I made so many mistakes tonight that I can't count them. The last was probably the worst: I ate way too fucking much.
I kept things "simple" enough. The only cooking tonight was some rice. Turns out, that actually takes a little effort, which is bullshit. First, I rinsed it, which I usually do. Then I put it in the rice cooker, which I usually do.
Then I mixed some rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a pot and heated it a bit on the stove, which I don't usually do. It didn't take long, it wasn't difficult. It was just different. Once the rice was finished, I poured the vinegar mixture in and mixed it around into the rice for quite a while. Once the rice was done, it was just art project time.
I started off with a block of tuna (never mind the fingerprints). I just took some thin slices off the end and moved on.
I put a piece of seaweed on my glass cutting board (I needed a smooth surface), and got to work with that.
I spent way too fucking long spreading a thin layer of rice across the sheet. I had to dip my fingers in water to keep the rice from sticking to them, but it wasn't the end of the world.
Once the rice was how I wanted it (more or less), I laid a couple slices of tuna down, then got to rolling.
I don't know if you've ever rolled up a sleeping bag, but it was a pretty similar process. Just gotta keep it tight and even as best you can.
Afterward, I took my little sushi rolling mat and used it to help shape things up more evenly.
It worked out pretty well, so I was quite pleased. Granted, it was a boring-ass roll, but it was a roll nonetheless. A little slicing, and my maki (rolled sushi) was good to go.
Next, I wanted to make some nigiri, so I made a few packed elongated rice balls. Once again, dipping my fingers in water helped dramatically.
A little wasabi on top, then I was able to stick my fish on there. I went with octopus and cockle (pictured), plus some cuttlefish.
A quick arrangement on the plate with some ginger, and we were good to go.
Next up was packing my lunch, which just meant putting some rice in my bowl, then piling a bunch of fish on top. Easy peasy.
Last, but not least, I still had some rice left over, so I wanted to use it all up. First up, I chopped up some octopus, cuttlefish, and tuna. I packed the last of the rice in the bottom of my 3" PVC (which, incidentally, I ran under some water to help keep the rice from sticking), then packed the fish on top of that.
After the fish was packed down, I dumped in a few spoonfuls of tobiko (black flying fish roe), spread it around, and packed it in. I then held my breath and pulled the pipe up.
All breath holding was successful: It didn't collapse into a pile of rice, fish, and eggs. It could use a little extra color, but it tasted great, so I'm not bitching.
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