Cucumber Nori Rolls Recipes

VEGETARIAN NORI ROLLS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan cover rice with water and let stand for 30 minutes.
• In a shallow dish combine soy sauce, honey and garlic. In this mixture marinate tofu for at least 30 minutes.
• Bring water and rice to a boil and then reduce heat; simmer for about 20 minutes, or until thick and sticky. In a large glass bowl combine cooked rice with rice vinegar.
• Place a sheet of nori on a bamboo mat. Working with wet hands, spread 1/4 of the rice evenly over the nori; leave about 1/2 inch on the top edge of the nori. Place 2 strips of marinated tofu end to end about 1 inch from the bottom. Place 2 strips of cucumber next to the tofu, then avocado and carrot.
• Roll nori tightly from the bottom, using the mat to help make a tight roll. Seal by moistening with water the 1/2 inch at the top. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Slice with a serrated knife into 1 inch thick slices.

SALMON & CUCUMBER SUSHI ROLLS

Steps:

• First, make the rice. Rinse the sushi rice in a colander, massaging it with your hands until the water runs clear. Leave to drain for 15 mins.
• Put the rice in a saucepan with 200ml water and the sake or mirin, if using. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 mins until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat. Set aside, covered, for 15-20 mins.
• Transfer to a large bowl. Dissolve the sugar, if using, in the vinegar with a good pinch of salt, pour over the rice and mix. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside at room temperature until ready to use.
• Put 1 nori sheet on a bamboo mat and cover the surface with half of the cooled rice. Lay half of the salmon and cucumber slices along the length of the rice in a strip, being careful not to overfill it. Run a pea-sized blob of wasabi (more if you like it really hot) along the edge of the filling with your finger.
• Roll up tightly and squeeze to seal when you reach the end. Repeat with the remaining nori, salmon and cucumber, and more wasabi. Slice each roll into 6 pieces, and serve with extra wasabi, ginger, soy sauce and salmon roe, if you like. Will keep in the fridge for 1 day.

CUCUMBER NORI ROLLS

Steps:

• Sushi Zu Preparation:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Take off of the heat and allow to cool.
• Rice Preparation:
• Rice volume increases 2-2 1/2 times as it cooks. Almost all the short grain rice needs to be washed before cooking, because of the starch on the surface of each grain. If you cook rice without washing, starch makes the texture and taste less palatable. The following is the procedure to prepare rice:
• Wash rice with care, putting rice in a big bowl and washing gently with cold running water for 10 minutes. Drain rice in a big colander and dry for 20-30 minutes. Place washed rice and water into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Allow to cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Place in a large bowl and pour over Sushi Zu mixture.
• Sushi Preparation:
• Place 1/2 sheet of seaweed (nori) lengthwise, shinny side down on a bamboo roller. Place approximately 3 ounces of sushi rice formed into a bar in the center of the seaweed, going lengthwise, spread rice evenly, covering entire nori except for about 1/2 inch at the top edge. Spread wasabi thinly in the center, on top of the rice, lengthwise from one and to the other. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of rice, if desired. Then place a couple strips of cut cucumber in the center to fill the length of the roll.
• Bring seaweed and rice toward you to the edge of the bamboo roller and holding the edge of the bamboo roller with one hand and, holding the cucumbers in place with the other hand, lift up the edge of the mat closest to you. Begin rolling mat away from you, rolling over the cucumber and connecting rice to rice. Then stop to make sure you still have a 1/2 inch strip of just nori left over at the top (this is what seals the roll). Lift the edge of bamboo roller slightly and roll another 1/2 inch away from you connecting the seaweed to seaweed and sealing the roll.
• Gently squeeze both sides while pressing gently down on top with both index fingers. Cut roll in half, then turn one piece around so they are parallel to one another, line them up, then cut both pieces twice, to make 6 pieces. Cut remaining rolls and serve.

KAPPAMAKI (HOSOMAKI) CUCUMBER ROLLS

Steps:

• Seed the cucumber and cut into sticks that are 1/8 inch wide and 7 1/2 inches long.
• Lay a half nori sheet textured-side up (smooth/shiny-side down) on a cutting board with one of the longer sides closest to you. Lightly moisten your fingers with ice water and gently spread 1/2 cup of the prepared sushi rice evenly over the nori, leaving a 1/2-inch strip without rice at the far (long) edge. Carefully place the nori, rice-side up, onto a makisu (sushi rolling mat) wrapped in plastic wrap. If you like, add a small swipe of wasabi lengthwise down the rice or sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
• Place 3 to 4 cucumber strips lengthwise in the center of the sheet. Use your thumbs to lift the edge of the makisu closest to you and roll the sheet inside the makisu until the edge meets the rice. Make sure you leave the edge of the nori without rice exposed.
• Lift the edge of the makisu off the sushi roll and continue rolling the sushi roll over until the seam is on the bottom. The nori strip without rice should seal the outside of the sushi roll. If it doesn't, dip one finger in the ice water and swipe a very small amount of water along the bare strip of nori and let the roll sit on the seam for a few seconds.
• Slice the roll into 6 even pieces. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, making 4 rolls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to garnish. Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi if desired.