Sushi

[Siji]

Ok chef boy-r-dee's.. I love sushi. Love, love, love, love sushi. Never tried making it at home. Went to a William-Sonoma store and they've got a new sushi cookbook thingie. Got me a hankerin' to thinkin' about trying it myself.

Anyone here done it already? Suggestions for what 'tools' are needed or supplies? Is it worth the effort, or is it simply better just to go to the all you an eat sushi buffet for $20..

Thanks!

[Arundel Pajo]

Ok chef boy-r-dee's.. I love sushi. Love, love, love, love sushi. Never tried making it at home. Went to a William-Sonoma store and they've got a new sushi cookbook thingie. Got me a hankerin' to thinkin' about trying it myself.

Anyone here done it already? Suggestions for what 'tools' are needed or supplies? Is it worth the effort, or is it simply better just to go to the all you an eat sushi buffet for $20..

Thanks!

Well, I got pretty good at it for a while, but then I stopped making it for some reason. It's been about 3 years since I've made any, at this point.

List of needs:
Sushi rice
Rice cooker
Sushi mat
Cling-wrap
Nori
Sugar
Rice vinegar for sushi
and any extras like seasonings and the whatnot.

Some things I recall from my experiments:

Use sushi rice. Normal white rice is *not* acceptable. Sushi rice is a smaller grain, and is more glutinous, making for a much firmer pack in your roll. Use a rice cooker - this is pretty much a must for sushi.

If you use fish in your sushi (toro, etc), then get the fish from an asian market that sells sushi-grade fish. All the difference in the world. Don't eat raw fish from your grocer unless you want to get ill. If you don't have access to a Japanese market, stick with kappa-maki, california rolls, and the like that don't use raw fish.

Best to just buy all your stuff from an asian market, anyway - it's cheaper that way. For example, I can drive half an hour to the Japanese market, and get a tin of powdered wasabi for 60 cents...enough to last me for a long time. Or, I can go to the market around here and get a small tube of prepared wasabi for 5 bucks. Crazy mark-up on this shit. Nori wraps are the same way.

Do you need a sushi knife? Well, no...not if you have a good, sharp chef's knife. The sushi knives they sell for about 100 bucks at the Japanese markets *do* look badass, though. When slicing a roll, the knife has to be *crazy* sharp. Really, really, really sharp - otherwise it will mash and mangle your roll. Take it slow, use very little pressure, and let the knife do all the work.

Your first rolls (norimaki) will suck. They will be flimsy, weak little things that resemble sushi in taste only. It takes a few tries to get used to using the sushi mat. Accept this before you begin, and you won't have the same initial disappointment. You might have better luck trying hand rolls (temaki) for your first attempt.

Like spicy rolls? Huy-Fong Foods' Sriracha is what they use in a lot of sushi bars, and it is your friend. Best sriracha on the market. We like to call it "hot cock sauce" - it comes in a clear plastic bottle with a rooster on it, and a green squirt cap.

edit>> some things I almost forgot:

Keep a bowl of warm water nearby when spreading the rice on your nori wrap. If your hands are slightly wet, you won't have as much of a problem with the rice sticking to them, and it will be easier to spread. Be sure to leave about a half inch border on all sides of the wrap, too, so that there is some overlap when you roll it up.

Wrapping your sushi mat in cling-wrap makes for much easier cleanup.

[Cracc]

Sushi sushi sushi!

[Aslanna]

Mmm sushi.

Too much work to make my own though. Making sure you have fresh fish probably being the toughest. I'll just head out to local sushi bar when I get the desire. No muss no fuss!