I've mentioned before that Ryan and I started making our own sushi. It's so delicious and yummy and really not that hard! Now granted, our knife skills need some serious work and we can't make the wide variety that you can order at a sushi restaurant, so we'll still be going out for sushi a couple times a year. But making our own means we can afford to have sushi a little more often than if we were going out for it every time.
I think we spent around $30 on all the basic supplies - siracha, wasabi, nori sheets, sushi rice, bamboo mats. And then we just pick up the filling ingredients that we need: crab, cucumber, avacado, fish, etc. And about every 2-3 times we make it, we'll have to buy a new bag of rice.
There are plenty of tutorials on the internet that show you how to actually make the sushi, so I'll just give you my tips for beginners.
- We follow the basic directions they give you on the sushi rice bag (not the complicated process that I found all over Youtube). Just make sure you get actual SUSHI rice and not a different kind. And then we add a few teaspoons of rice vinegar at the end.
- Do all your filling prep while the rice is cooking and cooling.
- Keep the filling simple, especially the first time you make it. We usually do crab and 1 kind of fish and a roll with just veggies. We don't bother with the fish roe, sesame seeds, and other things they use for the outsides of the rolls. And we usually use dipping sauces instead of topping the rolls with spicy mayo. Simplicity is key for the first couple times.
- Making sushi isn't a quick process. We usually start the rice about 90 minutes before we intend to use it so that it has enough time to cool down. And making the rolls usually takes about 30 minutes or so. But making the rolls is part of the fun.
- Keep the rolls tight and the filling small. They'll probably be a bit bigger than at a restaurant, so you'll probably want to make about 2 rolls (12 pieces) per person. Don't go crazy, because it's just not as good the next day. The rice gets kinda crunchy. (Not to mention you have to be careful with the raw fish and you shouldn't eat it the next day.)
- If you're going to eat any raw fish, it HAS to be sashimi grade. Just go up to the seafood counter (at a nicer grocery store) and ask them what they have that's sashimi grade and take that. It's usually tuna. If they don't know what you're talking about, just walk away. it's not worth it. We use a quarter pound for 3-4 rolls.
- Have a bowl with water and a little rice vinegar l in it. You'll want this to rinse off your hands and the knife, because the rice is really sticky!
- Branch out little by little. Add one new technique every time you make it. Inside out rolls, rolls topped with raw fish, tempera fry a roll, etc. Just don't try to do it all at once!
Yum! Is it time for another sushi date night yet?