sushi advice...

[Sarlon]

So I've finally decieded that buying sushi is getting to expensive ($7 for 9 pieces), and the place that sells it decently doesn't always have the type I like out (salmon or tuna with cream cheese and cucumber).

So I've decieded to teach myself how to make it.

Rice types/brand
rice cooker/no rice cooker
nori

anything anyone wants to give me advice on I'd love to hear...I'm starting a new job and think it would be awsome to take my own sushi for lunch.

[lupo pazzesco]

I've found rice cooker makes the best rice, and you always want short grain rice. Rinse it FIRST. Helps with the starchy bits. Um...I actually posted a thread asking for advice on making sushi rice.

Ahh, Here it is!

It's so nummy.

As for the nori? I found mine at my local Kroger, it's got a decent asian food section. If not there, I've also found seaweed in the local Whole Foods, both nori and wakame for various dishes.

Good luck. And the salmon cucumber cream cheese roll? oohh, love those philadelphia rolls. And tuna is one of my favorites, too.

My boyfriend knows I pretty much will take all the tuna when we go out for sushi.

[Sarlon]

ok...advice on the fish? can i just get it at the grocery store?

(nearest fishmarket is on the coast.....in North Carolina....I'm in Tennessee)

[KiaKat]

You *must* make sure it's at least Sushi-grade, if not Sashimi-grade. Fresh is best, though previously-frozen is ok, as long as it was fresh-frozen (i.e. on the boat, not in the plant). If you can't get fresh, then make vegetarian rolls or use crabstick or other pre-cooked shellfish. Freshness is critical for the fish, and it's better to forego rather than end up sick from not-quite-right fish.

EDIT: Oh, and with the rice - there's a specific type of rice called sushi rice. Use that, the starch is sticky enough to hold it together. Yes, it's the same thing used for stickyrice at Chinese restaurants.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Yes, please remember: you are eating RAW FISH. Delicious, delicious raw fish. It will be pricey. But, it still might be cheaper than store-bought or restaurant prepared. Remember: expensive is tastier, with sushi. Cheapest stuff in mytown is at localwarehousestore, and it's so bad my steel-stomached boyfriend got a stomach-ache from it (he's never thrown up ever outside of infancy, so this means any normal person would be in for a bad night). As it was, it took about eight hours for it to go away. The more expensive stuff? Tastes like naked angels made it.

[Sarlon]

think I'll stick with either fake crab or strict veggie until I find a reliable fish vendor.

wonder how trout would do...

[teh_blumchenkinder]

ehehe, do you have rivers nearby? LocalSushi! (Make sure you can eat that too, check with your fish and game place for edibility and sustainability and tags.)

[lupo pazzesco]

Definitely stick with veg. But the philadelphia rolls you mentioned? Most places use smoked salmon in with the cream cheese and cucumber, so that's safe. also, shrimp sushi is usually cooked as well, so that's an option. And yes, sushi rice is a must. Something else you can usually find in the asian food aisle of a decent grocery store.

I need a good sushi mat. I don't have one and I sorta wing it, so my rolls are usually just hand rolls (place rice and filling in nori, roll in a cone-like shape) Still tasty, though.

[Jester]

I would not buy fish for sushi from most typical grocery stores. But ask around to your local sushi-lovers, and quite often, you can find a local market/store that IS good for buying your sushi-grade fish. Until you find one, though, stick to fish markets, and always always ALWAYS make sure you ask for sushi-grade fish, because not all fish IS sushi-grade, even from fish markets.

[draggar]

Get a sushi kit. Yeah, there isn't much in there and they may be over priced but they have rice vinegar and also the roller for the sushi. It can help a little.

I'll also agree - stick with veggies, imitation crab, and cooked fish (shrimp) until you can find a very good seafood place.

[Dreamstalker]

Another vote for avoiding supermarket fish. Sushi-grade fish in the US is required to be flash-frozen to kill bugs.

As for the rice, you need a mixture of vinegar and sugar. I found a sushi rice recipe; have yet to try it myself though. I have found the vinegar-salt-sugar mixture in powder form; if you want, I could probably get and ship you a few packs.

http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-make-perfect-sushi-rice/

[Kogarashi]

Hubby and I like to make our own sushi. Part of the fun is seeing what flavor combinations you can come up with for your own, rather than sticking to just the "official" recipes. One that we like is steak & onion. And seeing as we don't trust ourselves, let alone the area fishmarkets, with raw fish, we cook all our sushi meats.

For rice, I do recommend finding sushi rice if you can. Our local Walmart actually carries it (occasionally) in the Asian section, but if we can't find it there, we have enough oriental shops in town that can fill in the gap. If you get actual sushi rice, follow the preparation instructions on the package. Our nori sheets come from the local oriental shops as well, though I've also seen those in Walmart, some supermarkets, and our local Whole Foods equivalent.

We have actually used arborio (risotto) rice for sushi before, successfully. You will definitely want to rinse it first until the water runs clear. I believe the directions I found online were 1:1 ratio (1 cup rice, 1 cup water). Soak the rice for ten minutes, then bring it to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it cook, covered, for about 10 minutes. Then remove it and let it sit for another 10 minutes without removing the lid. Once you've done this, you can move it to a different bowl, stir in your vinegar and sugar, and let it cool. Don't refridgerate the rice at all until after you've made your sushi, or it loses some of its stickiness (this is one reason why store-bought sushi tends to fall apart when you try to eat it). Supposedly with the right water-rice ratio and proper preparation, you could get long grain rice to be sticky as well. I'd Google for directions.

I recommend picking up a sushi kit too. It usually comes with the rolling mat, which is most beneficial, as well as a directions book and/or rice paddle. The book, if it has one, will give you good tips on rolling. One that I want to emphasize is having some vinegar-water in a bowl to keep your hands damp when rolling, to minimize how much rice sticks to your fingers. And just make sure you cut whatever you're including in rolls to be long and thin so they fit better.

[hornet95]

ok...advice on the fish? can i just get it at the grocery store?

(nearest fishmarket is on the coast.....in North Carolina....I'm in Tennessee)

If you're in the McMinnville area of TN, we've got a good price war going on between two restaurants... buffet... yum.

[lordlundar]

I have to make a point here.

Sushi is not raw fish. Yes, it can contain it, but what makes sushi what it is is the rice. To that end, don't worry about being "traditional" or "authentic", especially if it can put your own health at risk. In fact, some stories on the origin of sushi had referred to the fish as fermenting or pickling, so if you use a pickled or marinated fish you don't have to cook the fish, leaving it raw while still avoiding microbial based illnesses.

[Sarlon]

If you're in the McMinnville area of TN, we've got a good price war going on between two restaurants... buffet... yum.

no where near there sadly....looks like its south of nashville area? I'm closer to bristol side of TN