I’ll admit, my least favorite type of food is Asian cuisine. Maybe it’s the spices used in their sauces or the thought of eating raw fish, but I’ve never craved it. I do however, enjoy sticky rice and the prevalence of fresh veggies in Asian dishes. Since I’m always open to the idea of trying new things, I’ve attempted to make my own sushi with the help of HIC Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen Sushi Making Kit.HIC is proud to call Helen Chen a partner in Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen® by HIC. Helen Chen is a leading Asian culinary expert, cookbook author, cooking instructor and developer of Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen® cookware and cooking supplies. Helen learned to cook from her mother and has combined the comfort of home-style dishes with an updated incorporation of heart-healthy oils and readily available supermarket ingredients—making cooking great Asian food easier for everyone. Helen Chen’s unique line of Asian cooking supplies was developed through many years of culinary experience and provides the kind of high-quality standards that you can expect from HIC. ~ Harold Import Company
My heart shaped sushi roll
Intimidation is the first word that came to mind when I thought about making sushi. Have you ever watched someone make it?! It looks like it takes practice and skill, but I attempted it anyways with the tools included in Helen’s kit. I wish I could tell you that my sushi turned out fancy and professional looking, but I’d be telling a huge whopper. My sushi fell apart on one side, although I got a few pieces to turn out somewhat decently. Can you tell my pic is heart shaped…..I know, go ahead and laugh!Included with the kit are three different sized sushi shape molds (a small square, large square and heart shape), a spatula, and slotted rice paddle. You supply the ingredients. I went to my local grocery and purchased Nori (seaweed sheets) and organic sushi rice (…..I never realized there was special “sticky” rice, but it makes sense because regular rice would never get so sticky you couldn’t get it off your fingers!). I started by placing a Nori/seaweed sheet in the mold and then layered sticky rice on top. Next, I added cucumber, avocado and crab meat. Finally,
I folded over the remaining Nori and placed the included “lid” on top and pressed down firmly. After removing the lid I took a knife and slid it through each of the slots in the mold. I learned that it’s best to wipe the knife after each cut to avoid dragging the ingredients along with it. Another trick I learned is to make a wash of 1 part rice vinegar and 3 parts water to keep your hands tack free, which worked very nicely…..I even dipped my knife in it a few times. When I released my sushi from the mold its shape was….shall I say…less than perfect .I’m sure I did something wrong, as I said above, it will most likely take practice. I liked that the mold held all the ingredients in place. I can only imagine what it would be like to roll everything by hand! My godson loves to cook, so I think I’ll send Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen Sushi Making Kit to him and revel in his masterpieces. Thank you HIC for taking me away from my comfort zone and getting me to try something new in the kitchen! Even though sushi making may not be my thing, I will appreciate it as an art the next time I’m at an Asian restaurant.
