I am passionate about cooking - I have always been pursuing happiness through good food, fine wine, my dogs, and of course, with my family and friends!
Being raised in a home where good home cooking was shared with friends and family almost every other day, it was not difficult at all to embrace the concept of “you live to eat”.
Halloumi Sushi & Maki Rolls with Pissourkotiko Traditional Goat & Sheep Halloumi Charalambides Christis
Ingredients
Halloumi Maki Rolls (Futomaki) (Rice on the outside)
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100g Pissourkotiko Traditional Goat & Sheep Halloumi
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Avocado, sliced
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Cucumber, cut in julienne
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Black Sesame Seeds
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Spicy Japanese Mayonnaise
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Nori Sheets, seaweed wraps
Halloumi Sushi Rolls (Uramaki) (seaweed on the outside)
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100g Pissourkotiko Traditional Goat & Sheep Halloumi
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Avocado, sliced
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Cucumber, cut in julienne
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35g Mayonnaise
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15g Sweet Chili Sauce
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6g Sriracha Sauce
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Nori Sheets, seaweed wraps
Sushi Rice
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100g Sushi Rice
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180 - 200ml Water
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60ml Rice Vinegar
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½ tbsp Canola Oil
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2 tbsp Fine Sugar
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1 tsp Fine Sea Salt
Instructions
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First we make the rice seasoning mixture by combining in a pot the rice vinegar, oil, sugar, and salt. We cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. We allow the rice seasoning mixture to cool, and we keep aside.
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In the meantime, we make the sushi rice by rinsing the rice until the water runs clear and then adding to a pot with the water. We bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook, covered, until the rice is tender, and all the water has been absorbed, around 14’. You want the rice to absorb all the water but not burn or stick to the bottom of the pot!
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Remove from the heat and cool it quickly by spreading it out on a dish, gently fluffing it with a rice paddle and then add 3-4 tablespoons of the sushi seasoning and stir until the rice is nice and sticky, gently breaking up any clumps as you go — it'll look wet at first, but it'll dry as it cools. Cover the rice with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
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It is also important that we have our sushi hand water, otherwise known as Tezu, by combining 1 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar. Tezu is needed to create a non-stick barrier, which prevents the rice from sticking to our hands or to our knife as you shape and cut your sushi rolls. We use Tezu by lightly moistening the palm of one hand and rubbing our hands briskly together. Use just enough to prevent stickiness but not so much that the rice becomes soggy and falls apart. Keep the Tezu nearby and refresh your hands and knife regularly to maintain that non-stick touch.
- DIRECTIONS for the Halloumi Maki Rolls (Futomaki) (Rice on the outside)
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We cut the halloumi in half and then one half in thin strips. The other half will be used for the Uramaki rolls.
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To make the futomaki rolls we position the sushi mat on our bench with the sticks running horizontally and we lay a nori on top with the rough side facing up so that we have one whole circle when we roll the sushi.
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We lightly moisten one palm with the Tezu, rubbing our hands together to prevent the rice from sticking and we take a large handful of rice and using our fingertips we gently spread the rice evenly across the nori. Do not push or squeeze the rice or it will turn mushy. (TIP: Use a very light touch when making the bed of rice on the nori. If you press too hard, the rice will become more of a paste. A way to tell if we are doing it right is to make sure that we can still see individual kernels of rice on the nori sheet.)
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We then sprinkle some sesame seeds, and we flip the roll over. We spread some spicy mayonnaise in the middle of the roll and then we add some halloumi strips, cucumbers and avocado slices.
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With both hands we gently lift the sushi mat away from us and we roll it over to touch the other side and make one whole roll, pressing gently to keep the roll tight. Don't over squeeze.
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Remove the sushi mat and use a sharp knife to cut the roll in half making a smooth and quick motion to avoid squishing the ingredients. Then slice each half in half two more times to get 8 slices. Remember to keep dipping the edge of the knife in the ‘Tezu’ to stop the rice from sticking.
- DIRECTIONS for the Halloumi Sushi Rolls (Uramaki) (seaweed on the outside)
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We shred the other half of the halloumi, and we add into a bowl along with the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce sriracha sauce and we mix well.
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To make the uramaki rolls we position the sushi mat on our bench with the sticks running horizontally and we lay a nori sheet longest edge at the bottom, shiny side facing down.
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We lightly moisten our hands with the Tezu, rubbing our hands together to prevent the rice from sticking and we take some rice and using our fingertips we place a thin layer across the sheet. (The rice layer should be about 5-6mm thick). Do not push or squeeze the rice or it will turn mushy.
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We add to the middle of the roll the shredded halloumi mixture and on top the cucumber and avocado slices.
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With both hands we gently lift the bottom of the sushi mat away from us and we roll it over pressing everything together.
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Remove the sushi mat and use a sharp knife to cut the roll in half making a smooth and quick motion to avoid squishing the ingredients. Then slice each half in half two more times to get 8 slices Remember to keep dipping the edge of the knife in the ‘Tezu’ to stop the rice from sticking.
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Both rolls to be served with soy sauce, pickled ginger to cleanse the palate between bites, wasabi and a squeeze of teriyaki sauce.
