Sushi Rice

[chefwannabe]

Alix, you forget that I live down here in Bama where they refer to sushi as bait. LOL They don't carry them thar fancy eatables at our grocery store.

Seriously, I found this "sushi kit" at World Market over in the next town and I also saw that they have the nori there. I just didn't know what all I needed or if everything I did need was in that kit.

 

[Alix]

Oops! Sorry Lori!

 

[fat n happy]

whats in the kit lori? :?:

 

[chefwannabe]

It's got a Sushi cookbook, chop sticks, little bowls, and I think two rolly things. I think it's only like $18-20. The cookbook alone is probably worth that much.

 

[Psiguyy]

I'm coming into this late, but hope this info helps a bit.

The rice should be gently washed until the rinse water runs fairly clear. GENTLY because if you're rough, the grains will crack and break. You don't want that.

Add the cooking water to the pot using the depth of the rice as a guide. In other words, if you have an inch of rice in the pot, add water until it's an inch above the rice. Otherwise, use the measuring cup that comes with the rice cooker and add water until it corresponds with the markings in the pot. If you put 5 rice cooker cups of rice in the pot, you fill the pot up the the line marked with the "5" on it.

At this point, the rice must sit and soak for an hour. This allows the rice to start absorbing some of the water. The rice will turn white.

Traditionally, you can put a piece of dashi konbu on top of the rice prior to cooking. Remove the dashi konbu when rice is cooked.

Once the rice is cooked, DO NOT lift the lid. Keep the lid on the pot for at least 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes of rest, the rice will be ready to be turned out, fanned, and seasoned.

 

[GaArt]

I use Calrose rice for sushi.

It's nice and sticky.

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

bump! :P

 

[kitchenelf]

oh sure - anything with your name in it you want front page

 

[Claire]

Brother, I started a new line, hope all forgive me and still chime in, because I had other questions. I will probably use CalRose rice, because that is what everyone in Hawaii used AND I can get it locally.

 

[Claire]

Now I'm not sure where to post this because I mentioned it in a couple of places. I used to have a brain, where did I leave it?

My neighbors' sushi party was a huge hit. We co-hosted it. Hubby and I spent the day making nege maki (something for the true midwesterners who might not even try sushi), rice, and doing the cutting prep work for the sushis that interested us. Then we went over, bamboo mat and rice in hand, and C (husband), hubby, and I made sushi while D (wife) made soup and finished up getting her house in order, for an hour before the first guests were to arrive. I was very, very pleased, and I hope C&D were (they're very inexperienced party-throwers, very nervous about it, so doing it as a sushi party was a huge move ... I wouldn't have the courage to throw a sushi party in Galena, and I love throwing parties!). I thought we made about 3X the amount of sushi we needed, but over half of it was eaten, whoa!!! All of the sides went over well. And Sake was a huge hit!! It was a sort of block party, and one neighbor is a locally-famous cheesecake baker. So you know desert was a hit. But I simply was amazed at how much people enjoyed the sushi. We did no raw fish (small midwestern town ... can't get it fresh enough), and I made sure that half the sushi would be pure vegetarian (cuke, avocado, asparagus, etc). I think hubby's "formed" (I don't know the right word, the kind where you sort of make a cake of rice, then place something on top of it) sushi with shrimp was a huge hit (nothing unfamiliar!!!), but the rolled sushi went well. The Chicagoan part of the party (about 1/3 of Galena is "sophisticated" people from Chicago) were thrilled, which really made us feel good.

OK, now the downside, which isn't much.

#1 The nori seemed tough
#2 The rolls were too big (too much rice)

Hubby thinks the #1 problem was because we made the sushi up in advance and refrigerated it (in advance is an hour at the most). I have a hard time buying this simply because in Hawaii and many other places I've been to sushi buffets where the sushi was not made right in front of me, and I don't remember the nori being tough. We looked at four different books and didn't find anything we'd missed. #2 I think is just experience.

Gone on too long already. Let me know if you come up with anything, because this is a repeater sometime in the future.

 

[kitchenelf]

Claire - your party was definately a success!! good job.

If sushi is rolled too long the nori will absorb some of the water/liquid and become tough. That's very possibly and very likely. You might try, even though the nori you buy may already say "toasted" on the package - holding a sheet with tongs over a burner flame set on low. Just about 10 seconds or so on each side.

It just takes less rice to make them smaller - keeping hands/fingertips wet to smooth a small amount of rice out.

 

[Claire]

Thanks, Elf. It'll probably be quite awhile before I make sushi again (heck, I was overwhelmed by how well it was accepted this time, let's not push it!) but will write your hints on a post-it and stick it in my sushi cookbook. Another thing is that I'd swear I've seen sushi chefs (you have to understand, in Hawaii we had a neighborhood sushi bar and I doubt a month went by without sushi, plus sushi at every potluck) sprinkle the nori with water or something. But we had three cookbooks and none mentioned wetting the nori. Will be planning a trip to either Madison or the QC to see the real guys at work!!! Yes, I'm proud of how the party turned out, and I didn't even throw it. My neighbor (D) was already talking about how it could have been better. I do that, too, after a party, but first I bask in how well it went!! Guess I'm a half-full kinda girl.