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Sushi made easyBy Christine Salinswww.foodwinetravel.com.au Japanese cuisine is renowned for its freshness, taste and art of presentation, and in an effort to demonstrate that to Australian audiences, the Japan Foundation last week brought out three chefs from Japan. The women, Mayu Hasegawa, Shizuko Mizuochi and Kiyomi Iwata, all come from Niigata Prefecture, a picturesque mountainous region about two hours by train from Tokyo. Their restaurants serve dishes made with locally grown ingredients and they work with local farmers to source fresh, seasonal produce and come up with new, creative recipes based on traditional local cuisine. The area is particularly known for its rice, widely claimed to be the finest in Japan thanks to the warm summers and very cold winters. It is also known for its sansai, mountain vegetables of which there are more than 15 different species.  Mayu Hasegawa. This year’s Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is being held under the most trying conditions, after heavy snow, torrential rain and the dreadful earthquakes of last year. During their visit to Australia, Mayu, Shizuko and Kiyomi held classes and demonstrations in Sydney and Canberra. In the class I attended in the kitchens of Canberra’s CIT School of Tourism and Hospitality, Mayu took the lead in presenting two home-style dishes, Hand Rolled Sushi and a Clear Shellfish Soup. The sushi recipe is reproduced here and while it looks long, it is incredibly easy. Mayu does stress, however, that it is important to wash and knead the rice a couple of times, and then to allow the rice to soak for an hour before cooking. The results are so worth it. Once the rice and other ingredients are cooked and assembled, you can just put all the plates in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves – hence why it is called Hand Rolled Sushi. Mayu points out that the word sushi refers simply to vinegared rice, not to the method with which it is presented. She says that in Japan they would serve this with a clear shellfish soup, not a miso-based soup. We used mussels in the dish we cooked at CIT but as mussels aren’t commonly seen in Japanese shops, she says they’d be more likely to use clams and other shellfish – or “seashells” as she delightfully put it. For the sushi, use Koshihikari, a Japanese short-grain rice that is also produced in Australia. Hand Rolled Sushi Serves 4 3 cups white rice 500ml water 60ml sake 80ml rice vinegar (can be substituted with white wine vinegar) 30g sugar 10g salt 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried thyme) 350g sliced beef 50ml water 45ml soy sauce 15g sugar 10g ginger root, cut into fine strips 80g herbs (rocket, mustard leaf, basil etc) 100g lettuce 1 tomato Olive oil and salt as needed 6 sheets nori seaweed 8g white sesame seeds To wash the rice, pour running water over, stir once, then discard water immediately. Wash rice in a rubbing motion, add water, stir and then discard water again. Rinse 3 times and drain rice in a colander.  Put the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in another pan and heat. When the sugar and salt has dissolved, add the thyme and turn off the heat. Wash the herbs and lettuce, tear them and leave in cold water. When they become crisp, drain them to remove excess water. Cut tomato into 1cm cubes. Cut nori seaweed in 4 pieces. To cook the rice, cover the saucepan, place weights on the lid then bring to boil over medium heat. As soon as it is boiling, reduce heat to very low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, place it on a wet cloth and allow it to sit for another 15 minutes to steam the rice. Empty the rice into a bowl and immediately stir in the sushi vinegar. Fan the rice to cook quickly, and then cover with a wet cloth to keep it moist. Pour the 50ml water over the beef and knead it into the beef, then stir-fry the beef with a little olive oil in a heated frypan. When the beef is about a third cooked, add the soy sauce, sugar and ginger and continue stir-frying. When it is almost cooked, remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Boil the juice down until the volume is reduced to one-third. Return the beef to the pan, and mix with the juice. Dress the lettuce with olive oil and salt. Serve the sushi rice on a large plate and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Place beef on another plate, salad on another, and nori on another. Everyone can serve themselves by placing a sheet of nori on the hand and wrapping a little bit of rice, beef and salad in it. Note: Ham, smoked salmon or grilled chicken can be used instead of beef. To find out more about Christine Salins click here. 
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