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I'm replying to the group, since I think others will ask ...

At 05:15 AM 10/21/2002 +0000, you wrote:
>Would it be possible to have a more detailed shushi recipe, the one with
>dried gourd? Do we buy the gourd strip ready made at chinese market or can
>we make them?and how? Can you e-mail the person who gave you the
>informations and ask her or him? Thank you so much.

That would be me, I think. My mother used to make sushi a lot, it was one
of our favorite snacks. A sushi is basically the Japanese version of a
sandwich, and you can put anything you want in the middle. There are a lot
of recipes on the web, but really, it's like getting a recipe for a
sandwich. Just put anything you want in the middle.

The gourd, however, is not obvious! You need to go to a Japanese (or other
Asian) market. They usually have a huge dried food section, with some
amazing things in it -- they are lots of fun just to peruse! Anyway,
somewhere in there you will see a bag labelled "dried gourd strips". They
look like leather strips, about a foot long. Buy a package.

At home, you can pour some teriyaki sauce and warm water or broth into a
bowl, and add the gourd strips (or gf soy sauce plus some sugar). The
strips will soften. Then you put them down the middle of your sushi.

We also liked omlette strips, which are easier. Take about 3 eggs, mix with
some teriyaki sauce with a fork. Pour into a hot pan with oil in it, and
cook into a big flat pancake (a flat omlette). Then cut it into strips and
put it in your sushi.

My family's favorite sushi though, is one with canned tuna or smoked salmon
down the middle, with strips of dill pickle. That's all. Carrot strips are
good too, and chopped roasted nuts. Cream cheese, if you like it.
Montrechet (goat cream cheese), is even better (most people really love it
when they try it, though the term "goat cheese" bothers people for some
reason!). Sauerkraut, surprisingly, is good too, or homemade cultured
vegies if you do that.

When I mix up the rice, I add a sauce made from rice vineger, sugar, and a
bit of salt to the hot rice, and let it sit. Have a bowl with water in it
handy, to dip your hands into, because the rice is sticky. When you are
done rolling up the sushi, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge
for an hour or so to get cold, before you cut it.

Sushi does well in a lunch box with a cold pack. I used to carry them
instead of sandwiches, before I was gf, just because I think they taste
better. And no, my family isn't Japanese (with a name like Heidi?), but my
Dad was stationed there during the war and got to love the culture. They
have some good ideas about food, and most of them don't involve wheat ...



Heidi

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