Fotomaki Matsuri Sushi (Sushi Roll Art)

 Futomaki Matsuri Sushi (pronounced 'zushi', to be exact) is a regional speciality from Chiba, where I come from.  This art of rolling sushi has been passed down for many decades and enjoyed at special gatherings such as weddings, celebration of child birth and funerals among families and communities.  Though it's still somewhat obscure local tradition, it's lately getting itself a name in Japan, thanks to the hard work of Prof. Eiko Ryuzaki, who did years of field research and wrote every technique down in her publications.     

I'm very happy to share the tradition of the place I grew up, though I am only a beginner at this and feel like there's a lot to improve! 

 -Mar. 26 grocery shopping € 1.39/ € 44.95 left

Ingredients (for 1 roll)
2 cups sushi rice (you'll need 425g/15oz cooked rice)
3 tbsp. vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp. sugar
a pinch of salt
pink food coloring

2 1/4 nori sheets
5 tbsp. sakura denbu (pink colored dried cod flake, should be available in Asian store)
5 stalks of boiled spinach

2 round cheese sticks

Directions
1. Cook rice.  Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
2. While rice still hot, stir in vinegar mixture and cool down to room temperature.
3. Weigh rice and divide into 300g and 125g.  Add pink food color to 125g rice.  
 *Save the remaining rice for emergency!  
4. Cut nori sheets to make 5 strips of 1/4 width.

5. On the center of 1/4 width nori sheet, spread 1 tbsp. sakura denbu and layer with 25g/0.88oz of pink rice then 10g/0.35oz of white rice. 

                                        

6. Using sushi mat, make a tear drop figure.  Make 5 of them.  They become flower petals.

7. Assemble all 5 petal parts together around stick cheese.

8. Between each petal part, line boiled spinach. 

 *I had to use frozen spinach but it's better to use fresh stalks because it's easier to line and looks better in slices. 

9. Spread 200g of white rice on the mat, leaving 2cm/1.5'' bottom and above uncovered.

10. Place flower in the middle, rotate the mat 90 degrees and hold from the bottom.  Cover the uncovered top of flower with the rest of white rice (50g/1.7oz) and bring the both sides of nori completely together, adjusting to make a round roll.  (Sorry no photos...)