The Dish: Sushi Teq -- California Roll

Chef Daisuke Shimitu

INGREDIENTS: Japanese rice
3 cups Japanese-style rice
3 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp sugar

METHOD
1. After washing the rice well, steam in pot or rice cooker.
2. Prepare sushi vinegar (sushi-zu) by mixing rice vinegar, and sugar in a small pan.
3. Put the pan on low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool the vinegar mixture.
4. Spread the hot steamed rice into a large plate (if you have it, use a wooden bowl called sushi-oke) by shamoji (spatula).
5. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold the rice by shamoji very quickly. Be careful not to smash the rice.
6. To cool and remove the moisture of the rice well, use a fan as you mix sushi rice. This will give sushi rice a shiny look. It's best to use sushi rice right away.

INGREDIENTS: California Roll (Makes 4-6 servings)
4 cups sushi rice
4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed)
1 avocado
3/4 cup crab meat
1/4 cucumber, sliced
sesame seeds

METHOD
1. Peel an avocado and cut it into strips or mash it.
2. Put crabmeat in a bowl.
3. Cover a bamboo mat with plastic wrap. Put a sheet of dried seaweed on top of the mat.
4. Spread sushi rice on top of the seaweed and press firmly.
5. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the sushi rice.
6. Turn the sushi layer over so that the seaweed is on top.
7. Place avocado and crab lengthwise on the seaweed.
8. Roll the bamboo mat forward, pressing the ingredients inside the cylinder-shaped sushi.
9. Press firmly the bamboo mat with hands, then remove the rolled sushi.
10. Cut the sushi roll into bite-size pieces.
11. Enjoy immediately and wash down with a blackberry mango margarita and shot of Tres Rios Resposado!

Sushi Teq
InterContinental Boston
510 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, MA 02210