By Britta Florman, Jayplay writer
Making sushi at home is cheap, easy and delicious
After eating at Lawrence's premier sushi restaurant, WA, 740 Massachusetts St. I left with a happy belly but an unhappy waist. The simple Japanese meal satisfied my hunger, but I don't expand my stomach beyond its comfort zone. A sushi meal is 180 degrees different from the classic American buffet, which leaves you feeling like you ate a small child.
The first step to making your own suki is getting the ingredients. You can find everything you need at Hy-Vee, 4000 W. Sixth St., or at Community Mercantile, 901 Iowa St., for about the same cost. After the initial investment in these suki-making supplies, you are set for at least two suki meals.
You can replicate the Japanese dining experience in your own home. With about a $20 investment and hour of your precious time, you can learn basic sushi-rolling techniques and create your own pieces of chewy, crunchy, creamy sushi.
Getting the goods
Although sushi is often associated with raw seafood, sushi actually means rice dressed with vinegar in Japanese. Fish can be consumed as a part of sushi, but it is not a necessary ingredient. Your basic homemade sushi rolls will consist of sheets of nori (a roasted sea plant), sushi rice, rice vinegar, and your choice of fillings.
*nori*, $5
*rice vinegar*,$ 3
*a bag of sush rice*, $3.79
*sparagus, avocado and baby carrots*$ 5
- wasabi powder (purchased at the Community Mercantile in bulk herbs). $2
- bamboo sushi roller, (from the Community Mercantile)$ 3
To make the spicy wasabi paste, combine 2 tablespoons of hot water with each tablespoon of wasabi powder. This peppercorn will add a sharp taste to your sushi.
Be sure to also set out sides of soy sauce or tamari to dip your sushi in.
Prep
In the kitchen
Having a partner in your suki-creating experience is helpful but not necessary. To start, warm your oven to 400 degrees. Combine 3 cups of water and 2 cups of dry suki rice in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Simply bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove rice from heat and let it sit for 10 more minutes.
Photos by Britta Florman
Drizzle a little olive oil on a sheet of foil — sides folded up — and
Time to roll
This is the fun part. To ensure the suhi rice doesn't stick to your hands, prepare a small bowl of cold water with a splash of water and pour your hands with before you touch the rice.
4 Jayplay 04.14.05
1. Place a 4-by-7-inch piece of nori with its lines parallel to the lines of the bamboo roller. The edge of the nori and the bammy are glued at the end of the mat closest to you.
During this time, prepare the vinegar mixture for the rice by combining in a
ook the asparagus in the even for about eight minutes.
saucepant: 1_ tablespoon sugar, 2_table-
spoon rice vinegar and a teaspoon of
salt. Simmer and stir until sugar and salt
are dissolved, then take off the heat.
Prepare your other sushi fillings by cutting the carrots and avocado into thin slices. Also thinly slice the asparagus after it's cooked. Once the rice has absorbed the water, transfer it to a glass bowl (not metal) and drizzle with vinegar mixture. Turn the rice a couple times, but do not stir it.
2. Form a loose ball of rice about the size of a small apple and place in the center of the nori sheet. Slowly spread the rice evenly over the nori, about three to four
5. Wet your knife and cut the roll into six pieces by holding a sharp knife at a 45 degree angle over it and cutting down with slow controlled movements.
Once you learn to how to roll suki,
you'll never forget. And you can experi-
ment with different fillings: cream cheese,
bacon, mushroom, green onion or spinach.
Sushi-making guidelines presented with help from Tracy Griffith's Sushi American Style.
grains thick, leaving a 1-inch border at the top.
4. While holding the nori with your thumb and index finger, fold and roll the nori over ingredients. Continue lifting the mat so the nori rolls around and closes. You can further round the roll with your hand to seal it. Hyeon J. Shin, Seoul, South Korea freshman and "sushi man" at WA, sushi ushing with a bamboo mat covered with a layer of plastic wrap. Shin uses the plastic-covered bamboo mat to round the roll after he has first rolled it closed with his hands.
3. Lay the avocado, carrot and asparagus slices evenly over the rice layer. To ensure an even roll, make sure ingredients do not overlap.
—bflorman@kansan.com