Calling All At-Home Sushi Experts...
Please tell me where and what you buy to make your sushi at home, and share your secret tricks. Fresh fish? Nori? Good crab stick? Rice tricks? Rolling technique? Special rolls? Veggie rolls?
My only attempt involved cheap ingredients that produced edible, nicely-rolled maki, but certainly not something I'd serve to guests, or even bother making again instead of ordering out. The nori was too chewy and salty, the crab stick was funky, and I had trouble perfecting the rice without a rice cooker.
S.O.S, people...Save Our Sushi!
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7 Comments:
Check out www.catalinaop.com. It's wholesale prices on fresh fish, and they will deliver to your home, or wherever you want them to deliver to. You can order sushi making kits and the seafood to go along with it. You can freeze what you don't use and use it the next time you make sushi.
Tasty Morsel at 11:22AM on 01/25/08
The secret to nori is toasting it lightly.
Real sushi rice is not made in a rice cooker. The best sushi rice is made on a stove top. Here is a great article and recipe:
http://www.japanesefoodreport.com/2007/10/how-to-cook-rice-or-the-essenc.html
You will need some rice vinegar and mirin to finish it. Toasted black and white sesame seeds, julienned nori, and scallion greens to garnish.
Good luck!
seyo at 12:36PM on 01/25/08
I made sushi once at home and it came out quite nicely. I used that old fake crab stuff (I admit it). I found the nori was WAY too strong for my tastes, but I am wondering, based on the previous comment if that was because I did not toast it. So, how do you toast nori? In a pan? Under the broiler?
I bought a cheap rolling mat, some sushi rice (made on the stove, not in a rice cooker), and took my time.
If I could figure out how to tone that nori down, I'd do it again in a heart beat...
Maureen at 2:29PM on 01/25/08
I have been wanting to make some for a while now, was going to order my fish from www.catalinaop.com (read very good reviews about the site).
alyssazor at 2:43PM on 01/25/08
pop it in the toaster or in the oven (or in the toaster oven, haha). Or, you can heat up a skillet and put the sheets in the pan (dry). You just want to crisp them up a little. it really helps the texture and the flavor. dont toast them too much though or they wont be pliable enough to roll. the sheets soak up humidity very easily, thats why they are sold with that silica gel pack. but yeah, toasting them up will really bring them back from the dead.
seyo at 2:54PM on 01/25/08
I make sushi and onigiri at home on a pretty regular basis, and have served it to tons of guests, so it can definitely be done. ;} I but my nori already toasted in the packs, and make my rice on the stove (no rice cooker), and then add the seasoned rice vinegar from the grocery store. For insides, it depends on what kind of mood I'm in. I like Krab sticks, and smoked salmon the best for the meats (easiest to get and deal with), but I've also used things like eel steak and fresh tuna when I find good ones. I use a lot of veggies: green onions, avocado, shallots, cucmber, zucchini, etc. Aaaaaand... secret ingredient! Cream cheese. I love Philly rolls and every variation. Mostly, I just mix and match everything I've cut up, no set recipe. It's fun to do for parties!
Only techniques I can share would be to pre-wrap your bamboo mat in saran wrap to save on clean up, and have a bowl of water to dip your hands in before you smoosh the rice into place so it doesn't stick to you. A wet cloth to wipe your knife off on in between cuts when you're slicing rolls is also very helpful. Oh, and lots of practice of course.. Tasty, tasty practice... ;9
myzkyti at 6:05PM on 01/25/08
All very good advice, myzkyti. I like to try western flavors in sushi: minced shrimp with strong cocktail sauce and chives; white anchovy, hard boiled egg and green goddess dressing; turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce; country ham with honey mustard.
Also, if you find the nori too strong, make inside out rolls. It is less pronounced. Or don't use nori at all - try a blanched collard green, or bunch spinach. Or nothing but rice.
zapatista at 1:50PM on 01/26/08