Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Hubby made Norimaki Sushi

Hubby made Norimaki Sushi for lunch on 22nd February. Norimaki is a cylindrical rolled Sushi where a sheet of Nori seaweed is tightly wrapped around rice and various kinds of fillings, such as fishes and vegetables.


I cooked rice and mixed a few tablespoons of vinegar, sugar, and salt to the hot rice. Such vinegar mixed rice is used for making Norimaki Sushi. It should be mentioned that although white rice is generally used for making Sushi, we used brown rice as we always eat brown rice at home. Hubby chose various kinds of vegetables and sea-foods as filling ingredients for the Norimaki Sushi. He cut strips of cucumber, avocado, Kanikama crab sticks, and pre-cooked shrimps as the fillings for their complementary tastes and colors. Next, to assemble the Sushi rolls, hubby placed a bamboo Sushi-rolling mat called Maki-sudare on the kitchen work surface. He placed Maki-sudare in such a way that the side with stitched cotton thread ends was on the far side of him in order not to enfold them in Sushi roll. Then he placed a sheet of Nori seaweed with its glossy side facing down on the bamboo mat. He arranged the edges of the Nori sheet and the mat on the near-side of him in the same line.
Hubby cutting vegetables as filling ingredients for making Norimaki Sushi

Bamboo Sushi-rolling mat Maki-sudare

All the filling ingredients cut into proper size and Nori seaweed sheet placed on the bamboo rolling mat

Hubby says ‘let me show my muscles before proceeding’


Next he spread vinegar mixed rice evenly over the Nori seaweed sheet, leaving the upper far-side edge of the Nori sheet by about 1 centimeter as an extra overlapping space to seal the roll tightly after rolling. After that, he laid out the selected filling ingredients in a line at the center across the rice. Also, he slightly moistened the exposed far-side edge of the Nori sheet with rice vinegar.
Hubby spreading vinegar mixed rice over the Nori sheet

Spreading the rice over the Nori sheet is almost completed

Laying the selected fillings in a line at the center across the rice

The fillings lay in the middle across the rice


Next, he rolled up the Nori sheet along with the rice and the fillings inside to form a cylindrical rolled structure. He rolled up the Nori sheet using the base bamboo rolling mat. First he lifted up the edge of the rolling mat on the near-side of him and rolled it over to enclose the ingredients. While rolling, he simultaneously pushed and held the core ingredients with his fingers towards the inside so that the ingredients did not fall out from the sides. After thoroughly and tightly rolling up, the rice vinegar-moistened edge of the Nori sheet towards his far-side met and got attached to the glossy back of the near-side edge (now rolled up) of the Nori sheet. Next he pressed gently around and along the rolled up mat with both hands for a while, and shaped the rolled mat with the Nori Sheet and other contents inside into roundish or cylindrical structure. After that he unwrapped and removed the rolling mat, and a cylindrical rolled Norimaki Sushi was made. It should be noted that the shiny surface of the Nori sheet becomes visible after rolling and making the Norimaki Sushi.
Hubby lifted up the edge of the rolling mat on the near-side of him and started rolling it

Rolling

Rolling completed and is followed by pressing around and along the rolled up mat

Hubby posing with the rolled up mat

Hubby holding the cylindrical Norimaki Sushi


Hubby made one more Norimaki Sushi, which was a bit thinner than the first one. In this case, he used only about half the amount of vinegar mixed rice as compared to the first one. He spread the vinegar mixed rice over the Nori seaweed sheet placed on the rolling mat, and laid out the selected filling ingredients in a line at the center across the rice. In addition, in this case, he spread mayonnaise over the fillings directly from a plastic tube. He rolled up the Nori sheet along with the rice and the fillings inside and completed making the second cylindrical Norimaki Sushi.
Hubby making a thinner Norimaki Sushi with less rice

He spread mayonnaise over the fillings directly from a plastic tube

Ready to be rolled

Hubby rolling up the bamboo mat along with the Nori sheet, rice, and fillings inside

Hubby posing with two cylindrical Norimaki Sushi


Hubby cut the two cylindrical Norimaki Sushi rolls into several pieces. First he sliced a roll in half and then placed the two halves together side by side, and cut them again at about 1/3 intervals to create 6 equal bite-size pieces. So with two cylindrical rolls, he made a total of 12 pieces of Norimaki Sushi. Care should be taken to cut firmly and straight down otherwise the roll may come apart or the round shape may be broken.
Hubby cutting the rolled Norimaki Sushi into several pieces

Arranged the bite-sized pieces on a plate

Looks delicious

Hubby says ‘let me try one’


