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Do-it-Yourself Sushi

  • Heidee
  • May 11, 2010

As we anticipate the arrival of the movie Sex and the City 2, some of us may rewatch the first movie, you know, like a refresher course. One scene that stands out is that of Samantha taking lessons in how to make hand-rolled sushi so that she can make her own sushi and cover her body with it, Nyotaimori style, as a Valentine’s gift for her beau. Now just in case you want to follow suit (hey, we don’t judge here… and we hope you don’t get stood up by your workaholic guy) or you just can’t get enough of the stuff but you haven’t bounced back from the recession yet and can’t afford to keep eating them from your favorite Japanese restaurant, we are here to help you.

But first, let us introduce you to the different kinds of sushi.

*Sashimi – Simply raw fish, sliced thinly, served without rice.

* Nigiri sushi – Consists of a slice of topping like raw fish or seafood lying on a thumbsize chunk of rice, with a small amount of wasabi between the two.

* Chirashi-zushi – Prepared in a bowl with several different kinds of fish and vegetables mixed in with rice. Think sushi salad.

*Oshizushi – Literally means “pressed sushi,” made by layering the ingredients on top of rice in a wooden mold known as an Oshizushi-Bako.

*Maki – A roll of fish, seafood or vegetable with rice wrapped in nori (seaweed). Two variations of the maki sushi are: (a) Futomaki – “fat maki”, the bigger form of this type usually made with two or more different fillings. and (b) Hosomaki – “thin maki”, made with only one filling, usually fish or seafood, but may also be a single vegetable.

And here you thought that the only type of sushi around is the maki. Can’t blame you. That is, after all, the most popular kind of sushi in America.

Now let’s move on to the actual process of making sushi:

Ingredients:
*Sushi or Sashimi-Grade Fish
*Two vegetables or other fillings
*Short-Grained Rice (with sticky consistency)
*Rice Vinegar (Japanese rice vinegar for best results)
*Nori – a thin sheet of seaweed, ideal for rolling sushi.
*Gari
*Wasabi
*Soy Sauce

Accessories:
*Sharp Knife (any will do, but you may also want to get a special sushi knife)
*Bamboo Mat

Instructions:

First you will need to make sushi rice. Our recipe page will guide you on how to do that.

Now comes the fun part. Wrap and roll! (Yes I purposely made it sound like rock and roll.)

*Put a sheet of plastic wrap over the bamboo mat.
*Place Nori down on the bamboo mat, shiny side down.
*With damp hands, grab the cooked rice and spread it onto the Nori. The layer of rice should be thin enough so that you can see the nori underneath.
*Leave about half an inch of space at the edge of the nori furthest from you, and rub a bit of warm water on it. This will help the two sides of nori stick together.
*Line up your ingredients in the middle of the nori.
*Holding the closest edge of the bamboo mat, roll the sushi away from you.
*Tighten the roll as you go, the same way you would a rug to minimize excess space. Be careful not to make it too tight, however, or fillings may start to fall out.
*Once tightened, you should be able to unwrap the bamboo without the roll coming apart.
*Cover your roll with the bamboo mat and press your hands over it to further pack the roll.
*Move your full roll to a cutting board. Slice it first down the middle. From there you can cut it into as many pieces as you want.

That’s how to make your basic maki, but you can check out some more variations over at our recipe section.

Now that you’re done with the main dish, it’s time to make the condiments, without which the sushi would not taste as good (trust me, I know, because last night I tried to do so and it wasn’t pretty). They would be soy sauce with wasabi to dip the sushi in and the gari which should be eaten between sushi courses to cleanse the palate. Soy sauce can be bought from most grocery stores, and you can also buy ready-made wasabi and gari, but if you want to make your own, below are the instructions.

How to Make Gari:
*The only ingredients you need to make gari are ginger root, rice vinegar, and sugar. 4-6 ounces of ginger will make about one serving of gari.
*Rinse the ginger root with water and peel off all the skin. Slice the ginger thinly.
*Mix the sugar in with the rice vinegar. For one serving, about one cup of vinegar should do. Generally, three parts vinegar to two parts sugar is a good ratio. Bring the mixture to a boil, then pour it over the sliced ginger.
*Let the ginger cool. You will notice the color changing to its recognizable pink. Once it cools to room temperature, you can store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

How to Make Fresh Wasabi:
*Fresh wasabi should be consumed within twenty minutes of grating, so do this just before serving the sushi.
*Rinse the wasabi rhizome in water. Peel the skin, paying special attention to any bumps or grooves. The surface should be relatively smooth when you’re done. Holding the root perpendicular to a grater, grate the wasabi and gather into a pile.
*Wait just a few moments before serving. The flavor and intensity will take a short time to develop.

Now you’re ready to eat your creations. Pour some soy sauce onto a small saucer and dissolve some wasabi in it. Pick up the sushi with your fingers and dip only the fish side into the soy sauce. Typically, one avoids getting soy sauce on the rice. Try to eat the entire piece in a single bite. If this is not possible, two bites are acceptable, as long as one does not put down the sushi between bites. Once you swallow, cleanse your palate with a small piece of gari.

Enjoy!

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