# Sushi, anyone?



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I have decided that I want to make my own sushi. Anyone else make their own? I'll probably stick with pretty simple fare to begin with (California rolls, Philadelphia rolls, and others with smoked salmon or crab meat). I ordered a bamboo mat and paddle, as well as sheets of nori. I also downloaded "Sushi for Dummies" yesterday.  Any kindred souls here?


----------



## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

I've made sushi two or three times.  It's fun.  I didn't use raw fish, though; just smoked salmon and imitation crab meat.  Also added cucumbers, sesame seeds, and avocado.  Just make sure you use the right kind of rice.


----------



## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I've made it a couple times, same way as Daniel. My rolls were always pretty loose and messy looking because I'm not great at rolling it, but it's still delicious!


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Daniel Arenson said:


> I've made sushi two or three times. It's fun. I didn't use raw fish, though; just smoked salmon and imitation crab meat. Also added cucumbers, sesame seeds, and avocado. Just make sure you use the right kind of rice.


That's what I like the best. I didn't realize that sushi rice is flavored with rice wine vinegar and sugar, and that "sushi" actually refers to the rice rather than the fish. I already have short grain rice, and am waiting for my other things to arrive on Wednesday.


----------



## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I have made sushi a few times. It is a fun group activity. The rolls I have made aren't very pretty, but taste good enough. Just make sure you prepare the rice correctly. I do not have access to sushi grade fish, so I use crab, shrimp, veggies, etc.


----------



## Ilyria Moon (May 14, 2011)

*drools all over the thread*

*runs out to buy rubbish sushi from the store, just to satisfy my craving*


----------



## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I have heard that the chefs that make sushi spend a HUGE amount of time just learning how to make the rice properly.  I mean, HUGE...doctors can become doctors faster than these apprentices can become sushi chefs.


----------



## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

I love, love, love sushi. I have everything to make my own, but have to make rolls with "cooked" ingredients as we can't get fresh fish in the local grocery.

I think the most difficult part is the consistency of the rice, but once you get that the way you want, the rolling is not so hard. It is really fun to try the inside out rolls which take a little more practice.
 My kids got me this book a couple of years ago, and I found it a simple, easy to follow resource with great pictures.


----------



## Meb Bryant (Jun 27, 2011)

My poor husband, who hates sushi, takes me to eat sushi every other Sunday. I think I'm addicted. Years ago, my friend from Japan instructed me how to make sushi, where to buy the rice and how to roll the rice with bamboo sheets. After a lengthy lesson yielding poor results, I determined that those that can't, should go out to eat.

If you need a taster, let me know. BTW, maki is my favorite style.


----------



## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

Love sushi!  I've thought about making it a few time but haven't bought the stuff to attempt it.  

Cindy, I can get Nori at my local Krogers in the International Food section. I make a lot of Japanese Hot Pot and can't get much of anything locally but they always have Nori since they make sushi in the store.  You probably don't have to order that.

I've gone to the Japanese grocery a couple of time.  There's one about an hour away.  They have fresh eels in a tank.  I'd love to know how to kill, skin an eel and prepare it.  Unagi is my absolute favorite! 

Botan Calrose is the rice I use to make sticky rice, it's considered a sushi rice.


----------



## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

You all are a much braver lot than I. I love sushi, but have never attempted to make it. That is very cool that you do.


----------



## Steve Silkin (Sep 15, 2010)

had home-made sushi at a friend's house yesterday while he was helping me with new cover art. yum!! usually it's just at restaurants, though. there's a chain here called 'kabuki' that does fantastic rolls. i often go to the grocery store across the street from my office for lunch, they have a sushi chef there who makes wicked spicy tuna bowls. when there aren't any on the shelf, he makes one for me: as long as i don't stand and watch! he says it makes him nervous, so he tells me to walk around the store and come in two minutes.


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

crebel said:


> I love, love, love sushi. I have everything to make my own, but have to make rolls with "cooked" ingredients as we can't get fresh fish in the local grocery.
> 
> I think the most difficult part is the consistency of the rice, but once you get that the way you want, the rolling is not so hard. It is really fun to try the inside out rolls which take a little more practice.
> My kids got me this book a couple of years ago, and I found it a simple, easy to follow resource with great pictures.


I was looking at that book, Crebel. May have to put it on my list.

