My First Batch Of Sushi! Hints For Next Time? - General

Tonight I made my first ever batch of sushi for dinner with my family (Check out my guide at the bottom!).[highlight] I bought the following:[/highlight] -2 x 5 Pack Sheets of Sushi Seaweed (Nori, I believe) -Japanese Rice -Seasoned Sushi Vinegar -1/2 lb. of fresh, wild Salmon (if you purchase it frozen and / or farm raised, I heard it can have parasites) -1 pack of imitation crab meat -Long Cucumber (Don't know the proper name) -Avocado -Bamboo Rolling Mat [highlight]What I think I need / will try next time:[/highlight] -Large Wooden Bowl w/o Finish (Used for the rice, it absorbs the moisture from what I've read, and doesn't taint the vinegar like metal will) -Small Fish Eggs, Tuna, Shrimp, Scallops (Though I'm not sure how to make sure eating the Shrimp and Scallops raw is healthy, I'll look it up) -Some sort of seasoning or spices for flavor [img]http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs158.snc1/5888_1168104996831_1054116867_30506973_1232254_n.jpg[/img] [img]http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs158.snc1/5888_1168105476843_1054116867_30506985_7055445_n.jpg[/img] [highlight]Here's my guide if you're looking to make one, I'll post it in General Discussion and provide a link once it's complete, but here it is for the time being.[/highlight] [img]http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs138.snc1/5888_1168105156835_1054116867_30506977_8366034_n.jpg[/img] [highlight]What you need:[/highlight] Ingredients listed at the top. [highlight]Determine how much you want:[/highlight] For each bowl of rice you make, you can probably make about 5 large rolls of sushi, each roll can be easily cut from anywhere from 8-10 good sized pieces [highlight]Find Your Rice:[/highlight] You will need to get some sort of Japanese short grain rice, American or long grain rice is too mushy and long for this, this is what I used for rice: [img]http://www.afcsushi.com/u/catalog_s/sushi_rice.jpg[/img] I bought this where they sell sushi at my local grocery store, if you don't have a sushi area at your store try places such as wherever the rice is, or the ethnic / cultural food aisle. This brand was called Tsunami, they also made the sheets of seaweed I used. [highlight]Find Your Seaweed: [/highlight] You also obviously need seaweed to wrap up your delicious rolls in! Go look in the same areas mentioned above, or ask an associate at the store if they can help you find it, or if they even carry it. Mine came in sheets of 5, which is good because it's really no good if you have any left over, because it will moisturize and become useless. So try to buy a few small packs of it instead of a large one. I personally used 9 rolls for a large dinner between 5 people. The kind I used (Tsunami) was actually a bit more chewy than I would have liked, as opposed to the local sushi buffet. [highlight]Find Your Fish: [/highlight] From what I've read, and used in the one time I made sushi, is you want to find either Tuna or Salmon (not sure about other fish right now) that are fresh, from the wild (not farm raised!), and not previously frozen. These are the rules for fish, otherwise you're more likely to catch a nasty parasite. I used 1/2 lb of Salmon on mine and Ended up making a good 4 rolls out of it, so I don't suggest buying more than a lb, otherwise you may not get to use it all and it could spoil, which may be expensive ($9.00 per lb at my store). Imitation crab is cheap, and looks and tastes like real crab meat. I bought a whole pack which I only used half of and made 5 rolls! [highlight]Find Your Vinegar: [/highlight] I already had sushi vinegar at my house because about a year ago my parents tried to make it one night while I was out, and they had leftover ingredients, apparently this batch was much better than what they made! I used some Seasoned Sushi Vinegar, rice vinegar will also work. I highly, HIGHLY recommend using vinegar, it gives the sushi actual flavor, I can tell you from what I had that sushi with just rice is not very good. My vinegar was brown, so I was very sketchy as to how it would turn out, it turned out great. Be aware that this stuff smells rank. [highlight]Find Your Veggies:[/highlight] I used an oversized cucumber and avocado in mine, nothing too extreme for my first time. I'm sure there are other little veggies to throw in there, so experiment! I personally thought mine was fine how it was without anything too, too out there. [highlight]Get Set Up! You will need the following to make some sushi magic:[/highlight] -Ceramic, Glass, Plastic, or Wooden Bowl (Not Metal) that is pretty large (the rice grows a LOT) -Wooden or Plastic Mixing Spoon -Cutting Board (2 if you're anal about cutting fish and veggies separate) -Some sort of fine sifter, with holes too small for the rice to fall through -Medium Sized Metal Bowl -A Sharp Knife -A Bowl of Water or Vinegar to dip your hands in when preparing the roll (I used water) -All of the stuff you bought -A bamboo rolling mat -A fan (like the fold out fans that asians are known for). I used a flap of cardboard. -Kosher Salt -Nongranulated Sugar (Just regular sugar for most people) [highlight]Now, this is where it actually gets harder and more fun![/highlight] Take your rice, and measure out 2 cups. Pour it in the sifter, put the sifter in the medium sized metal bowl mentioned above, fill the metal bowl up with water. Then (make sure your hands are clean) run your