Making Sushi

[Zarathustra]

Like my obsession with beer, my love for sushi has finally gotten so expensive that I've decided to start making it myself. So after a day of researching, and locating a local Japanese market with sushi grade fish, I've taken the plunge. With 10 rolls under my belt (heh, literally!), I've achieved satisfactory results. It's better than that crap you can buy at Kroger, closer to what I get at my local sushi bar, but I know it could be better. So I was wondering if any of you have tips or recipes.

Since I shop at an authentic Japanese grocery, I'm not making rookie mistakes like using long grain rice. I use actual sushi rice (nishiki), quality nori, rice vineager, etc. It took a couple tries, but my rice is getting better. It came out too gummy the first time. It's not bad now, but the rice is the one facet that I feel could use the most improvement. I've watched Alton Brown's video on how to prepare it, I've also tried following the directions on the package (ground breaking, eh?), I've browsed numerous websites, etc. It's still coming out just a tad too gummy, though my family thinks it's awesome.

Also, I have no idea how to do some of the rolls I get at my sushi bar. This guy is actually from Japan (I can barely understand his accent), and does a lot of creative stuff, constantly inventing new recipes, taking requests from customers, etc. I suppose I just need to experiment, but I was hoping for a shortcut. The recipes I've seen online are all the basic stuff. I don't like California rolls (fake crab, yuck). Rainbow rolls and spicy tuna are fine, but pretty typical. I need more variety, more flavors, more sauces, perhaps? My local bar produces a spicy tuna mix that is slightly smoky--I love it, but have no idea how to produce it. Spicy mayo is no where close to the complexity he achieves.

My presentation sucks. The family thinks my rolls are pretty, but they're not works of art like you get at a good sushi bar. I definitely need a better knife. I have no idea how to get those thin slices of avocado to drape over the top. Maybe I just don't have the patience.

One thing I do love are razor thin slices of lemon on top, slices that include a bit of the peel, but you don't really notice any toughness because they're so thin. I'm talking see-through. With my crappy knife, it takes me forever to produce these shavings, and they're not pretty when I'm done. But they taste great with spicy sushi.

Anyway ... thoughts?

[Vader]

Nothing to add really, just came here to say apparently we're in the same boat.

[Zarathustra]

Vader, I've seen your pictures. We're not even in the same ocean. Your food looks amazing. I imagine if you take that much time making it look good, it must taste phenomenal.

Honestly, my sushi is not bad. Heck, it's good. But I was wondering what kinds other people make. I feel like I'm missing some secrets, like sauce or seasonings. I do appreciate the simplicity of some sushi, but also I feel the urge to go crazy.

So, what kind of rolls do you make?

My basic roll has either tuna or salmon, with both avocado and cucumber. I love the texture of those two veggies together: crunch + creamy. Sometimes I add chopped green onions. I also like to top with either regular or toasted (black) sesame seeds. Masago (roe or tiny fish eggs) is always nice for that crunchy pop and seafood flavor. It's also a great way to add color (bright orange). And even thinly-sliced jalapenoes are nice for a fresh "green" heat.

I like both traditional rolls as well as "inside-out" rolls. The traditional ones with the seaweed on the outside have a completely different texture. And they are usually simpler, since it's harder to get a lot of ingredients to roll up inside of them.

Also, can you you explain your rice preparation technique? Is it necessary to cool the rice completely before adding the vineager mixture? I've been cooling it (fanning with paper plates) while I add the mixture and stir with a wooden spatula (an assistant helps) using "slashing" motions so that I don't mash it. But the online instructions aren't exactly clear on whether it should be cooled prior to adding the vineager, or during.

[Vader]

Classic tuna rolls with avocado need wasabi. Preferably REAL wasabi and not the powder that mostly is normal horseraddish and ground mustard seeds. Match sized carrot also adds nice texture and color. Also gari (pickled ginger) can be a nice addition, though it's usually served seprately.

I wash the rice until the water stays clear. The rice will still have enough starch to keep the whole darn thing together, but it won't get all that gummy. Then I put the rice into a hair sieve and let it rest for an hour.