Like several others of you, I live where sushi-grade fish isn't available, so I'll go with the cooked varieties. For those of you who don't think you have success rolling the rolls with the mat, you might want to take a look at the product below. The reviews are very good, and people say it's easy to use. I'm going to give the bamboo mats a try first. I thought that I could control the amount of rice that I use a bit more easily than if I were to try the plunger method. People say that the plunger makes perfect sushi, albeit larger rolls with a bit thicker layer of rice. Since I'm a Weight Watchers member, I'd like to go with a bit less rice.

I love the freshness and delicate nature of the tastes of the sushi that I've had, and was impressed when someone who reviewed the kit (shown below) said that he/she was afraid of weight gain when he/she went on the sushi-making binge, but was surprised to see weight loss. Sounds like a winner to me.


----------



## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

No sushi for me. The only kind of fish I eat is the sort that's been deep-fried in crispy batter, Long John Silvers' style.


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Dara England said:


> No sushi for me. The only kind of fish I eat is the sort that's been deep-fried in crispy batter, Long John Silvers' style.


I love fish, although most completely raw ones are closer to the bottom of my favorites list. Have to admit that I like Long John Silver's fish (and chicken planks!), too, but seldom have them because of the salt and the fat.


----------



## Laura Lee (May 17, 2011)

I've made it at home a few times, and it is fun, but generally a lot more trouble than I want to take with my food. I stick to sashimi -- just the raw fish, with some sticky rice on the side, but not rolled. So I get the same flavors without the fuss. Of course, I haven't even done that since I moved from Florida to the Kentucky hills and have to rely on Walmart for my fish... (Though I think freezing the fish kills any parasites, so maybe I shouldn't mourn my lack of fresh fish after all.)

The only tricks I remember are: after the rice cooks, let it sit with a towel draped between the pan and the cover to absorb the extra steam; and make sure your hands are wet -- water or your sugar/vinegar mix -- when you handle the rice.

Happy sushi-ing!


----------



## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

I go out for sushi all the time and make my own but I never use a raw fish at home. One of my favorite "fillings" - chopped cooked shrimp mixed with scallions and a bit of mayo. And I love smoked salmon with salted cucumber.
And this post make me hungry although I just had a huge sushi and sashimi lunch. It is addictive, no doubt.


----------



## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

I just make onigiri (riceballs) and musubi's. They are made with cooked meats (spam, katsu, steamed salmon, and all). Season with furikake (Japanese rice seasoning comes different flavors and colors). Most of the time I just use leftover meat, Nori (seaweed wrap), and what vegetables there is. No exact recipes just a mush of things I like.

Just quick and easy sushi like snackage I can bring to school or on the river

If you like spam musubi the smoked turkey spam is awesome.

I don't use the usual sushi rice recipe..with the vinegar and all since I use furikake. Or at times make fried rice with corn peas and egg with a bit of soysauce and sesame seed oil. Nom
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk


----------



## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

I don't know how to make it. But I like it.


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I live in the boondocks, where nothing resembling sushi or its more unusual components can be found. That's part of the reason that I want to learn to make it, but w/o the raw fish components.

I'll let you all know how it turns out.


----------



## lazyjayn (May 18, 2011)

I love to make and eat sushi, but without the fish--all veggies for me. The first time was... a big mess. Got better after that, and spread the insanity to a couple friends. One of them can make the ones with the rice on the *outside* now, which is way more that I'm willing to try.


----------



## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

Totally for the Sushi book. Really awesome. I think a lot of people think that sushi rolls are harder to make than they are. I've been doing it for years now and it's always fun. I'd actually start with avocado or cucumber rolls first. It's just a nice starter. Also, check out you tube for tips. I did when I started and it was nice to have the visual. Good luck!


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

fayrlite said:


> Totally for the Sushi book. Really awesome. I think a lot of people think that sushi rolls are harder to make than they are. I've been doing it for years now and it's always fun. I'd actually start with avocado or cucumber rolls first. It's just a nice starter. Also, check out you tube for tips. I did when I started and it was nice to have the visual. Good luck!


That's great advice. Glad to hear that you've had success. I can't wait to give it a try. I absolutely love to cook, and have made so many things from scratch that most "normal" people wouldn't even want to try, so it only stands to reason that sushi has made it to my list. May have to start my blog with my attempt. (I've owned a website for several months, but haven't actually made it go live. Think I'll change that soon.)


----------



## kindlequeen (Sep 3, 2010)

It's been a little while since I've done it but it's so much fun!  Hon dashi is a great addition to the rice (it's a dried bouillon type mixture - dissolve in the vinegar first), you can find this in most Asian sections of the grocery store.  