hands in a grabbing motion through the rice, kneading it to get any dust / powder off in the water. Repeat this step no more than 3 times or until rice water is pretty clear and not murky. Put the rice in a metal cooking pot, sit it on the stove until boiling, then put it on low. Let it steam for 20 minutes, then (without opening the lid) move it off the stove and let it sit for 10 minutes or so. While this is cooling off and cooking, I suggest make the best of time and start cutting your fish and veggies. Don't cut TOO big or TOO small pieces, you want to try and distribute an even amount of innards with rice. Now prepare the vinegar sauce! You want to take vinegar and put it small ceramic or plastic cup (not metal, as it will react and taint the vinegar), you need 6 tablespoons (the bigger one) of vinegar, then put 4 tablespoons of sugar in, and 2 teaspoons (the smaller one) of Kosher Salt. Mix these up until most of it has been absorbed into the vinegar. There might be a little bit of thick stuff at the bottom, just ignore it. You will need to fill the same metal bowl used to wash the rice up with water (not all the way, shorter than your vinegar cup), and ice so it's cold. Then take the vinegar mixture you made and stick it in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds or so. [highlight]BEWARE THIS SMELLS LIKE CRAP[/highlight]. It actually burned my nose when I opened the microwave. Open some windows or something, and afterwards take the nuked sauce and stick the cup or bowl it's in into the chilled water. Mix it some more until the vinegar is at least lukewarm. Back to the rice, take the rice and dump it into a wooden or ceramic bowl, you'll notice the rice has multiplied MASSIVELY. Hope you used a big pot to cook it in! Once you dump the rice, take a wooden spatula and chop up any large chunks at a 45 degree angle, not mashing the rice, but keeping it whole. Then you need to take the spatula and dig under at the same angle, and pull the bottom rice to the top. After that, slowly pour the vinegar stuff on top of your spatula, while moving it around distributing it evenly as you can, not pouring in one area. As you do this have someone fan the rice, as you mix it up also the same digging method as mentioned before. Make sure all of the vinegar has gotten to the rice. This should be good as far as the rice goes! Now just keep it in that bowl and put a cloth over the bowl for about 30 minutes allowing it to stickitize itself! Take your seaweed, put it evenly on a bamboo mat make sure one end is all the way to the edge of the bamboo and you still have some playroom with the other end. This will help when you finally roll it. You want to leave room at the end of your mat for the sides of the sushi seaweed too. Okay, now assuming you have it all laid out right, time to add the rice, distribute the rice evenly and thinly across the top of the seaweed. Leave about a centimeter (or fingers) width along either edge of the seaweed wrap. To move the rice around dip your hands in some water or vinegar to make them a bit less sticky, try to make it all even. Make sure your rice gets all the way to the sides of the seaweed (unlike the ends). You can see a picture of this step a bit above. Take your ingredients and place them closer to your side, you don't want them 1/2 way. Maybe about 1/3 or so should be good. Now line up your chosen insides in a row. Now, wet one of your fingers with the water, and line the empty space of seaweed closest to you with water or vinegar, it will make it more sticky, like an envelope. So what you want to do, is take the top lip of the roll and roll it over your ingredients, hold them in with your thumbs or fingers, so they don't slip out. Then once those have been wrapped over with pressure, continue to slowly roll the mat outward, until it is fully wrapped, hopefully it didn't spill too much and you got a pretty roll like that one I made! The reason you wet the end is to make it stick to the opposite side when fully wrapped. Make sure that you used good pressure too, or else it will be hard to cut, and pick up your roll! Well now you have your roll, and all that's left is to cut and eat the stuff! So cut it carefully with a sharp knife into desired pieces (I think it would be hilarious to just leave it in the roll form and put some wax paper over it as a sleeve and eat it like a churro or corndog. But if you cut it, place what you cut on a plate, and wrap it in plastic wrap, let it cool down in the fridge, it will probably be room temp when you are done rolling it. Then wait about 30 more minutes and enjoy your sushi! I really hoped this guide helped, let me know if I need to elaborate on other sections of it or if you need more info! [img]http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs158.snc1/5888_1168105516844_1054116867_30506986_3732543_n.jpg[/img] [img]http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs138.snc1/5888_1168105396841_1054116867_30506983_1994220_n.jpg[/img] I plan on getting the little orange fish eggs, and fresh tuna for next time. Do you guys have any other suggestions for what I could use? I think I might start making myself some for lunch during the school year, they're very filling and only like 150 calories for the entire roll. Any suggestions (with the exception of sweet things such as cream cheese and stuff) are welcome. I really enjoyed my sushi making experience, I hope you get the chance to make your own sushi too!

