Make Sushi at Home!

As tastes and food availability become more globalized, more Americans are developing a taste for world foods. Sushi, a Japanese staple, has grown over the last fifteen years from a specialty food to something available in the deli section of many larger grocery stores. Unbeknownst to some, sushi doesn't have to include fish at all, and if you do choose to include seafood, it's fine if it's not raw. The huge chunks of raw fish that some folks associate with sushi is, in fact, sashimi, a tasty, but wholly separate dish. Once a person develops a taste for sushi, hankerings can develop to rival any chocolate fit. The desire for a roll or two can persist for days, or even weeks, if unsatisfied. While sushi at your local Japanese restaurant may be pricey, the good news is that with a little practice, you can make sushi that is every bit as good for half the price, in the privacy of your own home. It's easy to do.

There are a lot of traditions and some pretty specific etiquette surrounding sushi, and when you go out to a sushi bar, you should know how to behave appropriately.. When you're making sushi at home, though, you can throw all of that stuff out the window. If you want to make a roll containing nothing but peanut butter and raisins, go for it! I'm not going to address etiquette here at all.

What you'll need:

Rice - You can use a sushi-specific rice, or any short-grain, glutinous rice that's available to you. It's pretty cheap, and I try to keep some on hand all of the time in case I want to whip up a couple rolls quickly.

Vinegar - Ideally, you want a rice vinegar, but I've used white vinegar in a pinch, and it worked out. I wouldn't make a habit of it.

Sugar - Regular old white sugar will do fine.

Salt - Just a bit of table salt.

Nori - Nori is the seaweed often used to wrap your sushi rolls. Many large grocery stores now carry nori in vacuum-sealed packages. If you can't find it at your grocery store, try a natural foods market or an asian market.

Fillings - let your imagination run wild here. Most anything you like can be rolled into sushi. Common ingredients include cucumber, avocado, green onion, fish, imitation crab meat, cream cheese, hot pepper sauce, and toasted sesame seeds. My wife and I enjoy adding tomato, smoked salmon, and sometimes some mayonnaise to our rolls. Go crazy.

Wasabi - You can get this pre-made in tubes, or in a powdered form.

Soy Sauce - You can add it to the rolls as you make them, or dip your roll s afterward. Tamari is good for this, too.
Pickled Ginger - Available in jars pretty much anywhere you can buy nori.

A Note on Fish - Many people advocate using only fish marked as "sushi-grade," this fish is supposedly fresh and safe. Living in a land-locked state as I do, access to same-day fresh fish is tough. I purchase the freshest looking fish from my grocery store, and often use it that day without issue. If I'm at all worried about it, I'll freeze the fish solid for a couple days before using it. The freezing ought to render any nasties in the fish pretty safe.

Sushi Mat - Pretty much anywhere you can buy nori, you can get a cheap bamboo mat for rolling your sushi. If you absolutely can't find one, you can do a reasonable job using just a sheet or plastic wrap.

Sharp Knife - The sharper the better. We re-sharpen our knives twice during sushi night, and it helps a lot.

Prepare Your Rice - If you have a rice cooker, prepare the rice according to the directions. To cook your rice in a pot, add 3 cups each, rice and water and bring to a boil. Leaving the pot covered at all times, reduce to low temperature and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let it stand for fifteen minutes, still covered. While the rice is cooking, in a small saucepan, combine 1/3 cup of rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Gently heat the mix, stirring continuously, until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. When the rice is done, add the vinegar mixture and transfer rice to a large plastic or wooden bowl to cool. Because you make sushi with you hands, you want the rice to cool quickly, so the larger the bowl, the better. Be careful not to crush the rice grains as you incorporate the vinegar.

Prepare Your Toppings - Slice or chop all of your desired toppings, and arrange them within easy reach for the rolling process.

Toast Your Nori - In a preheated oven, place the nori on a cookie sheet into the oven for 10-30 seconds. Don't burn it! This process really brings out some amazing flavor from the seaweed.

Roll Them Up - Lay a sheet of nori on top of your bamboo mat. Using your hands, spread a thin, even layer of rice onto the nori - dipping your hands in water before working with the rice will reduce sticking. Leave about half an inch of the nori uncovered, along the edge farthest from where you are standing. Add fillings along the edge closest to you, as thickly or thinly as you desire. Keeping your hands moistened, carefully roll the nori, mat and all, forward, as tightly as possible. Use your fingers to make sure the fillings are incorporated into the roll, Roll until you run out of nori, being careful not to incorporate your mat into the roll, and then use your hands to ensure that the shape is uniform.

Cut The Rolls - Remove your roll from the bamboo, place it on a cutting board, and carefully slice the roll into pieces. Use a sawing motion, and the least amount of pressure possible to get the job done - this will help the rolls hold together, which is especially important when you're just starting out.
EAT! - If you've gotten this far, you know what to do next. Chopsticks or fingers, it doesn't really matter. You've just satisfied that sushi itch at home, and had a lot of fun doing it. Enjoy!