I found doing the rice on the outside to be much easier than the nori on the outside, the trick to that is covering your bamboo mat with a piece of plastic wrap first.  

I get all my fish from a little Japanese market that I discovered on Yelp - even though you think you might not be in a good place for fresh ingredients, doing a little research and review reading might surprise you!  I can honestly say I drove by my market a thousand times and never knew it was there!

Let us know how it goes.... you just might inspire me to jump back into creative cooking again!


----------



## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

Cindy416 said:


> That's great advice. Glad to hear that you've had success. I can't wait to give it a try. I absolutely love to cook, and have made so many things from scratch that most "normal" people wouldn't even want to try, so it only stands to reason that sushi has made it to my list. May have to start my blog with my attempt. (I've owned a website for several months, but haven't actually made it go live. Think I'll change that soon.)


I think the key is to not expect that the rolls will look great. It takes practice. After you have done it a few times it starts to get easier. That's when you switch it up. For instance, start with the rice being rolled in the nori. When you get better, wet your bamboo mat and flip the nori so the rice faces the mat. then load the stuff and roll. It's sticky so it's a bit of a pill but fun to know the different ways. Oh and doing egg with it is a blast. Tomagoyaki. If you couldn't tell I'm a big Japanese cooking fan.  I'm sorry but any lunch that served in a cute little bento box is just too fun to pass up.


----------



## Val2 (Mar 9, 2011)

Yes, I've done that some years ago. The rice is important. We loved avocado as well. I used imitation crab and sushi grade tuna when I could get it. Delish! Hope yours works out well!


----------



## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Jessica Billings said:


> I've made it a couple times, same way as Daniel. My rolls were always pretty loose and messy looking because I'm not great at rolling it, but it's still delicious!


The trick with getting the rolls even is to roll them inside a tatami placemat.


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I just realized that I forgot to post photos of my first sushi-making attempt here. (I posted them in the Rice Makers and Food Photo Album threads.) Here are the photos of my California rolls and my Cream Cheese rolls (I used imitation crabmeat instead of salmon, so I guess they can't be called Philadelphia rolls, although the name comes from the cream cheese.)


----------



## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Those look _delicious_, Cindy-and they're beautiful!


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

DreamWeaver said:


> Those look _delicious_, Cindy-and they're beautiful!


Thanks! They were good (except for the first two rolls, which had double sheets of nori). I didn't realize how thin the seaweed sheets are, so the first two rolls (half sheets each) had stuck-together nori. Way too chewy for me. I deconstructed them (which was very easy because the seaweed sheets separated when I pulled the rolls apart). I need to make some more rolls before school on Monday. I took sushi rolls to school each day last week, and they were really good, and I imagine they're fairly nutritious. Surely they're better for me than fast food and/or school lunches.


----------



## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Wow, those look great.  Now I'm craving sushi.  
deb


----------



## rittsi (Aug 10, 2010)

I love sushi, and also love making it. The first time I made it myself it didn't work out so well because I had the wrong type of rice. But since then they've turned out ok. Maki rolls are something I usually make as appetizers/snacks when we have company. For the people who I know that aren't big fans of sushi I tend to make sure the ingredients are something they like. (With the hope they'll turn into a fan of sushi as well  ) I actually find it kind of relaxing to make maki rolls. Ive never tried making it with raw fish, but like to try out combos with smoked salmon, tuna, spices and vegetables.

One book on this topic that I really enjoyed was The Story of Sushi. It covers the history of sushi, while also following students taking an intensive course to become a sushi chef. As a sushi addict I found it be really interesting, and filled with quite a few "omnomnom" moments. 
http://www.amazon.com/Story-Sushi-P-S-ebook/dp/B001FA0TVE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314478883&sr=8-2

Cindy, those rolls look yummy!


----------



## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

I LOVE sushi, and I actually really love to make it. I don't use raw fish in mine at home either, and even got a book called American sushi and have done some interesting non japanese combos like a BLT. I've also found some good shortcuts too to make it easier. The first is sushi rice POWDER - instead of mixing sugar and vinegar and cooking it you dust this powder over the rice with a fan on it. Viola, sushi rice. They will have it at your local japanese store, it's twice as expensive on amazon but here is a picture -



My secret weapon however, is this - no rolling necessary! This thing is awesome, it's basically a sushi extruder. The two halves open up, stuff with rice and whatever other ingredient you want, close it, and push onto a piece of nori, roll it up. Done.



