Crazy night cooking at the Casbah!

The photo is not mine -- I'll try to use my friend's camera at lunch tomorrow to show you the real thing.

Tonite, I was going to enjoy beans and rice. Plains beans, plain rice, maybe some tabasco and soy sauce. But... nothing to write home about.

The rice was already going, the beans I cooked last night in the pressure cooker, just hanging out till it was ready. But I thought of what was in my room and I saw I had other stuff I could do. Better things. A can of coconut milk to make Thai curry. Tempting. OK, I'll do it, after all I just got paid again today and I'd be in Ourzazate soon to buy more coconut milk.

But it was only in my room when a bigger, bolder idea hatched in my brain. I stared in my pantry box, full of cans of mango and not much else. But there was some of the unusual Asian ingredients left to me by Mel from Teftchna, and from Nini in Tinzouline. Walnut oil, sesame oil, dried herbs and spices. Seaweed.

SEAWEED. If only I had a sushi kit and some good sushi stuff. But... the rice I was cooking is super-sticky, the cheapest rice sold in the hanut. It sticks just like japanese rice. Then, on my desk, I nearly wet my pants when I realized I had cucumber and avocado there! I bought them both for different things, but... what if I were to make the simple veggie rolls that I love so much?

An hour later, I was enjoying them and as I write there are three uncut rolls left in the fridge for the morning. They were extra easy to do, and they turned out a million times better than any attempt I'd ever had at home. The rice, after I added a quarter cup of sesame seeds, I spread it thick, as if it were peanut butter to all 4 edges of the entire sheet, then placed two thin strips of cucumber and small pieces of avocado along the center. Rolled it up just with my fingers, and put a small glob of extra rice to stick it together at the end. The knife I used was nice and sharp, easily cutting it into small ovals that I dipped into soy sauce. The same flavor that I always have loved... hallelujah! I'm now sushi-capable!

Now I'll soon be in Italy, I'll pick up a few dozen more boxes of sea weed, and so long as I can find avocado, I'm set!