Sushi For Dummies

Many of the bottled ingredients used when making sushi are probably familiar to you. These bottled sushi ingredients keep, unopened and in a cool dark pantry, for many months. Refrigerate opened bottles of sushi ingredients, such as soy sauce or rice vinegar, so that they taste good and last longer: Thick chili sauce: Even though chili sauce didn’t start out as a Japanese ingredient, sushi bars would have to close their doors if they ran out of it!

Some people say that the California inside-out roll was invented in Los Angeles during the early 1960s for people new to sushi bars. The California inside-out roll became (and remains) hugely popular. California Inside-Out Roll Special sushi tools: Bamboo mat wrapped with plastic wrap, sashimi knife Preparation time: 45 minutes Yield: 4 inside-out rolls (24 pieces) 1 ounce (1/4 cup) smelt roe 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons sliced scallions 1/2 Japanese cucumber 1 ounce daikon sprouts or other radish sprouts 4 ounces kani kama (imitation crabmeat), preferably leg-style 1 avocado 4 sheets nori 4 cups prepared sushi rice 8 teaspoons reroasted white sesame seeds Soy sauce Pickled ginger Thinly slice the scallions.

Chilled seasoned tofu is a hot-weather favorite in Japan, but this tofu dish is a favorite year-round with sushi lovers worldwide. Custardlike tofu soaks up the flavor of the soy sauce it’s served with, so use the highest-quality, naturally brewed soy sauce you can get. This dish is yummy with sliced avocado, broiled eggplant, or steamed asparagus.

This recipe takes the classic crème brûlée and bumps up the flavor with an Asian twist, crystallized ginger. Crème brûlée is a custard that’s baked in the oven, chilled until firm, and finally covered with a thin crackling crust of caramelized sugar. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Yield: 8 servings 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup whole milk 4 eggs 1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 3 tablespoons (about 3/4 ounce) finely minced crystallized ginger Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Cucumber sliced rolls are a time-honored favorite on sushi bar menus around the world. They’re thin sliced rolls, consisting of a half sheet of nori and only one filling ingredient (cucumber, in this recipe), making the quality of that ingredient paramount. Special sushi tools: Bamboo mat, sashimi knife Preparation time: 25 minutes Yield: 4 thin rolls (24 pieces) 1 Japanese cucumber 2 sheets nori 2 cups prepared sushi rice 2 teaspoons wasabi paste, or to taste 2 teaspoons reroasted white sesame seeds Soy sauce Pickled ginger Trim the cucumber to 7 inches long.

This light, refreshing cucumber and wakame salad possesses just the right amount of thin, crunchy cucumber in proportion to delightfully chewy wakame seaweed, to tease your palate into wanting more.Tip: Make the dressing, and soak and drain the wakame and cucumbers well in advance, refrigerating them until needed.

Fresh vegetables like cucumber and carrots are common in sushi. But for variety and authenticity, look for some specialized vegetables to add to your sushi-making session. These sushi-friendly vegetables may be sold at your local supermarket, or you may have to go to your neighborhood Asian market: Japanese cucumber: Japanese cucumbers’ skin is thin and delicious; they’re not watery, so they won’t make your sushi soggy; they have almost no seeds; and they’re very tasty.

Most people eat their first hard-boiled quail egg out of curiosity. When they taste how much flavor these little quarter-ounce quail eggs have, especially when dipped in matcha (powdered green tea) salt, they go on to eat three or four more. If you can’t find quail eggs, you can substitute chicken eggs in this recipe.

If a Japanese-speaking sushi chef is behind the sushi counter, these ten brief Japanese expressions will come in handy and make you a very welcome guest. Stress each syllable equally and you’ll be set. Hai (hah-ee): Yes. Iie (eee-eh): No. Konnichiwa (kohn-nee-chee-wah): Hello (in the afternoon). Kombanwa (kohm-bahn-wah): Hello (in the evening).

When you go out for sushi, the number and variety of dishes on the menu can be overwhelming. To help you out, the following lists contain Japanese words and dishes that frequently appear on sushi bar menus. Stress each syllable equally, and you’ll be ordering like a pro! To get familiar with the types of sushi, use this list: Chirashi-zushi (chee-rah-shee-zoo-shee): Scattered sushi Gunkan-maki-zushi (goon-kahn-mah-kee-zoo-shee): Battleship sushi Maki-zushi (mah-kee-zoo-shee): Sliced rolls, in general, including the following two types: Futo-maki-zushi (foo-toh-mah-kee-zoo-shee): Thick (2- to 2 1/2-inch wide) sliced rolls Hoso-maki-zushi (hoh-soh-mah-kee-zoo-shee): Thin (1-inch wide) sliced rolls Nigiri-zushi (nee-gee-ree-zoo-shee): Finger sushi Temaki-zushi (teh-mah-kee-zoo-shee): Hand rolls Ura-maki-zushi (oo-rah-mah-kee-zoo-shee): Inside-out rolls Sushi is often all about seafood and the following list goes through seafood sushi offerings: Aji (ah-jee): Flavorful Spanish or horse mackerel, served as sashimi or on sushi.

Miso soup with Manila clams is a big hit in Japan, and for good reason. The nutty flavor of miso finds a perfect partner in the sweet flavor of clams. If you can’t find Manila clams, choose another type of clam, preferably small ones.A rich and diversified world of miso is waiting to be enjoyed. You can use any salty (not sweet) miso, red or white, for this soup; this recipe recommends shinshu miso, which is a pale salty miso.