I also highly recommend a rice cooker if you don't have one!


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Jen,  I almost bought one of the extruders, but then decided to get a bamboo mat instead. It wouldn't be possible to make an inside-out type of roll with the extruder, I guess.


----------



## Bryan R. Dennis (May 19, 2011)

My wife used to make amateur sushi for us when we had access to fresh fish (Southern California). Often we'd eat it the easy way: spicy raw tuna and shaved nori over a bowl of sushi rice, tuna poke over onions, or some variety of sashimi over shaved daikon radish and pickled ginger. I'm living in the Midwest now, so not many Asians here. Everything is beef, chicken, and pork. We still make California rolls from time to time ... but that doesn't feel like sushi to me.


----------



## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Bryan R. Dennis said:


> My wife used to make amateur sushi for us when we had access to fresh fish (Southern California). Often we'd eat it the easy way: spicy raw tuna and shaved nori over a bowl of sushi rice, tuna poke over onions, or some variety of sashimi over shaved daikon radish and pickled ginger. I'm living in the Midwest now, so not many Asians here. Everything is beef, chicken, and pork. We still make California rolls from time to time ... but that doesn't feel like sushi to me.


That's definitely something I miss about living on the west coast. I don't care so much for beef/chicken/pork, so I realllly miss all the seafood. 

This thread really makes me want to buy some sushi-making stuff, though. Those pictures are making me so hungry!


----------



## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I made homemade sushi for the first time tonight! It went really well, and it got much easier as I went along. I ended up making five rolls, here's a picture of my very first one.


Camera Roll-296 by hsuthard, on Flickr


----------



## KristieCook (Jan 25, 2011)

I want this book now. And I want sushi now. Yes, at 11:00 at night. You all have my mouth watering.


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

hsuthard said:


> I made homemade sushi for the first time tonight! It went really well, and it got much easier as I went along. I ended up making five rolls, here's a picture of my very first one.
> 
> 
> Camera Roll-296 by hsuthard, on Flickr


Your sushi looks great! Did you make up your own seasoned vinegar for your rice, or did you use already seasoned rice vinegar? I think I'll make a combination of inside-out rolls and sushi with the nori on the outside soon. Yesterday, I bought some freshly-made sushi at a grocery store in the nearest city, and I had some of it for lunch at my desk today. I was really surprised when a couple of people came into my room while I was eating, and both said they like sushi. (I live in the rural midwest, and figured sushi afficianados would be relatively few and far between.) Because of where I live, I don't make (nor do I buy) sushi with raw fish. I don't trust the way that the fish might have been handled between the ocean and Missouri.


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

KristieCook said:


> I want this book now. And I want sushi now. Yes, at 11:00 at night. You all have my mouth watering.


I've been looking at the same book, Kristie. I need another cookbook like I need a hole in my head, given the fact that I've owned hundreds of them in my life. If you get this book, please let us know if you like it. (If I get it first, I'll do the same.)


----------



## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Cindy416 said:


> Your sushi looks great! Did you make up your own seasoned vinegar for your rice, or did you use already seasoned rice vinegar? I think I'll make a combination of inside-out rolls and sushi with the nori on the outside soon. Yesterday, I bought some freshly-made sushi at a grocery store in the nearest city, and I had some of it for lunch at my desk today. I was really surprised when a couple of people came into my room while I was eating, and both said they like sushi. (I live in the rural midwest, and figured sushi afficianados would be relatively few and far between.) Because of where I live, I don't make (nor do I buy) sushi with raw fish. I don't trust the way that the fish might have been handled between the ocean and Missouri.


I seasoned my own vinegar. I had some seasoned vinegar as well, but the recipe I was following had me season it myself, so I did it that way. The rice was really delicious, too. I have a recipe for a Sushi Salad that's amazing, I need to pull it out and post it . . .


----------



## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Sushi-Rice Salad, from Cooking Light magazine










Ingredients

Rice:
2 cups uncooked sushi rice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Dressing:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon prepared wasabi (Japanese horseradish; optional)
Remaining ingredients:
1 cup (2-inch) julienne-cut peeled English cucumber
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 sheet nori (seaweed), cut into 2-inch julienne strips

Preparation

To prepare rice, rinse rice thoroughly in a sieve. Drain well. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice and salt. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; uncover and cool to room temperature.
To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and next 5 ingredients (vinegar through garlic) in a small bowl. Add wasabi, if desired. Combine cooled rice, dressing, cucumber, onion, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Sprinkle evenly with nori.


