Sunday, October 05, 2008

sushi : more raw than you think

karene @ 9:13 PM

Organic Vegetarian Sushi, originally uploaded by Th♥mås Lǔ ~ 5th & 6th in Milan.

I taught my mom how to use the bamboo sushi rolling mat today. (Okay, I've no idea if it has got a proper name, but just for convenience sake, I'm calling it THE MAT for now.)

You see, my mom went to a organic food store's special erm... "open house?" and they taught everyone how to make Vegan Organic Sushi using carrots, alfafa, beetroot and a host of other erm... delicious organic vegetables. So she returned home feeling all geared up to try her own and even bought herself two packets of MADE-IN-CHINA nori (dried seaweed, that is). But when she got back, she realised she has never rolled sushi in her whole life and has no idea how THE MAT can be used.

So she asked me to demonstrate.

By the way, cooking demonstrations are $50 per session. Speak to me for details.
No, I'm just kidding.

Well, we did make some organic vegan sushi -- which I didn't try; looks disgusting. :P But I doubt my mom understands how it works. I have a feeling she's going to get me to do them again the next time she gets in the mood.

But what was funny is the way she asked me how this is done and how that is done, and how long can the nori be kept, and why is it so soft compared to the ones she had at the store etc. etc. etc.

So you see, I became Culinary Master for the day. (:

PS. Don't buy MADE-IN-CHINA nori, even though they are usually a tad bit cheaper. They tend to be of a lower grade and less tasty. But if in any case, you already bought 'em nua nori pieces, you can actually do what I told my mom. Toast them! This is so there's a little more crunch when you bite into your sushi... rather than having to struggle to bite a piece off, if you know what I mean. Just be careful you don't over-toast, because then you can't roll them at all. *duh

And just in case you're like my mom and want to ask me where I learned to do something like that... I didn't. I really thought it's quite common sense, which I now know to be my own assumption that happens to really work. LOL. (:

Anyway, this wasn't the only dish my mom was probing me about. The last time I made tuna puffs, chicken pie and egg tarts, she was curious as well. In fact, she stopped her vegetarian diet just to try what I was up to.

My mom actually makes great egg tarts but I was making the Portuguese flaky pastry type, while hers are the traditional Cantonese kind.

For that, I actually miss Hong Kong. I love the egg tarts, bo luo pau, chee cheong fun, wantan mee and yeah... all kinds of random Cantonese food! Oooooh yes. I like the curry fishballs and some dessert drink I had -- I forgot what it was. Other than that, everything else I remember of Hong Kong isn't that fantastic; I'd rather be anywhere else. I think it's the people; they are not very nice... much like meeting a Singaporean, but maybe a bit worse. :P *oops*

But back to where I was... Cooking is fun! And while I get really impatient with my mom most of the time, I enjoy these little moments with her -- really. When our conversations are not about money, and about her being displeased with me.

Labels: yumyum