This simple dessert of oranges in plum wine is easy, beautiful, and refreshing. The plum wine complements the oranges wonderfully, and you can prepare this dessert up to a day ahead of serving it. Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes to marinate the orange segments Yield: 4 servings 4 large navel oranges 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar 1 cup plum wine 4 mint sprigs Rinse and dry the oranges.

Some of the ingredients you use in sushi need to be refrigerated — and not only the fresh, raw fish that you can use to create sushi magic. Look for these refrigerated sushi ingredients in your local Asian market: Pickled ginger: Sweet and tart at the same time, sliced pickled ginger plays a major role in sushi.

Pick up some sliced roast beef at your local deli for this hand roll, and if the sushi rice is done ahead, you’ll have your roast beef and watercress hand rolls ready in minutes. Preparation time: 8 minutes Yield: 4 hand rolls 2 sheets nori 1 cup prepared sushi rice 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon wasabi 4 lettuce leaves, preferably red leaf 4 thin slices (1/4 pound) roast beef, each rolled up in a bundle 4 sprigs watercress Soy sauce Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To store fresh seafood that you've bought for sushi, you must follow some storage guidelines. All fresh seafood needs to be stored chilled — either in a refrigerator, freezer, or container of ice — to keep it tasty and safe for you to eat: When you get your raw fish home, here’s what do to: Immediately put the fish in the coldest part of your refrigerator (usually the bottom portion) until you serve it.

Sushi is especially gorgeous when adorned with salmon roe — known for its showstopping size, orange-red color, and velvety texture. This easy Salmon Roe Battleship Sushi has only four ingredients, so it really highlights the look and taste of the roe. Battleship sushi starts with regular finger sushi that you wrap with little nori strips, creating tiny sushi that look like — yes, you guessed it — battleships.

Shrimp finger sushi is a beloved sushi bar staple. The process for making shrimp finger sushi isn’t difficult, and the sushi looks (and tastes!) amazing. Shrimp Finger Sushi Special sushi tools: 6- to 8-inch bamboo skewers Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 3 minutes Yield: 8 finger sushi 1 cup prepared sushi rice 8 jumbo shrimp (3/4 ounce each), in their shells 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste, or to taste Soy sauce Pickled ginger Hand-shape a bite-size portion of sushi rice into a little oval.

Six fabulous fish always star at a sushi bar: bluefin tuna, big-eye tuna, yellowfin tuna, red snapper, Japanese yellowtail, and salmon. These are the six most popular fish for sushi. Sushi with raw fish requires the absolutely best fish you can get. Any of the fish on this list, if you get it fresh, can make mouthwatering sushi.

These quick-as-a-wink-to-make, four-ingredient smoked salmon sushi rice balls are 2- or 3-bite sushi. Because these rice balls use smoked salmon, you can serve them to friends who are squeamish about raw fish. Preparation time: 15 minutes Yield: 8 sushi rice balls 1 tablespoon capers 2 cups prepared sushi rice 3 ounces sliced, smoked salmon 8 whole capers 8 lemon wedges Rinse 1 tablespoon capers and mince them.

Keep sushi dry goods in a cool, dry, dark pantry or cupboard —as for all dry food ingredients. Sushi dry goods quickly deteriorate if exposed to heat, moisture, or light. Most of these sushi dry goods are best used within six months of opening, and should be refrigerated or frozen after opening: Dashi konbu (dried kelp): Resembles broad, leathery, wrinkly ribbon.

Maybe you love sushi, but you’re not sure you’re completely familiar with all the different types of sushi or the items available. Fortunately, you can find that information here, as well as key phrases that can have you talking to your Japanese sushi chef like a native.How to read the menu at a sushi barWhen you go out for sushi, the number and variety of dishes on the menu can be overwhelming.

You might think rice is rice, but making sushi rice takes a special touch (and a lot of steps!). Because the rice is such an important part of any sushi dish, don’t forego the sushi-rice preparation. Special sushi tools: Rice cooker, sushi paddle, sushi tub Preparation time: About 1 1/2 hours Cooking time: About 25 minutes Yield: 5 to 6 cups 2 cups short- or medium-grain white rice 2 cups water 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2-inch square piece of dashi konbu 1 tablespoon sake, or to taste Remove the inner pot from the rice cooker, placing the raw rice into it.

Sweet Tuna and Snow Peas Pressed Sushi offers contrasting texture: crunchy snow peas; soft, slightly sweet tuna; and chewy vinegared sushi rice. Make this appealing pressed sushi an hour or two ahead and keep it covered in a cool corner of the kitchen. Special sushi tools: Sushi mold that makes 5 pieces Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes Yield: 20 pieces 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 can (6 ounces) albacore tuna, packed in water 4 teaspoons sugar 4 teaspoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons sake 1/4 pound snow peas 2 teaspoons mirin 4 cups prepared sushi rice 1 tablespoon reroasted white sesame seeds Drain the tuna well.

Making sushi at home is fun — and you can eat your mistakes! As a sushi novice armed with these sushi-making tips, you can march into your kitchen knowing that you can make some truly tasty sushi. Just relax. This first tip is the most important one of all. Sushi preparation (like anything) has a learning curve.

When making sushi, your well-washed, moist hands are the best tools you have for shaping the pieces. You may need a few other tools to shape sushi, depending on the type of sushi you plan to make: Bamboo rolling mat: A bamboo mat is the one piece of equipment you can’t fake. Mats consist of thin strips of bamboo (about 1/16- to 1/8-inch wide) tied together with cotton string.

What distinguishes Japanese sushi knives from Western-style knives is that many types of Japanese sushi knives are honed on only one side, the right side, to create the sharpest cutting edge possible. Sushi knives primarily fall into three categories: A heavy duty cleaver: Used for tough jobs, such as cutting through thick fish bones and filleting whole fish.