Dear friends, you have let me lead you down a lot of rabbit holes in our time together. Well, here is another one. I have recently began making sushi.
Why sushi? As with most things, it is for a boy. My best friend’s boyfriend is coming to visit, and I have to give him the “break her heart and I’ll have you murdered in seconds. In the meantime, enjoy this wonderful meal I made,” speech.
Yes, Jordan, I’m talking about you.
Should you choose to follow me all the way down this rabbit hole, you will need a few things. You will need rice paper or nori (seaweed) sheets.
I am partial to seaweed, so these recipes utilize this ingredient. You might also want to buy special sushi rice and a rice roller. Neither of those are necessary, but they make life easier.
In addition, I am new to this and do not want to kill anybody by feeding them raw foods—the killing of friends’ boyfriends only happens in extreme cases. So, we will handle cooked food.
All in all, I think this sushi-making thing is interesting. It really seems to be an art, which is different than what I am used to in the kitchen.
When I cook, I rely on the chemistry and hope. There is no art to what I do.
Sushi making cannot just be done from hope. It is meticulous. I can feel myself using the wrong side of my brain. I finally get why people do things like crosswords. It is meticulous and exact. I kind of like it.
I provided a side dish and a sauce if you want to try something other than soy sauce.

Ingredients:

For rice:

2 cups sushi rice

4 cups water

rice vinegar

For chicken:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

bottled teriyaki sauce

sesame oil

brown sugar

For rolls:

5 sheets of seaweed

chicken

1 avocado

5 fresh asparagus spears

 
Instructions:

1. Rinse rice with cold water.
2. Place the rice into a deep saucepan with water.
3. Turn heat on to medium-high and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to a simmer and cover.
5. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice is cooked.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
7. Once rice is cool, sprinkle with rice vinegar – 1 tablespoon should be enough. Set aside.
8. Slice chicken into thin strips.
9. Place in a plastic bag and sprinkle with a few drops of teriyaki sauce, sesame oil and a pinch of brown sugar.
10. Mix in a bag and place it in the fridge to marinade for two hours.
11. Fry chicken in olive oil until chicken cooked.
12. Remove and set aside to cool.
13. Using a sushi mat, lay seaweed shiny-side down.
14. Cover with rice, leaving the top inch or so bare.
15. Top with remaining ingredients.
16. Start rolling the sushi from top to bottom, making sure you keep the roll tight.
17. Repeat with remaining rolls.
18. This should be enough to make five rolls.

Ingredients:

For salad:

1 cup dried wakame seaweed

1 cup green beans

1 cucumber

2 green apples

For dressing:

1 carrot

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons hummus

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

½ cup water
Instructions:

1. Rinse seaweed after soaking and cut into smaller pieces.
2. Mix all the salad parts and set aside.
3. Add the dressing ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth and creamy, adding more water if necessary.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions:

1. Mix mayonnaise, Sriracha hot sauce and sesame oil together in a bowl using a fork until smooth.