Kappa Maki & Futo Maki- Cucumber Sushi Rolls, Sushi Burrito & California Rolls

Sushi has become very popular Japanese food now. It looks complicated, but is easy to make. It's a picnic lunch in Japan.

It's time to pack your lunch for cherry blossom season!

You can put any ingredients in it.

Ready in: 20 minutes from cooked rice

Ingredients for two Sushi Burritos:

2 cups of cooked Sushi rice

2 Nori sheets

Some sweet ginger pickles

Topping recommendation

Cucumber

Shiso leaves

Carrots, cook in microwave

Spinach, cook in microwave

Thin omelet

Mushrooms

Avocados

Smocked salmon

Required Equipment

Sushi mat

Similar recipe:

Sarada Maki- Salad Sushi Roll

Step 1: Make Sushi rice with white vinegar and sugar. For details, see here; How to Cook Sushi Rice on Stove.

Step 2: Prepare toppings.

Step 3: Place a Sushi mat on a table.

Sushi mat

Step 4: Put a Nori sheet on top.

Burrito

Cucumber Sushi roll 

Step 5: Take a handful of rice to make a burrito, half hand for cucumber Sushi rolls. Put it onto the Nori sheet. Leave about 1" on top of the sheet without rice.

Burrito

Cucumber Sushi roll  

Step 6: Place preferred ingredients on top.

Burrito

Cucumber Sushi roll 

Step 7: Put your 8 fingers on the middle of rice, and lift the bottom of the Sushi mat using your tombs, and roll it over the top.

Step 7: Cut it.

Step 8: Let's eat!

California Rolls

Gunkan Maki- Ship Shaped Sushi

Japan is a tiny island. You are always somewhat close to the ocean. I cannot believe that I live in Ottawa!! I miss the ocean and fresh fish. I am scared to eat fish here.

In Ottawa, Sushi can be made with bacon.

Ready in: 15 minutes with cooked rice 

Ingredients for 10 ships:

2 cups of cooked rice

3 sheets of nori paper

2 tablespoons of rice vinegar

2 tablespoons of sugar

3 slices of bacon, cooked well

1/2 avocado

some chives

How to Cook Sushi Rice on Stove

Step 1: Prepare bacon and avocado.



Step 2: Cut a nori sheet into 4 sheets.

Step 3: In cooked rice, pour vinegar and sugar. Mix it well.

Step 4: Take rice in your hand and grab it to make a tinny ship shape.

Step 5: Wrap it with a nori sheet.

Step 6: Top it with bacon, avocado, and chives.

Chirashi zushi- Vinegar Flavoured Rice with Toppings

I lived with a South Korean guy and a French Canadian girl from Quebec when I was studying abroad. We decided to cook a traditional dish from own country 3 nights in a row. The Korean guy would cook Bibimbap, and the girl would make a French dish. They of course asked me to make Sushi. You can easily imagine how much we were excited.

However, the shared meals didn’t turn well!

His Bibimbap was just fried rice, and her French dish was broccoli with white roux on top. He said that meaning of Bibimbap was “mixed rice”, and she said white roux represented French.

I cooked this Chirashi-zushi, and could tell both of them disappointed to see another “mixed rice” on the plate!

Chirashi-zushi is a classic Sushi we make at home for a special occasion such as a birthday party. Sushi rice means simply vinegar rice in our language. 

But I understand their disappointment for those who expected Sushi dressed with raw fish.

Well, we learned something new in other cultures.

 Ready in: 15 minutes with cooked rice

Ingredients for two:

Prepare the same ingredients as Chakin Zushi- VegetableSushi Wrapped with Thin Omlet till Step 6

Some smoked salmon slices or cooked shrimp

Some cucumbers

Shredded Nori

Step 1: Strip the thin omelet

Step 2: Put everything on a plate

Chakin Zushi- Vegetable Sushi Wrapped with Thin Omlet

In our language, Sushi has a couple way to spell. One is "The best way to eat fish", and other is "Food which manages celebration". I belive that one of the reasons why Sushi becomes a popular Japanese food is that we serve Sushi to foreigners often as a food to celebrate to get to know them.

Sushi also has many different styles. Here is one of them!

Ready in: 45 minutes

Ingredients for two wraps:
<Prepare the following in a pan>

1/2 cups of cut lotus roots

1/2 cups of cut carrots

1/2 cups of mushrooms, wet dried mushrooms 

1 cup of Dashi stock

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

2 eggs

1/2 cups of Sushi rice, or 1 cup of cooked rice

Some chopped green onions 

<Sushi vinegar>

2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar
A pinch of salt

For cooking Sushi rice, see How to Cook Sushi Rice on Stove

Lotus roots, it gives nice'n crunchy texture

Step 1: Soak the lotus roots in a water and put 1 teaspoon of vinegar.

Drain it after 10 minutes

Step 2: Add 1/2 cups of water onto dried mushrooms.

Keep the water

Step 3: Cut carrots.

Step 4: Put everything into a pan, and cook with stock, mushroom water and honey.

Add soy sauce when everything is cooked

Cook it until it drys up

Step 5: Put cooked rice in a bowl, add Sushi vinegar and mix it well. Add cooked vegetables into it.

 

Step 6: Make two omelets paper thin.

 

Step 7: Place rice in the middle of the omelet, and wrap it.

Tie it by using a string or band



Chawan Mushi- Broth Cup Puddings

Chawan Mushi is a very traditional Sushi restaurant food. It requires special technic to make it silky smooth. Relax! The taste doesn't really change.

It shouldn't be bubbly...

Ready in: 30 minutes

Ingredients for four:

Parsley

2 eggs, beaten

<Prepare the following in four cups>
Peas, chick peas, or Eda Mames
3 dried Shitake mushrooms, softened and sliced
100g of chicken or crab sticks, cut into cubes
1/4 teaspoon of Yuzu Cha jam, if you have
<Prepare the following in a bowl>
3 cups of Dashi broth
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Step 1: Put ingredients in cups.

Step 2: Heat up the soup till all the ingredients blending in. After it gets cold, add beaten eggs.

Step 3: Using a strainer, put the soup into the four cups.

This step will make your pudding smooth.

Step 4: Boil water for a steamer. Place cups on the steamer, and cook them for 15 minutes.
<Important> Put a cloth and chopsticks on top before putting a lid on to avoid making bubbles on the surface.

Step 5: Put some parsley for the decoration.