Japanese and Chinese cuisines are gaining popularity in our country from year to year. Rolls and sushi occupy a special place, now you can try them not only in a Japanese restaurant, but also order home delivery or even make it yourself. But before you start cooking them yourself, you need to figure out how they differ from each other.
Sushi and rolls. What's the Difference?
Let's understand how one is different from the other. The principle of sushi is fish or seafood with rice. Sushi is a harmonious combination of complementary products.
Rolls
Rolls are a modification of sushi, they are prepared in the form of rolls, other seasonings and fish are used. Auxiliary tools also vary. So, for rolls, a bamboo mat called makisu is used. Rice is wrapped in nori, in this way the roll is held together.
Do rolls store?
Of course, this product is considered perishable. Fresh rolls and sushi products are used that do not have expiration dates, so they should be eaten right away.
If fish is used for cooking after processing, for example, smoked or salted, then the shelf life increases. Storage time differs depending on whether this dish is cooked at home or bought in a store.
How to store rolls at home?
It is not always possible to calculate the amount of treats so that there are no residues. And then the question arises: where and how to store rolls or sushi? Let's consider in more detail:
- The shelf life of the rolls after cooking expires in 3-4 hours, this dish is good to eat fresh.
- If there is raw fish in the composition, then even thoughts about storage should not be allowed. It is advisable to eat these sushi immediately after preparation.
- If the rolls or sushi were in the refrigerator before meals, then they should be warmed to room temperature. So the taste of the dish will be better.
- When ordering a product, you need to pay attention to the weather on the street, as well as to clarify the temperature in the car that is engaged in delivery. Indeed, a lot of time can pass from the moment of order to its receipt, and most of the dish will be on the road.
- Processed fish rolls and sushi should be stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This is important since palatability may be lost.
- They should be stored in the refrigerator on a wide flat plate covered with cling film to prevent airing. It is not recommended to leave them in containers, because the appearance will be weary, and the taste will become worse due to the fact that they dry out.
- With smoked or baked fish, the shelf life of the rolls is 12 hours.
- The composition of the dish affects the expiration date. If there is no seafood or fish, then the shelf life of the rolls increases. If any sauce is present, then such sushi or rolls can go bad very quickly.
- The most important thing is the temperature regime. Rolls and sushi are not stored at temperatures exceeding 2 degrees.
Storage
The shelf life of rolls in the refrigerator is undoubtedly increasing, but there are nuances everywhere. What should I look for with this storage method?
- The shelf life of the rolls in the refrigerator also depends on the method of preparation. For example, baked rolls are not stored in the refrigerator and eaten hot.
- Only in the refrigerator can you leave rolls. At room temperature, this is strictly prohibited.
- During delivery (if delivered by courier) you need to open the boxes before transferring money and make sure that the products are fresh. The rice should be white, the fish is not dried.
- When buying in a store, it will be useful to study the packaging, in particular, the shelf life of the rolls. Open them only before a meal.
Is it possible to freeze rolls?
Ready-made rolls and sushi are not subject to freezing. So they will lose their taste, presentable appearance, nutrients.
Rolls at home? Easy!
To enjoy delicious sushi and rolls, there is no need to visit restaurants or sushi bars. You can cook rolls at home. A step-by-step recipe is easy to implement. Consider a few recipes.
Rolls "California"
California rolls are the most popular and favorite in Russia. The filling includes orange tobiko caviar, crab meat, Japanese mayonnaise and avocado. It would seem that everything is simple, but there are a couple of nuances:
If there is no crab meat, then do not replace it with crab sticks. The taste will suffer greatly from this. With this option, it is better to use shrimp.
It is permissible to exchange avocados for cucumbers, and Japanese mayonnaise is replaced with curd cheese.
Ingredients:
- rice 350 g .;
- rice dressing 80-100 g .;
- bamboo mat;
- nori sheets;
- crab meat / shrimp;
- avocado / cucumber;
- curd cheese / Japanese mayonnaise;
- caviar;
- water 360 ml;
- cling film.
Cooking:
First, rice is boiled. While it is boiling, all other ingredients are prepared. It is better to wrap the mat with cling film. This will facilitate the process of forming rolls, and then the process of washing the mat.
Next, sheets of algae are prepared. For these rolls, the sheets are divided in half. If the roll fails from half, then the sheet can be divided into 2/3.
Avocados need to be peeled and cut into slices or strips. Defrost crab meat, remove all solid partitions, chop into strips. When everything is prepared, we begin to create.
We wet our hands in cold water (so that the rice does not stick to our hands) and take the rice. We spread it with a thin layer on the algae, retreating 1-1.5 centimeters from the edge (for subsequent bonding of the rolls). But on the other hand, these same 1-1.5 cm go beyond the edges of the algae. When laying out rice, you do not need to crush it.
Important! If the plans are Uramaki rolls (those with rice on top) with sesame seeds or tobiko, then already at this stage it is necessary to sprinkle rice with sesame seeds or tobiko. If you prepare rolls of the Philadelphia type, then you don’t need to sprinkle rice with anything.
Evenly covers rice with caviar. After this, the nori sheet turns over, for this you need to help yourself with the second part of the mat. Then it turns over along with rice and seaweed, it is better to hold the mat with your hand. The upper part of the Makisu is removed, and it turns out that the rice was on the bottom, and the nori on top. The filling is laid out in the middle of the nori.
"California" consists of crab meat, Japanese mayonnaise and avocado.
Now the roll is curled using makisu. How to twist? You need to raise the edge of the mat with one hand, and hold the filling with the other. Thus, you need to wrap the roll until the edges touch. Now, equally pressing on the roll in the mat, it needs to be rolled several times to give density. The shape is selected as desired: square, triangular, round.
Roll is divided into six or eight parts. It is cut either with a special sushi knife or with the sharpest hot knife possible. In order for the pieces of the roll to remain intact and even, before each subsequent cutting, the knife must be cleaned of the remnants of cottage cheese / mayonnaise and rice.
To make everything beautiful, first roll is cut in half, then both parts are folded in a row in width and cut into 4 parts each.
By this principle, a large number of rolls with the most diverse and delicious fillings are prepared. There are several more ways to cook rolls at home with step-by-step recipes, but that's another story. The main thing is to remember how to cook correctly, how to store and, of course, eat. If you buy, then only in trusted locations that have earned a good reputation and are responsible for their products. Then only positive impressions will remain, and the taste will be unforgettable.