Craig Claibornes Sushi Rice Food

NAKAGAWA'S CALIFORNIA SUSHI

Steps:

• Cut seaweed into smaller rectangle measuring 6 by 7 inches. Place rectangle on bamboo rolling mat.
• Dampen fingers in cold water to prevent their becoming sticky. Place about 2/3 of rice on top of seaweed and flatten with fingers to cover seaweed edge to edge and corner to corner. Use only enough rice to make thin, even layer. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Turn rice and seaweed over onto mat. With dampened fingers, spoon more rice onto upper third of seaweed rectangle. Do not use excessive amount. Arrange avocado strips end to end to border bottom of rice. Arrange strips of fish end to end to parallel and border avocado. Spoon roe in a thin layer to parallel fish cakes. Roll seaweed inside rolling mat to make a neat, round, compact package with rice as outside coating.
• Transfer package to smooth, flat surface. Cut in half crosswise. Place two halves side by side. Cut pair crosswise into thirds to make 6 neat rounds. Serve on platter with small mounds of wasabi and pickled ginger.

CRAIG CLAIBORNE'S SUSHI RICE

Steps:

• Put rice into kettle and add cold water to cover, stirring rice. Continue letting water run over rice until water runs clear. Drain well.
• Put rice into clean kettle and add 3 cups cold water. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Cover kettle with lid and bring to rolling boil. Reduce heat to low and let rice simmer 20 minutes. Do not uncover rice as it cooks.
• Remove rice from heat and let stand 15 minutes.
• Empty rice into bowl, preferably wide and made of wood. Gradually add vinegar, turning rice with wooden spoon so vinegar is evenly distributed. Traditionally rice should also be fanned as vinegar is added so it cools quickly. Smooth rice into thin layer and let it stand until thoroughly cooled.

BASIC STOVETOP RICE

Steps:

• Pour rice into a bowl, and fill it with cold water. Swirl the grains, using your fingers. Tip out any starchy water, and repeat until water runs almost clear.
• Combine rice and water in a pot: For most long-grain and medium-grain rice, pair 1 cup rice and 1 1/3 cups water. For short-grain rice, use 1 cup rice and 1 cup water. For most brown rice, combine 1 cup rice and 1 3/4 cups water. The rice and water should not come more than halfway up the sides of your pot; the mixture will double in volume as it cooks.
• Bring water to a hard boil over medium-high heat. The water's entire surface should break with big, constant bubbles. As soon as water is boiling, give it a vigorous stir with a spatula or wooden spoon, making sure to scrape at any grains at the bottom of the pot. Cover it with a lid and turn the heat to low.
• Cook long-grain and medium-grain rice for 15 minutes; short-grain varieties for 20 minutes; and brown rice for 30 minutes.
• When allotted time has passed, or when you hear a change in sound - if you listen closely, you'll notice the sounds will slowly change from a bubbly simmer to a steamy sort of flutter - turn off heat and let rice rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

SUSHI RICE

Steps:

• The most important thing to get right when cooking sushi rice is the ratio of rice to water. It's better to use a volume measure rather than weighing. Use a cook's 250ml measuring cup if you have one, or a short glass, teacup or small mug. Once you've made one batch, you'll know how much cooked rice that measure makes - it should be about 2½ cups.
• Measure out 1 cup rice into a saucepan, rinse the rice, swirling it around the pan, then drain off the water. Try not to lose any of the rice. Add 1½ cups water (about 375ml).
• Bring the rice to a simmer quickly, put on a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 13 mins - don't take the lid off.
• Check a couple of grains at the top - the rice should be just about cooked and the water evaporated. If not, continue to cook and check at 2 min intervals, each brand of rice will differ. Turn the heat off and leave the rice to stand with the lid on for 10 mins so all the moisture is absorbed. Add sushi rice seasoning, if you like, and serve.

CRAIG CLAIBORNE'S SOUTHERN CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl.
• Beat the eggs until foamy and stir them into the dry mixture.
• Stir in the buttermilk and 1 cup whole milk.
• Heat the butter in a 9 X 2-inch black skillet, and when it is very hot but not brown, pour in the batter.
• Carefully pour the remaining 1 cup whole milk on top of the batter without stirring.
• Place the dish in the oven and bake 50 minutes, or until set and baked through.
• Slice into wedges.