Sushi- First Attempt

Sushi- it seemed alltogether daunting from the outset. But I have seen J & F do it a few times, so I figured I'd give it a go. It was inspired by this beautiful weather, and I was hoping to make this into a picnic lunch.

First, assemble the necessary ingredients:

Pictured I have here:

rice (soaking)

nori, seaweed sheets

bamboo rolling mat

rice wine vinegar

pickled ginger strips

black sesame seeds

wasabe paste

assorted vegetables: jullienned carrots, bok choy cabbage, avocado, cucumber

Really, the only thing you need to pay attention to is getting the rice right. But since the main thing with the rice is the rinse and soak, it really isn't that hard. I made rice with 2 cups of uncooked rice, and 2.5 cups water. This was already too much for little ole me, because it rendered enough for 4-5 rolls.

Start with your rice in a collander and bowl. Cover the rice with water and swirl a few times, get your hands in there and mix it around, don't be afraid to get those hands wet! Drain the water from the rice and repeat the process. Finally towards the end I just put the collander full of rice under the faucet and let it run. Repeat washing and rinsing until the water exiting is clear and not foggy anymore.

Then, soak the rice fully covered in water for at least a half an hour.

Cook the rice in a 1:1.2 ratio, or really not much more water than there is rice. Like other rices, you let the water boil first, add the rice, bring back to a boil for a moment and turn down the heat to low and cover. This kind of rice only takes about 20 minutes to cook. Remove from heat and set aside with the lid still on top to 'steam' further.

Rice Vinegar

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 tbs white sugar

1 tsp salt

Heat the vinegar ingredients on the stove top just long enough for the salt and sugar to dissolve. Remove from heat and let vinegar cool.

Mix the vinegar into the rice, gently not to break too much rice, and let all cool.

Now you're ready to begin.

Start by placing the rough side of the nori face up on the bamboo mat

With wet hands, place a large mound (a little more than a handful) on top of the middle of the nori. Spread evenly over the nori (this is easier with wet hands). Start with less than you need, because adding more rice is easier than taking rice away.

Leave an inch or so without rice at the end so you can close the roll properly.

Add the other ingredients, such as fish if you have some top quality fresh fish, or in my case the vegeteables and crab sticks.

Roll tightly with the bamboo mat until closed. Cut with a sharp knife, and serve with soy sauce, ginger and wasabi. Enjoy!

To make the inside-out roll is a bit trickier. You must first cover your bamboo mat in plastic wrap, seed lightly with sesame seeds, and roll out the rice on top of that, about the same dimensions as the nori sheets. Cut one nori sheet in half, place the fillings on top of the nori sheet and roll tightly.

Sushi

Making sushi at home can be a fun activity to make your favorite kinds of sushi and can be a great way to save money. With a little practice, sushi making can go relatively fast, making it an easy and healthy dinner option.
Sushi is the tradition of raw or fermented fish and vinegar rice that started out as convenient street vending food in Tokyo Japan. There are so many versions of sushi now, that sushi can be made to any preference and with a wide range of ingredients.

My Brazilian friends J and F have been making sushi at home for a while, and they've really mastered the art. I just watched this time, to soak up a few tips and make a mental inventory of all the ingredients I would need. Now that J and F have the hang of it, the preparation goes relatively fast.
They start with the rice ahead of time.

Sushi Rice:

A short grained rice with more gluten in it should be used for sushi, because it sticks together more easily.

Rinse the rice several times until the water runs through clear. That way any talc or other starches can be removed before cooking

Cook rice in almost equal ratios to water. For example, 3 cups of rice to 3.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil uncovered, then cover the rice for approximately 20 minutes.

Let the rice cool.

Vinegar seasoning:
5 tbs rice vinegar (only rice vinegar will do)

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Bring these ingredients to a slow simmer in a pan until the sugar dissolves and remove from heat. Gradually stir the seasoning into the rice and allow to cool uncovered.

Now for the other ingredients, these can be varied to preferences of course:

seaweed or nori sheets

fresh fish (the very freshest possible)

cooked shrimp/crab meat

carrots and cucumber julienned to matchstick size

mayonnaise

wasabi paste

soy sauce

pickled ginger (I've been told that this is to cleanse the pallete in between tasting different sushis)

chives or spring onions

The amounts of the ingredients depends on how many you plan to serve and can be judged by just eyeballing the amounts.

J & F made Temaki sushi, which is a type of presentation of sushi in which the ingredients are rolled up into the nori in the shape of a cone. The nori sheets can be quartered into four squares for this. If making this kind of sushi, it is easier if some of the fish is chopped very finely, mixed with a small dab of mayo and wasabi paste, and sprinkled with diced chives. Then the rest of the ingredients can be added as you wish.

Other great ways of preparation are to slice the fish (in this case, we used salmon, as it is most commonly available, fresh and inexpensive in Finland) thinly, and to leave it raw or to quickly sear the fish slices on each side. To sear the fish, the pan must be hot before adding the fish, and you should have tongs or chopsticks on hand to flip the slices quickly. To sear the fish briefly give the fish a smooth texture.
On the seared salmon slices, J spread some of her special seasoning mix on top for flavor. This consisted of mayonnaise, wasabi paste and chives. I'm sure a little lemon juice would also be nice, or if you prefer cilantro or lemongrass to chives it could be a good option.

If making makisushi, or the rolls you are used to ordering at a sushi restaurant, you will need also a bamboo mat, or some other surface that can be easily rolled. For uramaki, in which the rice is on the outside of the roll, you will need some sesame seeds to sprinkle before adding the rice, so it does not stick to the mat. If making futomaki or hosomaki, with the nori on the outside, you don't need to worry about sticking as much. Spread the rice thinly along the mat or the nori before adding filling. You will need a very sharp knife to cut the roll into slices afterwards.

Most importantly, remember to relax and have fun. There is no one right way to make sushi, and as long as you use fresh ingredients you are bound to have a delicious and healthy meal!

Douzo meshiagare! (Enjoy your meal!)