Making Sushi

[peter]

Hi Menolly. Don't think the temperature thing is going to do it for me [though who knows]. The weird thing is that I can imagine rice pudding tasteing really nice - especially when you describe it being flavoured with saffron and the like. I have a really sweet tooth so I know it should be possible to get to the point where 'bingo', all of a sudden I'm going to say "Wow!" - just haven't got there yet. It makes me think - perhaps the way forward is for me to actually make it myself, and make it in a way that I think would hit the right buttons just for me rather than by any conventional recipie. This could be the way to cross the 'rice-pudding rubicon'.

[Menolly]

*nodding*

The type of grain, and the texture you cook it to, can really influence the experience.

[Vader]

Menololy is right, the type of rice is essential for that dish.

In Germany rice pudding is called "Milchreis" (milk rice) and we have a special grain for that which is also calledMilchreis. It's basically a very starchy round grain rice, a bit like the d'Arborio, Vialone or Carnaroli which I use for risotto (though these risotto rice types are of higher quality then your normal milk rice).

Maybe you should try Danish "risalamande" - a rice pudding with almonds.

[peter]

I have a notoriously sweet tooth. The rice pudding I have in mind is going to be VERY sweet, VERY creamy, will feature vanilla, nutmeg and yes, almonds is hitting a chord. I can taste it - I've just never been served it.

[Zarathustra]

I was starting to get excited that people were posting in my thread ... until I realized it's a thread jack about pudding.



Yeah, Vader's right. Long-grain rice isn't sticky enough. You need sushi rice. I use Nishiki.

I've finally got my rice to be satisfactory every time. Considering that apprentice sushi chefs must put in about two years before they're even allowed to touch the rice* I think I'm doing pretty good.

My wife and I went down to our local sushi bar and had 4 rolls. The total was $64 (incl. tip). I usually make about 5-7 rolls for less than $10. I'm saving myself a small fortune. We've had sushi at least once a week for a couple months.


*[According to some sushi documentary I watched.]

[Vader]

You're right, mate. Becoming a sushi chef (or any real chef in Japan) requires years and years of cleaning pots and stuff before they let you touch a knife or anything other that's valuable.

I read somewhere that they have to learn to meassure the exact (and I really mean excat) weight of rice with their hands. They must know every fish available and learn to filet them and so on. Like a good training in martial arts it can take up to ten years before you are a chef.

But still, for Japanese standards it's rather a job decison for the impatient. To become a master of "bunraku" (puppet theater) you'll have to estimate up to thirty years.

[I'm Murrin]

Every time I see the title of this thread, I hear it sung to the tune of "Makin' Whoopee".

That is all I have to contribute to the discussion.

[Vader]

Already posted in the picture thread - here is my first attempt at a dragon roll. If it does anything it shows that I need to work on precision (the end parts fell all apart when cutting the roll) and speed. A good sushi chef can assemble this roll in about two minutes. But I guess not all hope is lost.





And a good advice for a classic risotto Milanese (saffron risotto) - when toasting the rice in olive oil add a bit of bone marrow from a veal shank and let it just melt in. Flavor explosion.

[Savor Dam]

Excellent tip at the end of the last post, Vader.

Of course, a sushi thread is the first place I look for flavor enhancement ideas when making risotto.

[peter]

Gosh Vader - the second picture there looks mouthwateringly good; let me get in amongst it!

[Zarathustra]

That dragon roll looks beautiful, Vader! A hell of a job for a first time. Getting everything to look perfect is quite difficult. You mentioned the problem of precision ... yes, I've struggled with it, too. It's amazing how these simple ingredients can take such time to master, and what a difference something like presentation makes. It's not merely appearance or "decoration," [though we perceive food as tasting better when it's pleasing to the eye] but also closely related to texture, which is itself closely related to flavor.

Personally, I prefer a little less rice relative to the other ingredients (in your futomaki rolls, for instance). It might also make rolling easier, and help with precision.

