Recipe: Sakura rolls

Ahead of next month’s Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, Kazuhiro Hayashi, executive chef at Miku, makes Sakura (cherry blossom) rolls:

Makes about 8 pieces of sushi

Ingredients

Sliced BigEye Tuna
Egg omelette
Spinach
Small slices of Shiitake mushrooms
Sakura Denbu (dried fish flakes)
Thinly sliced Japanese flounder (for wrapping)
1/3 cup sushi rice

Garnishes

Sliced pieces of asparagus
Salted Sakura flower
Chopped Shiso leaf

Method

-Sprinkle some Sakura Denbu on top of a long, wide piece of plastic wrap (the plastic wrap will be on top of the bamboo sushi mat).
-Lay the thinly sliced Japanese flounder on the Sakura Denbu.
-Place the rice on top and spread out over the flounder.
-Lay the omelette, sliced BigEye Tuna, spinach, and Shiitake mushroom on the rice.
-Roll the sushi up until it is completely joined.
-With a sharp knife, slice the sushi into 8 pieces. The plastic wrap helps to keep the sushi in place.
-Remove the plastic wrap and plate.

For garnish, arrange a sliced piece of asparagus on each, followed by the salted Sakura flower, and chopped Shiso leaf.

More Global BC recipes are available here