rice (can multiply; we did x5 to make a ton of rolls)

1 cup of rice

20 grams sugar

20 grams rice vinegar

salt, to taste (or add none)

Other ingredients:

Nori sheets

Toppings:

raw tuna + mayo mixed together with green onion

Panko-fried shrimp

Panko- fried pork loin

shredded, seeded and chopped cucumbers

sliced avocado

lettuce

thin egg omelet (like a crepe)

any leftovers you want to throw in

(mix and match from above or do you own thing)

Soy Sauce

Mayo + Sriracha sauce

1.  To make sushi rice, cook rice in a rice cooker or on the stove.  In a small pot on the stove, add the rice vinegar and sugar together and heat gently until sugar is dissolved.  Pour over cooked rice.  Let cool a little before making sushi.  

2.  To roll sushi, start with a bamboo sushi mat, covered with plastic wrap, covered with a sheet of nori. With damp hands (have a small bowl of water handy), gently pat down a thin layer of sticky rice on top; add your toppings (2-3) in a single line, and roll, pressing roll gently so it sticks together. This part may take practice, or look up a few Youtube vids.  :)  

3.  When rolled, transfer to a cutting board and cut with a very sharp knife.  We used a serated knife and it worked well.  Serve with either soy sauce or mayo mixed with a little Sriracha sauce for dipping, if desired.  

*Gluten-free if you stick with gluten-free fillings; Panko contains gluten.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Japanese Croquettes

Last time my friend and I made Macarons together, she showed me how to make these delicious Japanese Croquettes.  They are simple, but so delicious, it's hard to get enough.  You combine mashed potatoes, onion, and cooked ground beef into a ball, then dip it in flour, then into beaten egg, and then into Panko break crumbs, and then fry it in oil.  You can make a lot of these at one time and then just fry as needed; make sure you bring them to room temp before frying.  

Japanese Croquettes

From my friend H.S.

1 pound ground beef

1/2- 1 onion, to taste

3-4 medium potatoes

black pepper

seasoning to taste; garlic powder, seasoned salt, whatever you like

flour- 1/2 to 1 cup

2-3 eggs, beaten

Panko bread crumbs, 1-2 cups

Oil, for frying

Ketchup, for serving

1.  Cook and crumble the ground beef, drain fat and set aside.  Chop onion and set aside.  Peel and boil potatoes until tender; mash.  Combine mashed potatoes, cooked ground beef, and onion.  Season with black pepper and any other additional seasonings you desire.  

2.  Take potato mixture and form into balls with your hands.  You can make them big or small, but not too huge.  I think our biggest were probably about 1/4-1/3 cup of mixture, and the smaller ones were half that.

3.  Into 3 separate bowls, put flour, beaten eggs, and Panko bread crumbs.  (So one bowl for each item.)  Dip the balls into flour first, then eggs, then Panko, making sure to coat all sides.  Set aside.  (Can make these ahead to this point- cover and refrigerate.  When ready to fry, let come to room temp. for 30 minutes or so first.)

4.  Heat about an inch (or more, if you want- should be enough to come up to half-way point of largest ball) of oil in a skillet until hot.  Fry Croquettes until lightly browned on one side, and then flip and cook the other side.  Don't have the oil too hot or will brown too quickly and not warm the inside.  

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Japanese Yakisoba

A while ago, when I taught my friend to make macarons, she taught me how to make Japanese Fried Noodles, or Yakisoba.  These are so good and satisfying; full of veggies and such great flavor.  You can use whatever veggies you want; cabbage, carrot, onion, sweet bell peppers, etc.  You can use pork or chicken.  You can also make a big batch of this, and it's a perfect dish to bring to a potluck.  The recipe below is per person, so adjust to how many people you will be feeding.  (PS: My friend uses spaghetti noodles here because they're widely available.)

Japanese Yakisoba

from my friend H.S.

Per Person:

Noodles: 120 grams

Onions (sliced): 30 grams

Cabbage (sliced): 30 grams

Carrot (julienne): 10 grams

Garlic (minced): 1 clove

(Other veggies if desired- sliced bell peppers, zucchini, etc.)

Meat (Thin-sliced Chicken or Pork): 65 grams

oil for cooking veggies

sliced green onions for garnish, optional

Sriracha sauce or other chili sauce, for serving, optional

Sauce:

Oyster Sauce: 1 1/2 Tablespoons

Soy Sauce: 1/2 teaspoon

Salt: pinch, or to taste (or omit)

Sugar: 1/2 teaspoon

Black Pepper: to taste

Sesame Oil: 2 drops

1.  Boil noodles according to package directions & drain.  In the meantime, in a bowl, mix sauce ingredients.

2.  While noodles are boiling,  in a large skillet or wok, heat a bit of oil.  Cook veggies until almost tender, and then add sauce and boiled, drained noodles and heat through until veggies are cooked to your liking and everything is heated through.  Serve with Sriracha sauce or other chili sauce, and sliced green onions, if desired.  

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **