Maki Sushi Rolls with Salmon, Cream Cheese, and Cucumber

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Rinse the rice thoroughly. Put it in a pot and cover with water — use about one and a half times as much water as rice. (Measure the rice first with a cup, then add 1.5 times that amount of water.) For flavor, add a garlic clove cut in half. You can also add a piece of kombu seaweed, but it's fine to skip it if you don't have any. Bring the rice to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10–15 minutes.

2. Step 2:

   

   While the rice cooks, prepare the filling: cut the cucumber into thin sticks and the fish into thin slices.

3. Step 3:

   

   The rice is cooked. Remove the garlic and kombu, and let it cool to room temperature. Then stir in the vinegar dressing — about 1–2 tablespoons per plate of rice, to taste. You can buy it ready-made or make your own by mixing 50 ml rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 0.25 teaspoon salt. To dissolve the salt and sugar faster, warm the mixture in the microwave or on the stove.

4. Step 4:

   

   Fold the dressing into the rice with a chopping motion.

5. Step 5:

   

   Wrap the bamboo mat with plastic wrap.

6. Step 6:

   

   Place one sheet of nori on the bamboo mat, shiny side up, with the scoring lines running vertically. Spread the rice over the nori in a thin layer, leaving a small strip along the near edge bare. Lightly moisten that strip with vinegar dressing.

7. Step 7:

   

   Lay out the fish, cucumber, and cream cheese.

8. Step 8:

   

   Start rolling it up.

9. Step 9:

   

   With a gentle motion, roll it up using the bamboo mat. :)

10. Step 10:

    

    The finished roll.

11. Step 11:

    

    Cut the roll into 6–8 pieces with a sharp knife, rinsing the blade in cold water now and then.

12. Step 12:

    

    Enjoy! :)

13. Step 13:

    

    And there you have it — a romantic Japanese-style dinner!