Kelp Rolls - Maki Konbu for New Year

[helenjp]

Kelp Rolls - Maki Konbu for New Year

You may make these rolls stuffed with the traditional dried herring (soak 2-3 days while changing water, boil in rice-washing water, remove head and bones, fillet, simmer again in bancha tea - for soft semi-dried fish, you don't need to soak as long), salt salmon, chicken, surimi with shrimp, dried tofu...or don't fill them at all, make "empty" rolls, or simple ties.

• 8 lengths of kombu
  
• 16 30 cm strips of kampyo (dried gourd)
  
• 2 salt salmon slices (lightly salted)
  
• 1/2 T salt for rubbing kampyo
  
• 1 T sake (rice wine)
  
• 2 T sugar
  
• 1 T mirin (sweet rice wine)
  
• 4 T soy sauce
  

* Soak konbu in plenty of water (reserve water).

* Remove skin and any bones from pieces of salmon, cut into strips about 2-3cm wide. If you wish, you can simmer the salmon with the teabag and water briefly before skinning, boning, and cutting. However, salted salmon does not need the pre-treatment required for traditional fish such as dried herring etc.

* Soak kanpyo in plenty of water – don’t soak too long or it will weaken. When soft, rub with salt to make pliable, rinse off salt, and set aside.

* Drain konbu, wipe (makes it easier to handle).

* Place fish on one end of the konbu, roll up, and tie in two places with the kampyo strips. Tie fairly loosely, as the kelp will expand.

* Place in a pan and cover with kelp soaking liquid, add water to just cover, add sake and a drop lid. Simmer on gentle heat for about 2 hours, until nice and soft when pierced with a skewer. Alternatively place in a thermal cooker, or put in your rice cooker, set to “okayu” (congee) setting.

* Add rest of seasonings (reduce sugar 10 1 T and use 3 T mirin if desired), cook for a further hour. Turn if necessary to make sure flavor penetrates evenly and rolls don’t burn.

* Allow to cool in pan if possible, drain, trim ends neatly, trim ties, and cut each roll in half (so that there is one tie to each roll).

Line up family with bowls of hot rice, and dump tasty trimmings on top of rice.

Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Japanese, Seafood, Vegetarian, Intermediate

( RG2072 )