I’ve been at this since the summer, making sushi almost every weekend. It has become an obsession right up there with my BBQ [I just purchased a new, awesome smoker on black Friday!]. Even after a lot of practice, I found that my rolls didn’t always come out right. They tasted great, but I knew I was missing something in my technique (rolling, cutting, assembling). So I looked up some videos on Youtube. Tom Lin’s videos are very helpful. I used them to correct some bad habits I’d developed with technique, as well as to improve my recipes. The best technical trick I learned was for the larger, more complex rolls (uramaki, like your dragon roll, for instance) where ingredients are layered on top of the outer rice layer. Though I’d always wrapped my bamboo rolling mat in cellophane to keep the rice from sticking to it, it never occurred to me to simply lay a piece of cellophane over the loosely formed roll after adding the outer layer of ingredients (e.g. the avacodo, in the dragon roll), and then cut right through the cellophane while it holds everything together. Tom Lin then places the bamboo mat over the cut roll and forms it again, making a symmetrical, cylindrical shape before removing the cellophane, then adding final garnishes or sauce and plating it. Cutting was always my last step, which can disturb the pretty symmetry I’d tried so hard to create. I think that’s also why I had some rolls fall apart when I tried to eat them … because I’d read over and over not to press everything together too tight. Rookie mistakes.

The biggest improvement in flavor I’ve achieved came from adding a teaspoon of dashi (or Hondashi) to rice while it’s boiling. This is a powdered fish stock used in many Japanese soups and other dishes. It adds that crucial umami flavor to the rice.

The next biggest improvement came from my spicy tuna mix—specificially the spicy mayo. I didn’t realize what a difference it makes to use authentic Japanese mayonnaise, which is vastly superior to American varieties. I was already using Sriracha chili sauce (which is currently experiencing a national shortage due to wacky California regulations … stock up!), but I was still missing a crucial flavor that I couldn’t find in any online recipes. At first, I thought it was meaty/smokey, but then I realized it was nutty/oily. On a hunch, I added chili oil—which is sesame oil with powered chili pepper—and instantly realized this was the missing flavor. It took my spicy tuna up to another level. It’s incredible now. As good as any I’ve purchased at restaurants … if not better.

I’ve also come to realize how important it is to have the proper knife, properly sharpened. I purchased a sashimi knife, and did some research on how to sharpen it. I had no idea how difficult it was to find a wetstone! No store in town sold them. Everyone had cheap sharpeners that can destroy your blades. But I'm sure Vader already has that aspect covered, given his experience.

[Vader]

Wow, Zaz. From what I'm reading you really mastered the art of making sushi. I'm still trying, but only every once in while (too many other things to try out).

Mayonnaise - on that dragon roll I used a classic homemade mayonnaise, spicing it up with sriracha and - drumroll - chili oil. Probably because I made the same observation. Though I don't feel good about using sriracha here, since it is rather Thai and not Japanese.

Knives - they are always crucial. To my shame I must admit I don't have a Japanese knife. I have my "normal" chef knife and some Chinese cleavers, but they are blade wise and in terms of sharpening way different from, say, a sashimi knife. I think a good set of Japanese knives will be my next investment.

Will also try adding dashi to the rice next time. Would also love to see some pictures, Sir. Keep on rollin' .:p

[Zarathustra]

Vader, are you getting your fish locally or online? My local restaurant changed owners, and they act a little awkward about me asking to purchase fish by the pound. I've tried several local fish markets, but I can never get fish as good as the restaurant serves ... sashimi salmon that melts like butter in your mouth ... oh my god, I can't get enough. So I've been looking online, and it's expensive. You have to order over $100 worth just to make the shipping costs worth it. But the quality looks amazing. Reviews are good. You probably wouldn't use the same online stores that I would--I doubt they ship overseas. But maybe they do; their fish comes from all over the world. Catalina looks like the best.

I wish I could just buy straight from the suppliers that supply the restaurants. Do you have any tips?

[Savor Dam]

Menolly and I are taking a sushi-making class tomorrow. Looking forward to it...

