By Request

By Kekoa Catherine Enomoto

Wednesday, September 2, 1998

By Craig T. Kojima, Star -Bulletin
Muriel Miura displays the finished rolls of sushi.

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On a roll with sushi rice

A bamboo mat and moist fingers
make it easier to roll sushi

A trick to sushi making is to have a little bowl of water handy for moistening the fingertips while rolling. Muriel Miura Kaminaka -- who hosted the "Cook Japanese" show on KIKU television for 13 years and whose "Cook Japanese" companion cookbook sold more than 40,000 copies -- suggests 1 tablespoon vinegar per cup of water.

Following are recipes for nori maki sushi from "Cook Japanese," which is out of print, and for cone sushi, requested by Eileen Anderson. The latter recipe is from "The Legacy of the Japanese in Hawaii: Cuisine" (Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, 1989), a best-seller that Miura Kaminaka helped edit.

By Craig T. Kojima, Star -Bulletin
Place a sheet of nori on the bamboo mat. Spread sushi
rice about 1/2-inch thick on the nori, leaving a 1-1/2-inch margin.

By Craig T. Kojima, Star -Bulletin
Arrange the filling ingredients across the rice, about
1 inch away from the edge nearest you.

By Craig T. Kojima, Star -Bulletin
Holding the filling in place with your fingertips,
roll the sushi away from you, using the mat.

Nori maki sushi
(rolled in seaweed)

Sushi rice, see recipe below
10 sheets dried nori

Filling:
2-ounce package kampyo
1 small carrot, cut in 1/2 inch wide strips
4 pieces shiitake (dried mushroom), softened and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3-1/2 ounce can unagi (seasoned eel), or substitute canned tuna
10 sprigs watercress, blanched

To prepare kampyo: Soak in water 10 to 15 minutes, rub with salt, and rinse thoroughly. Cook in 2 to 3 cups water or dashi until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Season with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar and dash MSG. Cut in 10- to 11-inch lengths. Cool.

To prepare shiitake and carrot: Cook 5 to 10 minutes or until tender in 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon dried shrimps and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt. Cool.

To roll sushi: Place sheet of nori on sudare (bamboo mat) with the nori edge nearest you even with edge of sudare.

Spread sushi rice over nori to a thickness of about 1/2 inch, leaving 1-1/2-inch margin on end farthest from you.

One inch from the edge nearest you, arrange on the rice: 5 strands kampyo, 1 row EACH of shiitake, carrot, watercress and the eel, split lengthwise.

Roll sushi away from you, being careful to hold the vegetables in place with your fingers. When the sudare touches the rice, lift the mat and continue to roll, as you would for a jellyroll, until completely rolled.

Roll again in the sudare and apply slight pressure to tighten the roll.

To serve, cut each roll into 7 or 8 pieces. Arrange on a plate, cut side up.

Makes 8 to 10 rolls.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 380 calories, 3.5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, greater than 1800 mg sodium.*

Sushi rice

1/4 cup vinegar (Chikyu-uma brand preferred)
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon monosodium glutamate, optional
4 cups cooked rice

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients, except rice. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle over hot rice; cool immediately and use to make sushi of your choice. Makes 12 cups.

Approximate nutritional analysis per cup: 280 calories, 0.5 g total fat, no saturated fat, no cholesterol, 540 mg sodium (580 with MSG).*

Inari zushi
(cone sushi)

12 aburage (deep fried tofu or bean curd)
3 cups prepared sushi rice
2 tablespoons toasted goma (sesame seeds)
5 dried shiitake (mushrooms), soak in water until soft, dice
1 ounce kampyo, soak to soften, rinse well, and cut into 1/8 inch pieces
1/2 gobo (burdock), sliver, soak in vinegar water to remove harshness
1/2 medium carrot, sliver

Aburage sauce:
2 cups dashi
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
3 tablespoons sake (rice wine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce

Vegetable seasoning:
2 tablespoons sake (rice wine)
2 cups dashi
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Cook aburage in boiling water about 3 minutes to remove excess oil. Drain and remove liquid. Cook aburage in 2 cups dashi for 5 to 6 minutes over low heat. Add mirin, sake and sugar; simmer with otoshibuta (a wooden lid used to keep ingredients below the surface of the liquid; waxed paper may be used) for 10 minutes. Add soy sauce and continue simmering until sauce is well-absorbed. Drain aburage and cut into two pieces. Open the cut side carefully to form a little pouch.

Combine all vegetables, add 2 cups dashi and sake. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, add sugar, salt and mirin and cook for additional 10 minutes. Add soy sauce; continue simmering until sauce is almost gone.

Combine sushi rice, cooked seasoned vegetables and sesame seeds; mix well. Fill cooked aburage pouches with prepared rice. Lightly press the rice, do not pack too much.

To serve, arrange sushi on a plate and garnish with beni shoga (pink pickled ginger).

Notes:
Packaged, prepared aburage for inari zushi, is available in the Asian section of super markets.
Slivered carrots and string beans, parboiled in microwave oven, with ground sesame seeds, can be used.
Instant dashi is available in the Asian section of supermarkets. Follow package directions to prepare.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 100 calories, 2 g total fat, no saturated fat, no cholesterol, 410 mg sodium.*

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.