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October 20, 2009

Raw power: Edible art of sushi draws fans to demonstration



By Debbie Robinson

news@joplinglobe.com

Growing up in Burma, Hein Han ate mostly Thai food and dishes flavored with red curry.

Today, he is a master chef at creating sushi rolls that are not only delectables, but works of art.

Han, 29, held a class at The Vinery, 120 S. Main St., on Saturday for about a half dozen students who were interested in making sushi rolls.

Han said he came to the United States from Guam and settled in San Jose, Calif., after receiving political asylum. His foray into crafting scrumptious sushi rolls began in California, when a friend taught him how to make the rolls.

He made his way to the Joplin area after gaining a contract with Price Cutter supermarket to provide them with fresh sushi rolls.

Before the demonstration and hands-on training, participants dined on miso soup prepared by Han along with some wine. Miso soup is popular in Japanese cuisine and can be prepared with dashi soup stock, miso paste, green vegetables or tofu.

During the class, participants watched as Han explained the preparation of making sushi rice and slicing various ingredients — such as uncooked thinly-sliced salmon, crab meat and ground tuna — for the inside of the sushi rolls.

Han makes his sticky rice with combinations of rice vinegar, white vinegar, corn syrup and salt. Before cooking, the rice should be rinsed twice with water, then add the vinegar mix. Many sushi rice recipes call for water to be added to the vinegar mix, but Han replaced that with 3 1/2 cups of vinegar.

Before adding 5 cups of rice, the class rubbed avocado on their hands to prevent the rice from sticking to them.

First, he said, you wrap clear film wrap around small bamboo sushi-roll mats, then spread a seaweed wrap on the mat. The smooth side of the seaweed is placed facedown, he said.

“When you make sushi, I don’t recommend a lot of meat because it will fall out,” Han said.

Second, he said, you make a baseball-size mound of sushi rice, placing it on the seaweed.

“You don’t want the rice too hot,” he said. “You can put anything you want in sushi.”

Participants received instruction on slicing ingredients — always with a very sharp knife. Han recommended rolling the knife at a diagonal, instead of a sawing motion.

Once the ingredients are added, Han recommended rolling the bamboo mat on the side nearest to you. Once the cylinder-shaped roll is complete, squeeze the mat to ensure the roll won’t come apart, he said.

On one roll, Han blended a spicy mixture that contained mayonnaise, a spicy sauce and sesame seeds for flavor. The heat of the sauce can be adjusted by the amount of spicy sauce that is added, he said.

Han used Sriracha sauce, which originally was made in Thailand.

“I like spicy,” Han said.

One of Han’s trademark sushi rolls is called “The Vinery” in honor of the local wine shop. That sushi rolls contains shrimp, which he recommended smashing somewhat to squeeze the water out.

For a salmon roll, Han said salmon with black pepper can be placed in the microwave for three to four minutes, then squeezed to remove moisture. A spicy sauce of hot sauce, mayonnaise, soy sauce and paprika are added to the thinly-sliced salmon before the roll is completed.

Although sushi rolls originated in Japan, the Japanese don’t make the California roll that is popular in the United States., Han said.

Han also demonstrated the use of barbecued eel in sushi rolls and offered the participants a sample. Most ingredients for sushi rolls, he said, can be ordered online.

“I really like sushi,” said Helen Holland of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. “I just wanted to see how to make it.”

As for Han?

“I don’t like it so much anymore,” he said. “I prefer Thai and Indian.”

Han is engaged to Holly Bloodworth of Joplin, who attended Saturday’s class. They met at Price Cutter when she was employed there, she said.

As for sushi, Bloodworth said that she is not a fan.



Demonstrations

Hein Han demonstrates the art of making sushi rolls at Trios, 112 S. Main St., on Thursday evenings.

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