Does anyone make their own sushi?

[bookfiend]

Is it hard to learn how? Where do you get the fish?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've made inari sushi - tofu pockets stuffed with vinegared rice and sometimes veggies. Easy peasy to learn how to do.

 

I've made nori maki- vinegared rice with some veggies and other fillings (like cucumber, avocado, sometimes shrimp etc.) in seaweed sheets. A bit harder to learn.

 

I've never made sushi with sashimi (raw fish) though I bet there are online tutorials for it. I've seen sashimi grade fish at Asian markets here. It is marked as such.

[Geo]

I buy my tuna (our favorite) from a local fishmarket, but have used frozen before in a pinch. Buy wild caught rather than farm raised. The rice and nori are available at grocery and health food stores. We don't think it's hard, but in the beginning we did have to learn how to roll them by using a bamboo mat, or sushi roller. We don't need that any more.

 

The real key is in the rice. Follow the recipe off a bag of sushi rice or google a recipe online. I like it best when it has the rice vinegar and sugar added to it. Chill the rice thoroughly. We stick to the generic "california roll" type of sushi. One of my kids will eat only veggie sushi...made with avocado, carrots, or cucumber.

 

 

ETA: http://makemysushi.com/

Edited June 26, 2012 by Geo

[wintermom]

It's not that hard to make, but it does take some practice to roll well. It's also helpful to have the right tools and ingredients. The bamboo rolling pad, proper rice, sharp knife, for example.

I don't make it with fish, just imitation crab meat and the other stuff for California roll.

[SkateLeft]

My husband does! He's a pescatarian and pretty much lives on it. It's actually very easy and pretty quick if I throw the rice on before he gets home, but takes a bit of practice. He's not a sushi chef, so obviously it's not perfect, but it works. :)

 

He buys sushi grade fish from Coastal Seafoods, a local fish market that supplies fish to various area restaurants. There's also an Asian market that he frequents. That's where he buys his sushi rice. We moved to the midwest from CA, where it was much easier to find quality fish, so we had to hunt around a bit when we moved here.

 

He also buys frozen fish from Trader Joes, and when he's in a hurry, he'll cook that and make "sushi" with the cooked fish.

 

The local fish market actually offers classes, but my husband has never taken one. He grew up in California, and learned somewhere along the way.

[VeganCupcake]

I make veggie rolls and it's not hard. I have had a problem finding a sharp-enough knife to cut without squishing the roll, though.

[Dealea86]

I make kimbap (Korean sushi, though DH would give me a dirty look for calling it that ;) ) fairly frequently. There's no raw fish in the Korean version, so no idea about that, but the actual assembly part isn't that hard. You don't need a bamboo mat, though it's helpful to have one. I've used a towel before with no problem.

 

The trickiest part to me is not stuffing it too full. I always seem to do that with the first roll. Usually it's because I used too much rice. Make sure you're using warm, sticky rice.

[bookfiend]

Just paid $12.00 for rainbow roll at my son's request. Suddenly while looking at it, I thought - I could make that with lots more veggies, way less rice and a much better price. You've inspired me to try. :D

[Spy Car]

Rolls are super easy to make. And there are all sorts of alternatives to raw fish as an ingredient that it is worth trying.

 

We formerly lived in the Japanese section of West LA and could get sushi-quality fresh fish. Not possible in most places, and not something to risk with questionable fish.

 

But basic nori rolls are really fun and simple to make. We do it all the time.

 

Bill

[Ferdie]

My children make California rolls. They use a Sushezi to make rolling easier:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Sante-Cookware-SUZ-Sushezi-Sushi/dp/B001P8J1GU/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1340752127&sr=8-8&keywords=sushi+makers

 

We use the rice recipe from thepioneerwoman.com. I have used both sushi rice and short grain bulk rice. No difference to me except in price.

[Ferdie]

I make veggie rolls and it's not hard. I have had a problem finding a sharp-enough knife to cut without squishing the roll, though.

 

Try putting the roll in the fridge for 10 minutes and then using a serrated knife.

[redsquirrel]

Dead easy to make! If you have a decent fish store or a nice grocery store with a good fish dept you can ask for 'sushi grade' fish. It will generally be tuna. You don't need very much. I routinely buy 1/4 lb for all of us.

 

My SIL lived in japan for 25 years and she was VERY encouraging to putting any darn thing you can think of into rolls. She loved coming 'home' to America and taking advantage of our varied supermarkets. She would have so much fun putting all kinds of things a roll. She would tell you to use any leftovers you can find! :lol:

 

We have sushi for dinner during a heat wave. It does take some time to slice everything up though.

[Jamee]

We make it all the time too. Don't use raw fish, although we are going to learn. I also can't wait to learn to make inari sushi. Love that stuff! Have fun. My kids really enjoy making their own.

[KungFuPanda]

We got a DVD at the bookstore that came with a mat. There are steps, and some timing, but it's not hard. We figured it out with cheap ingredients first. My son really just wants spicy crab rolls and I'm happy with California rolls, so we never made it to the fish market for an upgraded version.

[mommaduck]

I've made inari sushi - tofu pockets stuffed with vinegared rice and sometimes veggies. Easy peasy to learn how to do.

 

I've made nori maki- vinegared rice with some veggies and other fillings (like cucumber, avocado, sometimes shrimp etc.) in seaweed sheets. A bit harder to learn.

 

I've never made sushi with sashimi (raw fish) though I bet there are online tutorials for it. I've seen sashimi grade fish at Asian markets here. It is marked as such.

:iagree: I've avoided sashimi also. I have used crab sticks along with veggies though.

[kewb]

It is easy to make sushi. It does take some practice to get the rice ratio correct.

[Cinder]

I learned to roll sushi growing up in HI. We never made ours with raw fish; we used canned tuna. :tongue_smilie: We seasoned it with shoyu and sugar. We usually included blanched carrot, cucumber, fried egg, and kombu (another kind of seaweed).

[jenangelcat]

I make sushi often. Sometimes we use raw fish but my favourite roll involves coconut shrimp. I used to roll with a mat but now find it much easier to roll it without it.