I then put the rice into cold water (rice and water like 1:1) and bring to boil at medium heat (no lid). Once it starts boiling I put on the lid and set to hight for 2 minutes, cooks at medium heat for another 5 minutes and then at very low heat for another 15 minutes.

Take off the heat, remove the lid, cover pot with a towel and let cool down for like 15 minutes. The amount of water depends on the age of the rice and how it has been stored though.

Then I do the spatula thing and when the rice is only luke warm I add the suhi-zu also luke warm.

I don't believe there is a general rule when to add what, just as you'd get different answers when asking western chefs whether you should salt your meat before or after frying.

Sushi-zu as I make it: heat up 5 Tbs of rice vinegar and add 5 Tbs sugar and 2-4 tsp salt. Stir and cool down pretty quick to avoid the vinbegar from cooking away.

[Zarathustra]

Thanks! Your rice technique sounds similar to mine. I forgot to mention that I rinse it several times before cooking.

Can you get real wasabi? I didn't think Japan exported it.

[Vader]

You can get fresh wasabi at am*zon if you're willing to chuck out 138 bucks for 1lb.

You can get it cheaper, though. Wasabi powder is fine, unless it's 100% real wasabi. Ask your loical dealer (or search am*zon) for REAL wasabi.

UPDATE: I just found out that thesy also grow Wasabi in Oregon and North Carolina. Maybe it's a worth a try and definitely cheaper for you.

[Menolly]

Not traditional, but I like making "creamy wasabi" as a sauce for rolls and sashimi. Basically mixing wasabi in to regular (not Japanese) mayonnaise. I definitely prefer mixing it up myself over the bottled "wasabi mayonnaise" that has hit shelves lately, but then, I'm a Hellmann's/Best Foods aficionado.

It also works well in place of "horsey sauce" on roast beef, prime rib, or planned over steak sandwiches.

[Savor Dam]

I definitely prefer mixing it up myself over the bottled "wasabi mayonnaise" that has hit shelves lately, but then, I'm a Hellmann's/Best Foods aficionado.

It also allows her to make her "creamy wasabi" at the intensity level she desires for a particular application...sometimes a concentration unlikely to be commercially viable, at least for condiment use.

[Menolly]

I definitely prefer mixing it up myself over the bottled "wasabi mayonnaise" that has hit shelves lately, but then, I'm a Hellmann's/Best Foods aficionado.

It also allows her to make her "creamy wasabi" at the intensity level she desires for a particular application...sometimes a concentration unlikely to be commercially viable, at least for condiment use.

Truth.

But aside from being weak in heat factor, I find the premade versions to also be too sweet for my palate. Similar to if I mix it up myself with Japanese mayonnaise, rather than Best Foods/Hellmann's.

[Vraith]

Heh...for the first time [as far as I remember] I'm having a bad
reaction to a food/drink thread.
God, I cannot STAND sushi.

A friend of mine grows Wasabi, though. I'll try and find out where he got the original plants if you're interested.
[though likely it can be found on the net somewhere].

Its invasive like ordinary horseradish, so you have to keep an eye on it to stop spreading.

I'm not sure what climate needs are...he's in northern part of Georgia, so it works there.

[Savor Dam]

I cannot STAND sushi.

Two reactions...

1) Good. All the more for the rest of us.

2) If you knew sushi like we know sushi. Oh, oh...

[Zarathustra]

Vraith, sushi comes in so many varieties and levels of quality, I don't see how you can judge it as a whole without having tried it many times from many sources. Even though the ingredients are simple, if they aren't prepared properly--or of high enough quality--the difference between sublime and inedible can look just the same. A piece of fish with rice and seaweed can convey a remarkable spectrum of flavor and texture. I've had sushi so bad that I couldn't stomach more than one bite. And I've had some that I could not stop eating. But they looked about the same.

Maybe you truly hate sushi, but I have to wonder if you had a good example, or enough different kinds. I'm confident that there would be some that could win you over.

