My own worst enemy...

So I have this amazingly bad habit of taking on WAY TOO MUCH stuff at the same time. Tonight I have a sushi rolling class. No, I am not attending a class I am teaching it. I have 25 people coming to me to learn to roll sushi (a skill I got good at while living in Tokyo, Japan). On top of that I have a new puppy-who, by the way, is super-duper-extra-cutie-ootie sweet, but a lot of work. Add one cranky 4 year old, 5 loads of laundry and 4 cats to the mix. Oh yes and MOMS Club. Which, thank God, is mostly handled these days by my very capable VPs Michelle and Lindsay...THANK GIRLS!!!! With all that said; I am one busy blogger.

Here is the recipe I am using tonight for Sushi rice...interestingly enough the word Sushi in Japanese only means "Vinegared Rice". It has nothing to do with fish, sea weed, or any other ingredient. Sushi Rice is a versatile part of Japanese cuisine. It is of coarse used in MAKI (sushi rolls) and NIGIRI (those little cakes of rice with fish atop them), but sushi rice is also used in donburi (bowls of rice with raw or cook meats, eggs and veggies on top), Oh-Nigiri (large rice balls stuffed with pickles or cooked and salted fish), and grilled rice cakes.

WIKTIONARY give the sushi definition as follows-

SUSHI:  A Japanese dish of vinegared, short-grained, sticky white rice with various other ingredients, usually raw fish, other types of seafood, or vegetables. It is prepared in various forms, including nigiri sushi (an oblong, bite-sized rice brick topped with wasabi and a gourmet slice of raw fish or another single high-quality ingredient), sushi rolls (rice and chopped ingredients wrapped as a log in a sheet of dried seaweed, then cut into bite-sized circular pieces), and temaki sushi (rice with multiple other ingredients held in a large crispy cone of dried seaweed). Usage notes: To some English speakers, the common ingredient in sushi is raw fish, hence the definition that includes sashimi. To others, the common ingredient is sticky, short-grained rice, hence the definition that includes vegetarian dishes.

Now that you know what it can be used for get brave and make a batch, and experience for yourself how tasty it is all by itself!

SUSHI RICE

Ingredients

• 2 cups sushi or short grain rice
• 2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Directions

Place the rice into a mixing bowl and cover with cool water. Swirl the rice in the water, pour off and repeat 2 to 3 times or until the water is clear.

Place the rice and 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer the rice into a large wooden or glass mixing bowl and add the vinegar mixture. Fold thoroughly to combine and coat each grain of rice with the mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature before using to make sushi or sashimi