Buying Nori
Thomas Hamilton
carries about twenty types ranging in price from $.99 to $4.29
for a ten leaf package. I can tell that the cheap stuff leaves
a bad aftertaste, but I am baffled by the different grades of
the better Nori. What is the difference? What distinguishes
average Nori from really expensive Nori?
Does anyone have a favorite brand/grade?
It all looks the smae to my inexperienced eye.
tom
Beakman
: Does anyone have any advice about selecting Nori. My local store
: carries about twenty types ranging in price from $.99 to $4.29
: for a ten leaf package. I can tell that the cheap stuff leaves
: a bad aftertaste, but I am baffled by the different grades of
: the better Nori. What is the difference? What distinguishes
: average Nori from really expensive Nori?
The cheaper nori (in my experience) tends to be pale green or purple. It
has a poor texture (coarse), and it may contain holes. My favorite nori
tends to be a very dark green color with a high (glossy) finish. I hope
this helps. I'll try to get some common brand recommendations for you
later, unless someone else has then closer at hand. And since you are
asking about nori, let me repost some rolling tips for maki-zushi.
First, it's important to use the correct sushi rice. DO NOT USE SWEET RICE.
I would recommend Kokuho Rose or Nishiki brand found at your local Asian
grocer. I posted a piece on rice preperation a few weeks ago, so I will
skip that here.
Next, as I'm sure you have already deduced, you need to have a bamboo mat
that is made for rolling sushi. I like to cover my mat with plastic wrap
(Saran or whatever) so that I don't have to mess with cleaning it later.
I use a long piece of plastic wrap so that it covers one side then the
other and then the first side again. Make sure the edges get sealed by
folding the edges toward the middle before wrapping the last side. This
will keep the wrap from coming off your mat.
Lay the mat flat on your kitchen counter. Then take a piece of your sushi
seaweed (nori) and lay it on the mat so that one of the longer edges is
nearest you. Place the glossier side down. For thinner rolls I cut my
sheets in half (cutting from one longer side across to the other), but for
now use a whole sheet as it will be easier. Wet your hands and then scoop
about half a cup of rice out of the bowl with your hands. Make a thick,
loose, "line" of rice across the seaweed from left to right, about a third
of the sheet away from you. Wet your hands again, and then, with your
fingertips, gently massage the rice so that you distribute the rice into a
thinner sheet that covers all but about 3/4 of an inch of the sheet along
the edge farthest from you. Do not pack the rice into oblivion! The
grains should still be intact. The resulting rice sheet should be less
than 1/4 inch thick. If your rice comes out thicker - use less rice in
the next roll.
Next, place your fillings on top of the rice, from left to right, about
1/3 the distance away from you. Do not overfill the rolls! Also, try to
use long things if possible (i.e. long strips of cucumber rather than
chopped cucumber) they will stay in the roll better. Using the bamboo mat
to help you roll, start the roll by taking the edge nearest you and
curling it over - just as if you were rolling up a sleeping bag or a
poster. Try to tuck the edge in as tightly as you can (within reason).
You may have to use your finger tips to make sure the filling stays
in the middle of your roll.
Once the roll is started, use the bamboo mat to finish rolling so that the
last 3/4 inch of seaweed overlaps the seaweed roll (like someone rolling
their own cigarette). DO NOT ROLL THE BAMBOO MAT INTO YOUR ROLL! It
won't taste very good. Once the roll is begun, you will need to lift the
edge of the mat that's about to get rolled inside, so that the rolling
continues, but the mat doesn't get rolled up too. Now, with the seaweed
seam on the underside of the roll, and the bamboo mat still over the top
of the roll, I usually pinch the left end of the mat (with the roll
inside) with my left hand, and the right end in my right hand. Then, and
this is a little tricky, with other fingers I try to compress the roll
into a square cross-section, while still holding the ends so that the
filling does not get squeezed out the ends. I make a square cross-section
because I like it. You can make round ones if you prefer.
Finally, using a *VERY* sharp, clean knife, I cut about a half inch off
each end. You should wipe your knife frequently. Some people use a
vinegar/water solution to clean the knife. Don't use a sawing motion,
instead just cut straight down trhough the roll very quickly. Next, cut
the roll in half and put the two identical shorter rolls next to each
other. At this point you should be able to cut the short rolls into
thirds by eye. I like to cut both short rolls at once so that the pieces
come out the same size. You should end up with six bite size pieces.
These can be arranged very nicely on a plate by having two pieces standing
on end, the two on their side right next to the first two, and then the
remaining two on end again - or vice-versa. You can also experiment with
cutting your rolls on a diagonal instead of straight across. Finally, you
can try wrapping your rolls inside-out, by flipping the nori sheet over
after you massage the rice, and putting the fillings on the other side.
This is where the plastic wrap really comes in handy. If you try this you
also have to turn the sheet around so the there is no seaweed exposed at
the roll's seam.
Good luck!
david
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David Cristol
> Finally, you
> can try wrapping your rolls inside-out, by flipping the nori sheet over
> after you massage the rice, and putting the fillings on the other side.
I have had terrible luck w/ inside out rolls. I was told to put the rice
on the plastic wrap and go from there. Have you tried both ways?
> This is where the plastic wrap really comes in handy. If you try this you
> also have to turn the sheet around so the there is no seaweed exposed at
> the roll's seam.
What do you mean by turn the sheet around? and should there be rice inside
and outside the nori? please go into more depth on inside out.
Thank you,
dacr...@globalvision.net