Making me hungry man. Nice job!

In the first pic, it looked like you used too much rice. Also, you should buy some raw fish next time.

To much rice and some more ingredients and it should be perfect!

Yeah you do have a little too much rice, but other than, looks good.

Nice work! Making sushi is like an art form.

Yeah, I didn't do the ones pictured on the plate, we didn't take a picture of the ones I made, but my dad made those. I do agree, there was a ton of rice, and I didn't put a lot of ingredients in them to begin with, then I kind of started adding more as I made them. It was a cool experience. Also, Salmon is raw fish, haha.

i would [highlight]Om nom nom[/highlight] that right up :nyoron:

i got an idea, its a stupid one, but here it is: chocolate

[QUOTE=MEOWTFLOL;16295555]i got an idea, its a stupid one, but here it is: chocolate[/QUOTE] I don't even

I just ate some shit sushi. Send me some of your tasty looking handrolls.

Try using scallops, brown rice and some kind of sweet chilli. That's always a good one in my book.

You should try some raw shrimp and a little bit of spice.

Buy a bamboo sushi mat. [url]http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UEYXK4/ref=asc_df_B000UEYXK4864344?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=googlecom09c9-20&linkCode=asn[/url] Really helps.

Sushi's not bad. Those little orange fish eggs are disgusting though. It tastes like I'm chewing on little plastic pellets

Quite a bit of rice, but hell, I'd eat it. Looks delicious!

Looks tasty, I love sushi. I think I might try to make my own after seeing this. Also, I like the shirt.

[QUOTE=Biotoxsin;16298540]Buy a bamboo sushi mat. [url]http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UEYXK4/ref=asc_df_B000UEYXK4864344?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=googlecom09c9-20&linkCode=asn[/url] Really helps.[/QUOTE] I have one, check out the second picture next to my left hand. There's a mat with a thing of seaweed on top. Also a lot of you are saying there's a bunch of rice, and there actually is quite a bit, but also on the California rolls the crab blends in with the rice. But my first one which was salmon, did have too much rice. It's about 5 hours later and I haven't had any side effects, so I'm pretty sure the salmon I got was okay to eat raw. [editline]02:37AM[/editline] Uploaded a pretty vivid guide of how to make it and buy ingredients for it.