All Easy Recipes. Cook all that you can cook. Vinegared Rice - And - Fish "Sandwiches"
(Nigiri Zushi)
 
What You Need:            (To Make: about 4 dozen)
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  • 3 cups sushi rice
  • 6 medium-sized raw shrimp (16 to 20 per pound) in their shells
  • 3 tablespoons sushi dressing
  • 2 pounds filleted porgy, sea bass, striped bass, red snapper, squid, abalone or tuna, in one piece (see sashimi)
  • 1 tablespoon wasabi (green horseradish) powder, mixed to a paste with 1 tablespoon of cold water and set aside to rest for 15 minutes

    TEKKA AND KAPPA MAKI
  • 2 sheets nori (dried laver)
  • 1 cucumber, about 4 inches long, peeled, halved, seeded and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-widestrips
  • Japanese all-purpose soy sauce

  • How To Cook:
    1. To prevent the shrimp from curling when cooked, insert a toothpick lengthwise along their inner curves. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan and drop in the shrimp.

    2. Cook for 3 minutes, then drain, remove the toothpicks and peel the shrimp. Devein them by making a shallow incision along the top of each shrimp and removing the white or black intestinal vein with the point of a knife.

    3. Then cut the shrimp three quarters of the way through along their inner curves and gently spread them open, butterfly fashion. Flatten them slightly with the side of a cleaver or knife.

    4. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/3 cup of cold water and 2 tablespoons of the sushi dressing. Add the shrimp, turn them about to coat them well, and marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.

    5. With a sharp knife, cut the filleted fish crosswise at an angle, into slices ¼ inch thick. (The thicker tuna fillet should be cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices.)

    6. Arrange the fish on a platter and serve, or cover with plastic wrap and keep in a cool place(not the refrigerator)for no longer than ½ hour.

    7. In a small bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of sushi dressing with 3 tablespoons of cold water. Called tezu, this mixture is used to moisten the hands to prevent the rice from becoming sticky.

    8. Dip your fingers in the tezu and lift up about 1tablespoon of the rice. Shape it into an oblong. Smear a bit of the wasabi paste down the center of a piece of fish and holding the rice in one hand and the fish in the other, press the two together. The fish should completely cover the top of the rice.

    To make TEKKA MAKI, a variation of nigiri zushi:
    1. Prepare the sushi rice, raw fish and shrimp as directed above.

    2. Pass the nori over a gas flame or candle on one side only to intensify the flavor and color. Cut the nori in half and lay ½ sheet on the edge of a bamboo mat or sturdy cloth napkin.

    3. Spread about ¼ cup of rice over most of the nori sheet, leaving a 1-inch border of the nori exposed. Spread a streak of the wasabi paste crosswise through the middle of the rice and top with a row of raw fish.

    4. Use the mat or napkin to help you roll the nori up tightly. Then roll up in the mat or napkin one or two turns, and let it rest 5 minutes. Remove the mat and slice crosswise into 1- to 1½-inch pieces. Make similar rolls with the remaining ingredients.

    To make KAPPA MAKI, another variation:
    1. Substitute narrow strips of cucumber for the fish on one of the sheets of nori, omitting the wasabi.

    TO SERVE:
        Sushi may be served, with soy sauce accompanying it, in many ways: on a large platter as cocktail food; 3 to 4 per person at the beginning of an elaborate Japanese dinner; 6 to 8 per person as a main luncheon course or presented on a large tray at the end of a Japanese meal to accompany miso soup.
     

     
     
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