[peter]

I'm going to say something potentially contentious here. I love the Sushi I have had - but it has undoubtedly been pretty limited. In the UK [my part at least] we are limited to the small 'sushi packs' that contain 6 or 8 premade suchi, some wooden chopsticks, a small plastic tube of soy and a few slices of grated wasabi. I've also been to the sushi bar on Paddington Station in London - but never to a proper Japanese sushi house to experience the real thing. A question. Is there ever a great variety of different tastes attainable in sushi of different types, or is it just variations on a [pretty damn good] theme, which has been my experience to date. Could you eat sushi every day for a year and be going across the whole gamut of gustatory experience - or are you going to 'run out of steam' in taste variations quite quickly?

[Menolly]

I would say the combinations can be endless, if you can get quality ingredients. Sushi refers to the seasoned rice, so you could go raw fish, smoked fish, vegetarian; I've even seen (although never tried) cooked meat variations. A BLAT sushi roll might be a way to shake things up.

If you want to see what flavors of fish appeal to you, you may want to try a sashimi platter instead of rolls. The ones I've had are a variety of slices of raw fish, served with the seasoned rice on the side. Taste each type of fish, with or without soy, wasabi, or ginger, and then imagine adding other items such as various vegetable, cream cheese, spicy mayonnaise, or whatever would appeal. The seasoned rice roll basically takes the place of bread in a sandwich. You can get as creative as you want when you make your own, or find a good made-to-order sushi bar.

[Savor Dam]

Indeed, the variations are pretty limitless. A popular Hawaiian snack that has roots in nigiri sushi is musubi.

Musubi is a block of sushi rice topped with a (usually grilled) slice of spam and wrapped with a quarter-sheet of nori. Those who like a bit of spice may add a sprinkle of shichimi between the rice and spam. Wasabi doesn't work with spam, generally.

BTW, the class today was great fun and very educational. Menolly got kudos from the chef-instructor for both her questions and for some of the artistic choices she made in her sushi preparation.

[peter]

Wow - spam in a Sushi! I didn't even know you could still get 'spam', let alone build it into a Sushi. [Just the word makes images of 'Monty Python' jump about in my head!]

[Zarathustra]

Peter I'm glad you asked! I wish I could show everyone I knew how good sushi can be. There are orders of magnitude between mediocre stuff and the good. And though I've spent close to $100 at one sitting on good sushi, you can get some great sashimi for less than $10 (an appetite portion). The spectrum of flavors is not only wide, but they are of a different kind than you can get any where else. Once you get those flavors imprinted into your brain, you won't be able to get it out. Seriously, everyone I've known to try it for the first time (incl. myself) talks about "those flavors" being stuck in their head days later.

Since I started making sushi last summer, I've made it every single weekend. My wife swore she'd never eat raw fish, and then she tried it and was hooked (no pun ....). Judging it by the supermarket version is like judging hamburgers by McDonalds. Not even fresh McD's. Old burgers sitting under a heat lamp for hours. That's how bad supermarket stuff is. The only way they can get away with selling it to you after it's been sitting in the cooler for a day or so is to crank the temperature way down, so bacteria won't grow. But sushi is supposed to be consumed closer to room temperature (especially the rice, not the fish), at which it has much more flavor and a softer texture. I've never had anything but gummy rice from supermarket sushi. I've vowed to never buy it again, no matter how pretty it sometimes looks.

There are as many flavors as there are different rolls (my local place offers over 50 on its menu). I definitely think you could eat a roll a week and never have the same flavors twice in a year. Not only are the combination of ingredients endless, but even the same ingredients can produce wildly different results, just from very slight variations in cooking the rice, cutting the fish (thickness, etc.), and the freshness of the ingredients. Even just the fish, with nothing else added except soy sauce, can have tremendous variety. I've had some sashimi that was fair, and then some that blew me away. I wanted to just close my eyes and melt into the experience.

Savor/Menolly, good luck with the classes! That sounds like a blast. I'm jealous. I wish I had something like that available in my area. I've had to make do with Youtube.

[Menolly]

Z., it was a one time class, so it was very basic. But they did call it Sushi 101; maybe a more intense class will be offered eventually. I was never brave enough to try to make my own rolls; this gave me the opportunity to do so hands on, with someone who knew what they were doing gently correcting and encouraging me.

Do you have a gourmet cooking shop like Sur la table in your area? That's where we took the class. Pricey, but worth it.