We had Norimaki Sushi accompanied with Miso soup for lunch. While I enjoyed the Norimaki Sushi pieces without any dipping sauce, hubby had the Sushi pieces by dipping them in soy sauce. It was a healthy and delicious lunch.
Hubby’s lunch of Norimaki Sushi and Miso soup

Hubby ready to eat

Hubby having lunch


It was the first time for hubby to make Norimaki Sushi. The Sushi pieces tasted delicious. It was a nice relaxing day for us.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Freestyle Skiing World Cup Moguls in Tazawako

On 28th February, hubby and I went to see Freestyle Skiing World Cup Moguls event held at Tazawako Ski Area in Senboku City of Akita prefecture. Tazawako Ski Area is a beautiful place where visitors can enjoy the beauty of nature along with skiing. The skiing area is located about 105 kilometers northeast of our home and it took us about 2 hours of car ride to reach the area. We parked our car at a car parking lot and walked up to the ski facility where World Cup Moguls event was held. The path was very slippery and it took me almost 20 minutes to walk 500 meters up to the facility. Hubby was patient enough to walk slowly along with me. On reaching the area, I was very surprised to see the facility as I did not expect it to be so huge. We saw that the staffs were busy with some last-minute preparations of the moguls hill facility. It was wonderful to see so much whiteness all around us. We clicked a few photos standing right in front of the facility. There were many visitors who had come to cheer their favorite moguls skiers, and there was almost no space to stand near the base of the hill facility. So we walked to the right side of the facility, climbed up a bit, and waited for the event to start.
I am standing in front of moguls hill facility

Hubby standing in front of the facility

Waiting for the World Cup Moguls event to start

Wonderful whiteness all around us


Japanese freestyle skier Uemura Aiko was the ambassador of the World Cup Moguls event. Uemura Aiko is unarguably the most famous moguls skier of Japan who has participated in 5 Winter Olympic Games. We were thrilled to see her in person. She gave an opening speech, after which we waited for about 15 minutes for the event to start.
Uemura Aiko (red arrow) along with other staff members

Uemura Aiko giving an opening speech

Many visitors waiting for the World Cup Moguls event to start

I am always ready to pose


Finally the World Cup Moguls event started. There were men’s as well as women’s competitions. Initially I could not understand much about the event as I had absolutely no idea about mogul skiing. So hubby explained a little bit that it is a one timed run of free skiing on the steep moguls course with points given to the skier for turns, aerial maneuvers, and speed. Soon I caught up and enjoyed various kinds of jumps and technical turns performed by the moguls skiers. We enjoyed seeing the moguls skiers ski down the moguled hill, hit the kickers at a very high speed, launch themselves some 20-25 meters in the air and perform somersaults and twists, before touching down on the landing hill and continue skiing down. Seeing the moguls skiers perform turns, 3D, back flip, front flip, side flip, and many other technically challenging aerial maneuvers was really captivating. It was wonderful to see world-class moguls skiers participate and perform at their best in the event. We took many photos of the participants skiing down the hill and performing spectator-captivating aerial maneuvers. I also compiled a video of time-lapse photo sequences of many moguls skiers.
A moguls skier performing 3D (I call this one 3D - 1)

Zoomed in view of 3D - 1

Another moguls skier performing 3D (3D - 2)

Zoomed in view of 3D - 2

Yet another moguls skier performing 3D (3D - 3)

Zoomed in view of 3D - 3

A moguls skier performing back flip (Backflip - 1)

Zoomed in view of Backflip - 1

Another moguls skier performing back flip (Backflip - 2)

Zoomed in view of Backflip - 2

Yet another moguls skier performing back flip (Backflip - 3)

Zoomed in view of Backflip - 3

A moguls skier performing front flip (Frontflip - 1)

Zoomed in view of Frontflip - 1

Another moguls skier performing front flip (Frontflip - 2)

Zoomed in view of Frontflip - 2

A moguls skier performing side flip

Zoomed in view of side flip

A moguls skier performing turn

Zoomed in view of turn


A compiled video of time-lapse photo sequences of many moguls skiers


Afterwards we enjoyed seeing the award ceremony. A Japanese woman named Hoshino Junko was placed second on that day’s women’s competition. We were happy that a Japanese participant was amongst the top three winners.
A moguls skier participant being interviewed by a television crew

Award ceremony of the women’s competition

The award ceremony as viewed from another angle


After the award ceremony, we left the area and walked back to the car parking lot. But before leaving the area, we again clicked a few photos of us standing right in front of the moguls facility. It was the second time in my life to stand outside in such cold weather for almost 4 hours but it was worthwhile as we thoroughly enjoyed the World Cup Moguls event. It was a fun-filled cold day for us.
I am standing in front of moguls hill facility

Hubby standing in front of the facility