Making Sushi at Home
For years I was mystified by the art of making sushi. I was sure that making sushi was a well kept secret passed on from master to student. Although great sushi technique is an art that takes years to perfect, wonderful sushi can be made at home quite simply with the right ingredients, tools and of course, the freshest fish. For those still squeamish about the prospect of eating raw fish, I can only say that it is most likely nothing like your expectations. Fresh sushi has no fish smell or fishy taste and has a unique and very pleasant texture. It is not only a very satisfying meal, but beautiful in its presentation and a healthy, low-fat alternative to every day cooking.

Preparation

As in all cooking it is important to read through all directions before beginning and to prep your ingredients. Making sushi, because it is not cooked, is an immediate preparation that requires all your ingredients be prepped and ready before you begin. Sushi is served immediately and can be made as your family or guests eat.

Make sure the fish you select is on hand and ready for slicing. If you are using crab, make sure you have cleaned and readied the crab meat. Vegetables should all be cut before beginning. Ebi, or shrimp is actually cooked in boiled water and should be cooked before you begin to make your sushi meal.

Sushi rice should be made at least an hour before you are ready to begin, as it needs to cool to room temperature before using.

It is a good idea to prepare Miso soup and serve it as an appetizer while you are making sushi.

Your serving dishes should be at the ready. Prepare small bowls with soy sauce or a soy sauce and rice vinegar mixture for dipping. Prepare wasabi.

Essential Equipment

Small bowl for miso soup (no spoons-miso soup should be sipped right from the bowl)

• Chop sticks
• Sudare (bamboo mat)
• Wooden skewers (for shrimp)
• Very small bowls (for serving dipping sauce)
• A very sharp knife
• A wet towel (for cleaning hands)
• Japanese rectangular dishes (for serving individual sushi)
• Large flat plates (for serving multiple pieces of sushi)

Japanese ingredients and definitions

Japanese Ingredients you will need

All these ingredients can be found at a Japanese or Oriental market.

• Tofu Soy bean curd
• Miso Fermented soybean and rice
• Dried Shrimp
• Maguro The red belly meat of a tuna
• Ebi Shrimp
• Wasabi Japanese horse radish, made from wasabi root
• Short grain rice
• Nori Dried seaweed
• Mirin Sweet rice wine
• Kombu Kelp or seaweed
• Rice vinegar
• Pickled ginger
• Shoyu Soy sauce ( make sure you buy gf)
• Bonito Dried fish
• Hot sesame or chili oil

Step by Step Menu

Step 1. Miso Soup

Prepare Miso soup and serve while you continue to prepare the meal.

Step 2. Japanese Slaw

Prepare Japanese slaw, This can also be served as you prepare the rest of the meal.

Step 3. Sticky Rice

Ingredients:

4 cups short grain rice

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cups rice vinegar

Directions:

Cook rice in the regular way. Place rice in a large, heavy saucepan. Wash rice and add enough water so that 1" of water is above the rice. Cook over medium-high heat until all the water has cooked away and holes appear in the rice. Cover and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cook for 30 minutes. When rice is done, scoop out into a large flat container; a large baking dish, or jelly roll pan. Mix together the remaining ingredients and season the rice by sprinkling or pouring by spoonful over rice a little at a time as you fluff rice with a spoon or shamoji (wooden rice scoop). Fan the steam rapidly all through the process until you have used up the vinegar seasoning and the rice has a glossy appearance. Let the rice cool to room temperature.

Step 4. Cook Ebi

Ingredients:

Large prawns, enough for at least 2 per persons

Water

1/4 teaspoon salt

Wooden skewers

Directions:

Place water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Rinse prawns and insert wooden skewers through the length of the prawns, along the bottom, where the legs are. Place skewers in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove prawns, cool and peel, leaving tails on.

Step 5. Make Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

*1/4 cup rice vinegar (optional)

1/4 cup gf soy sauce

4-6 drops hot chili oil (make sure it is gf)

Directions:

Mix vinegar and soy sauce together and divide into 4-6 small bowls. Top with chili oil. Options: You can omit the vinegar and the chili oil and add a small amount of wasabi.

Step 6, Make wasabi

Wasabi usually comes in two forms, as a paste, already prepared, or as a powder. If you purchase the powder variety, mix equal parts of powder and water into a smooth paste. Let stand. Use more or less water to achieve desired consistency. Wasabi should be relatively stiff.

Step 7. Preparing Maguro nigiri

Ingredients:

Sticky rice

Purchase maguro from a Japanese or Oriental market and specify that you want it for sushi

Wasabi

Directions:

Have a bowl with a mixture of rice vinegar and water ready to rinse hands in. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your fingers.

Slice the fish on an angle and across the grain, about 1-1/2" long, 3/4" wide and 1/4" thick. Scoop up a mound of rice, about the size of a small meat ball with your right hand. Form the rice into an egg shape. Place a strip of fish along the palm of your left hand and spread a thin layer of wasabi paste using your finger. Place the rice on top of the fish and gently press to attach. Turn it over, so that the fish is on top. Press gently along sides to shape it.

Step 8. Preparing Ebi nigiri

Ingredients:

Cooked prawns

Sticky rice

Wasabi

Directions:

Remove skewers from prawns. Peel the prawns, remove legs, leaving the tails on. With a knife, cut a slit in the entire length of the underside of the prawns. Do not cut all the way through. Butterfly the prawns open, so that they form a slight cup shape. Scoop up a mound of rice and form into an egg shape. Spread a small amount of wasabi paste on the underside of the prawns and place rice on the underside of the prawns. The prawns should cover the rice with the tail sticking out.

Step 9. Preparing Crab and Avocado Roll, Maki

Ingredients:

Fresh crab, shelled

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Green onions, cleaned and left in whole pieces

Wasabi

Sticky rice

Toasted nori

Directions:

Place a sheet of nori (dried seaweed) on a bamboo mat about 1" from the bottom edge. Spread the sushi rice in a thin layer over the nori leaving a 1" border. Spread a line of wasabi along the center, horizontally of the rice. Place pieces of crab, slices of avocado and a green onion on top of the wasabi in a thin layer. Roll the sushi over itself with the bamboo mat. Press gently. Press firmly on the mat so the sushi holds in place. Gently unroll the mat. Cut the roll in half. Align the two halves and cut them together to make 6 pieces. Set on plates filling side up.

Step 10. Cucumber Roll

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise

Sticky rice

Wasabi

Nori

Directions:

The same as for Crab and Avocado Roll, except replace the filling with strips of cucumber.

Step 11. Maguro Roll

Ingredients:

Maguro

Sticky rice

Wasabi

Directions:

The same as cucumber roll, except replace cucumber for maguro strips.

Presentation

The art of making sushi is not only in the preparation and cutting of the fish, but in the presentation. Sushi should be served in the most appealing way possible. It is worth it to invest in Japanese dishes to present your sushi. Japanese serving dishes can be found in a variety of sizes and materials. Serve sushi simply and beautifully with a pinch of wasabi and a small amount of pickled ginger to cleanse the palette.