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1. These are the most beautiful little rolls, and they're easy to make. The most common Maki-zushi is made with sheets of seaweed that have been toasted and cut to the perfect size for the dish. You can find them in any Japanese market. To toast seaweed (nori): Pass the shiny side over a gas flame for 1 or 2 seconds until crisp.
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2. Choose any ingredient for the center of the roll. Using a small bamboo Sushi mat, place a sheet of toasted seaweed on the mat, the shiny side of the seaweed down.
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3. Spread out about ¾ cup of Shari Rice in the middle of the nori, making a rectangle of rice that goes from one side of the seaweed to the other, about 3 inches wide.
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4. Place your chosen filling in the center and roll up the seaweed over the rice, pulling the bamboo mat back a bit and moving it off as you go. (See the illustration.) Your first one may look a bit crude, but you'll catch on in no time.
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5. Cut each roll into 6 pieces. You might cut them on an angle to change the appearance of your Sushi display. (See the illustration.)
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NOTE:
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Have a little water and vinegar on the side. Always wet your hands in this mixture when you handle the rice-it prevents sticking.
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Seaweed (nori) has 2 sides. The smooth or shiny side goes on the outside, face down on the bamboo mat.
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MUSHROOM (SHIITAKE) FILLINGS:
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1. 2 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms
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2. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 1 hour. Drain the mushrooms.
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3. Blend all the ingredients for the sauce and simmer the mushrooms over low heat, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
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4. The sauce will greatly reduce. Allow to cool and then slice the mushrooms into sticks for Sushi.
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5. Roll into Sushi as above.
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TO SERVE SUSHI:
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Prepare a bit of wasabi and place it in a small dish, one dish for each person. You may wish to add some Kikkoman soy sauce to the little dish. Each person picks up a piece of Sushi and dips the fish part into the sauce. One is not supposed to dip the rice into the sauce. So much for tradition. In either case, the result is delicious.
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