TOP Bolton chef Mike Harrison has cooked for the great and the good and now he is sharing some of his most popular recipes with readers.
Each week he will provide a tasty starter, main course or dessert.
So get cooking and if you are particularly pleased with what you produce send a photograph of your dish to features@theboltonnews.co.uk.
A FEW weeks ago Lindsay and I were married at Astley Bank hotel in Darwen, and I would like to say a really big thank you to Nigel, Helen and all their staff for going that extra mile.
Julie Taylor of Bolton’s Travel Counsellors arranged for us to have three nights in Dubai and then eight nights in the Maldives and this is where the inspiration for this week’s recipe comes from as on our island we ate sushi at a fantastic Japanese restaurant.
You can buy ready-made sushi rolls in the supermarkets.
Ingredients For the sushi: 255g/9oz sushi rice 55ml/2fl oz mirin 340g/12oz sashimi quality tuna cut into long thin strips 5 sheets nori seaweed sushi sheets 1 cucumber cut into 5 long pieces 5 spring onions 3 tsp wasabi paste to serve: light soy sauce Japanese pickled ginger Method Wash the rice well under cold water. Drain thoroughly and put into a large saucepan with a lid, cover with 1 pint of water.
Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for about 25 minutes or until nearly all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, cover with the lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Tip the rice on to a large flat clean tray. A metal tray is probably best as it will help the rice cool down quicker.
Drizzle the mirin over the rice, turning frequently with a wooden spoon as this helps the rice to cool. Then fan with a fan or a magazine until the rice is room temperature (not essential but quite authentic).
To make the sushi take a bamboo sushi mat and place a sheet of seaweed on top shiny side resting on the mat.
Have a small bowl of water to hand. Dip your fingers in the water before you touch the rice. Spread the rice over three quarters of the seaweed, take a little rice at a time and push it to the edges leaving a layer about half a cm thick. Leave the quarter the furthest away from you plain.
Next smear a little wasabi in a line a little off centre nearest to your body. Follow with a layer of tuna, a spring onion and a piece of cucumber. Or you could use grated carrot and strips of grated carrot and strips of green pepper.
Then roll up the bamboo mat slowly, tucking in the closer end of the sushi roll to start a roll and press lightly with both hands.
Remove the roll from the mat and leave to sit with the joining edges downwards.
You can wrap in cling film and keep in a cool place until you are ready to serve.
To serve, use a lightly moistened sharp knife to trim the ends, and then cut into six to eight pieces. Serve with the pickled ginger and little bowls of soy sauce.
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