[Zarathustra]

Since my sushi quest began (last Friday), I've made about 16 rolls. I've tried several different rice vinegars, and have discovered a wide variation in quality. My rice is much better now, not gummy. I also have concluded that I need to make my own spicy mayo; the stuff that I bought at the Japanese grocery came premixed, and it wasn't as good as what I can make on my own.

I went down to my local sushi bar and told the chef that he inspired me to make my own, and he was very flattered. I thought he'd be disappointed to lose some business to my own efforts, but he actually gave me lots of tips, told me some of his secrets, and offered to become my sushi-grade fish supplier! He said that the Japanese grocery (which is owned by an adjoining restaurant) gets the leftover and rejected fish from the restaurant. He said that his fish was much higher quality, and he'd sell it to me by the pound. But only me! He actually called me a friend and said that he'd only make this deal for me. Granted, they are one of his many competitors, and I spend a lot of money at his restaurant, but I was deeply honored. I can't wait to take him up on it.

[Orlion]

Unfortunately, I can't find sushi grade fish where I am at right now...*sob* so when I've made "sushi" it has always been from tempeh.

Which isn't so bad, and as far as spicy, you should try getting some sesame chili oil. I love that stuff, and since I've used it in some of my "sushi" I've put it in everything I have ever thought "needed a little kick". It isn't the spiciest thing ever, but it is sabroso!

Also, if you have ever had actual blue fin tuna sushi........simply....divine....a friend took me to a place once and I got a sampler platter that had a couple, and it was the best sushi I've had thus far!

[peter]

Is that 'gummy rice' problem the same gumminess that makes sticky thai rice so....well.... sticky. You see I love that slightly fragrant sweet thai thing and have struggled to emulate it in my own rice preparation - and have always singularly failed. I use good quality basmati rice as a rule - perhaps I need to try different varieties.

Well impressed with you guys and the sushi making thing. I buy mine from M&S in a little plastic 'to go' box with a plastic bottle of soy and a few limp pieces of wasabi. Respect. Z, large surgical scalpel blades are way sharper than any cooking blade - they can be obtained online and from 'craft shops' and would produce thinner lemon slices than anything achievable with a kitchen utensil.

[Aside; Orlion - your little Lazarus quote reminds me of an add they used to run at my local cinema for some beer or another. In it a dusty mexican peasant runs up to his local village preacher in the main street and says "Father, I've just spent the night with two beautiful blonde swedish girls." The priest looks stern, "You do well to speak to me - Come to the confessional and seek absolution." Looking puzzled the man replies "But I don't want absolution father?" "Then why are you telling me?" the priest replies. The man beaks into a smile and turns to run away. "Father - I'm telling EVERYBODY!" he cries.]

[Vader]

Basmati - though nice in taste and very good to go with stir fries - doesn't have enough starch to make sticky Thai rice or Suhsi.

Sushi requires a round grain rice similar to Risotto rice and sticky Thai sticky rice should be done with Thai glutinous rice. Both are available in gooid supermarkets or Asian food stores.

[Menolly]

I've heard something about steaming the rice with a clean linen towel under the lid to help get the right texture, but since I have never tried it I don't recall all the details...

[Vader]

That's how I do my Persian rice (Chelo). The towel helps to keep all the steam isnide. This way the rice - pre-cooked for 3 minutes then rinsed in cold water - needs only 2 or 3 Tbs cold water to cook (or rather to get steamed).

[peter]

You clearly have a good handle on the various types of rice and their preparation Vadar - I'm a great rice fan pretty much across the board exept in one dish. Rice pudding. I could never inderstand why it should be, exept that I was put off it as a child at school [together with custard and blancmange] and never recovered from it. All other childhood 'hates' I have overcome [with the exption of blancmange] - but not rice pudding. I've tried home made with the best cream etc but nope - it 'aint gonna work for me. Shame because it's got to be nice or so many people wouldn't love it.

[Menolly]

Peter, where I grew up in the south, rice pudding could be served two ways: cold or warm. Would that make a difference, if it was served at the temperature opposite what you had before?

Preparation for the two can be the same or different. I'm partial to a Indian rice pudding; it was flavored with saffron and pistachios. I also prefer adding more rice, as I like my rice pudding more grainy than creamy.

Payasam