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I seasoned my own, as well, Holly. Your salad looks delicious! I have lots of nori, so will have to give that recipe a try.


----------



## Meb Bryant (Jun 27, 2011)

Holly,
Thank you for the recipe. I'm gonna try it! Buyer beware....


----------



## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Bumping this up because I just made my first couple batches! I had helped my dad make it before, but never tried it myself. For my birthday, I asked for a sushi kit and I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H241DS/ I'm really pleased with it and all you have to buy are the fresh ingredients. I made my first batch last weekend and they turned out alright, but I burned the rice a little and stuffed them waaaay too full. My second batch turned out much better.










I've already eaten one entire plate of them and I'm trying to save the rest for tomorrow, haha. In my first batch (not pictured), I used canned crab and shrimp (not together, but I switched between them), avocado, and cucumber. In the second (much better) batch, I used fake crab/smoked salmon (switched between them), cucumber, and cream cheese. I also made up some of the wasabi that came with the kit and it's great. Preparing the rice takes much longer than I expected, but it's a pretty easy process. I'd definitely recommend the kit and try making some sushi if you're at all interested. It's well worth it. 

My only problem is that the nori is a little chewy. I'm not sure how to fix that. I'd gladly take suggestions.


----------



## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

That looks great! I suspect that our rolls will get better and better each time   

As for the nori, the japanese lady at my local Japanese market has strong opinions on which brand to use for sushi, I bow to her wisdom. Unfortunately I don't have a package handy or I'd tell you the brand name. 

I think there are some shortcuts to making the rice, I skipped the fanning part this last time and it turned out just fine. I'll have to try cream cheese next time. Last time I used fish sticks and crab cakes (in separate rolls) with cucumber and they were both very good. We had a crab cake roll at a restaurant once and loved it, so we wanted to try it  at home. I mixed some chili sauce with mayonnaise and drizzled it overtop as a spicy sauce and that was delish!


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Your sushi looks great! The first batch I made had two sheets of nori, as they stuck together and I didn't realize it until I was finished. The second roll was great, as I had a single sheet of nori. I haven't had a lot of sushi, but I do think I prefer the inside-out rolls over the traditional rolls with the nori on the outside.

I found a really interesting book on Amazon when I was trying to figure out what varieties of sushi I, who live smackdab in the middle of the U.S. and who have no access to sushi-grade fish, could make that would be tasty, interesting, and, above all, safe. Granted, the recipes in this book are not at all traditional sushi recipes, but they are very interesting anyway. I think that people who only think "raw fish" when they hear the term "sushi" would give some of the recipes a try. (I was surprised to learn that "sushi" refers to the vinegared rice, not to raw fish.) I love sushi with any combination of smoked salmon, crab sticks, avocado, cream cheese, and English cucumbers.

Here's the book:


Sushi American Style


----------



## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

Cindy416 said:


> Your sushi looks great! The first batch I made had two sheets of nori, as they stuck together and I didn't realize it until I was finished. The second roll was great, as I had a single sheet of nori. I haven't had a lot of sushi, but I do think I prefer the inside-out rolls over the traditional rolls with the nori on the outside.
> 
> I found a really interesting book on Amazon when I was trying to figure out what varieties of sushi I, who live smackdab in the middle of the U.S. and who have no access to sushi-grade fish, could make that would be tasty, interesting, and, above all, safe. Granted, the recipes in this book are not at all traditional sushi recipes, but they are very interesting anyway. I think that people who only think "raw fish" when they hear the term "sushi" would give some of the recipes a try. (I was surprised to learn that "sushi" refers to the vinegared rice, not to raw fish.) I love sushi with any combination of smoked salmon, crab sticks, avocado, cream cheese, and English cucumbers.
> 
> ...


I have that book! It's got some really fun ideas in it, especially for those that don't want to venture into fish. I'm actually having my best friend over tonight to make sushi and drink champagne !


----------



## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Jen said:


> I have that book! It's got some really fun ideas in it, especially for those that don't want to venture into fish. I'm actually having my best friend over tonight to make sushi and drink champagne !


Jen, What time did you say I am supposed to be there?


----------



## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

5:30 Chris!  There are 2 bottles of champagne chilling in my fridge and we'll have plenty of sushi!!!  If you can make it you're more than welcome to join us   !!!!!


----------

