Homemade California Rolls & Ebi Nigiri

Before this weekend I'd never attempted to make my own sushi rolls. Considering how adventurous I usually am with food preparation (though not, you know, in a hygiene way), and how much I love sushi, it's kind of odd. In any case the inspiration this time came from my bf, who can eat massive quantities of rolls (so he usually comes away from Japanese restaurants a little bit hungry, because massive quantities of rolls = $$$), and was craving them. So we decided to try making our own, which would be good in a financial sense, and also fun!

Verdict: it WAS both fun and delicious, and did make more financial sense, but I have to say that it's hard work! Really, many props to sushi chefs, whose creativity and skill I'd never quite appreciated to this level before, now having tried to do what they do.

We decided to keep it simple for this first excursion (though it was amazing how complex even 'simple' stuff is!) and made California rolls and ebi nigiri. While not the perfection you'd get in a real sushi place, we were pretty proud of how our attempts came out! (Plus, no matter what it looks like, it's still delicious, so we had that going for us.)



First, we had to assemble equipment and ingredients.

Equipment:
- rice cooker
- bamboo mat
- skewers
- plastic wrap
- super sharp knife
- 1 bowl of cold water
- 1 bowl of ice water
- large non-metallic bowl

Ingredients:
- imitation crab meat (usually made of fish)
- avocado
- English cucumber
- shrimp (headless)
- tuna sashimi (maguro)
- nori (toasted seaweed)
- short-grain (sushi) rice
- tobiko (little fish eggs)
- sesame seeds
- rice vinegar
- sugar
- Kosher salt

First we made the sushi rice. Washed the rice thoroughly (meaning several changes of water until it ran fairly clear) then let it sit in water for 30 minutes. Used the rice cooker to make 3 cups (uncooked) rice. I worried that there wasn't enough liquid, but followed the rice cooker's instructions and it came out fine (if you make rice on a stove top, use equal amounts of water and rice). After it was done I let it sit and steam in the cooker for about 15 minutes. In the meanwhile, I made the vinegar mixture by heating the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in the microwave until the latter two were dissolved. Scooped out the rice into a large non-metallic bowl and let it cool for a bit, then poured the vinegar solution over it. Folded the rice together well (our research on sushi rice showed that we weren't to mix/stir the rice, as this would break the grains). Set aside to cool completely.

In the meanwhile, we started to prepare the ebi. Set a pot of water to boil. Skewered shrimp onto skewers through the head and body, all the way to the tail, so that they were stretched out fairly straight (this is to keep them from curling when they're cooking). Tossed them into the boiling water for about 5 minutes, then removed them to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process (and conveniently, to be able to handle them without burns). Twisted the shrimp off the skewers. Shelled them up to the tail. Sliced them carefully down the middle of the belly without cutting all the way through. Spread them open and removed/washed away any visible veins. I wish I'd taken photos of this process but you can find helpful videos on YouTube.

Then there was the slicing of the imitation crab, avocado, cucumber, and maguro.



Finally, assembly. We made ebi nigiri, and also used a couple of slices of maguro to make nigiri as well. That was fairly easy.

Next came the rolls! Wrapped the bamboo mat in plastic wrap. Put a sheet (or half sheet, depending on how big you want your rolls) of nori on top. Wet hands thoroughly with water -- very important step or you'll have sticky rice all over you -- then took a portion of completely cooled sushi rice and spread it over the nori. I'd have to wet my hands every so often, whenever they dried enough that the rice started sticking to them. Flipped the nori over so that the rice was on the bottom. Layered in the filling (we skipped the Kewpie/Japanese mayo that some places use) -- depending on if you use a half or whole sheet of nori you can put in more or less. Carefully used the bamboo sheet to roll it up. I learned that a very important step here is to, after you've made the first roll-in, make sure it's tucked in really tight, and continue to make sure it's tucked in tight as best as you can while you're rolling it up, because otherwise the roll will be really loose and the filling will fall out easily.







After the roll has been completed, you'll want to take your very sharp knife and dip it in a bowl of cold water. Slice the roll in half, then place the halves side by side. Dip your knife in cold water again and slice familiar-sized pieces. After every slice be sure to dip your knife in water. We learned this was a super important step to making sure that cuts were easy (otherwise the sticky rice will make it very difficult to cut).





We then rolled each piece in tobiko (or sesame seeds). In theory you could roll the big roll in tobiko, then slice into portions, but some tobiko would inevitably stay on the cutting board and get on consequent rolls in random places, which doesn't look as nice.

Serve with wasabi, soy sauce, and green tea, and enjoy!



We made a ton of rolls that we couldn't even finish, and have ingredients to make even more. Definitely the way to go if you know someone who's a bottomless pit when it comes to rolls! Next time we'll branch out and try some other kind of filling ingredients ... like shrimp tempura! Yum.

Sushi, Part Quatre

You might be wondering, where was sushi part deux and sushi part trois? Well, in the last week, I've had sushi three times. That is a lot, even for me. I went at the request of friends (and really, other than being rather pricey, I'm happy to eat Japanese food quite often). I did take photos all three times, but it was always for dinner and the restaurants were dark -- and not wanting to be rude, I don't use my flash -- so the pictures didn't come out great. I have to use Photoshop to get the lighting right. I didn't think the second and third trips (I'm counting my first set of sushi pictures, when I went to I Love Sushi for lunch, as part one) came out well enough to make a blog entry about, but last night's photos were fairly decent.

In person the sushi was so beautiful that I wish I could have really captured the quality and color on film. We were lucky because, apparently, on Thursdays the sushi chef instructor is at the restaurant (we went to I Love Sushi, and their lighting is better than at the other two places I went -- Wasabi Bistro and Kisaku), so the presentation was especially nice. Again, I wish I could have done the food justice with these pictures, but they came out OK considering the lack of ideal lighting.



Because I've been eating so much sushi lately, I opted to get a roll, some cooked fish, and a 'side' of nigiri instead of my usual sashimi. Pictured above is some of the freshest, sweetest, most delicious hamachi I've ever had. I wished I'd gotten the sashimi, or perhaps an additional order of nigiri.



Here's the cooked fish I mentioned -- hamachi kama, which is the "cheek" of yellow tail. I prefer it to be grilled and lightly salted, rather than have any teriyaki glaze. This actually was not on the menu -- salmon kama was -- but I asked the waitress if she could find out if they had any hamachi kama, and it was the very last one. Woot!



My friend ordered a rainbow roll and a paradise roll, which I'd also been eyeing. I decided not to get it because it had spicy mayo, but the fish looked so fresh that I think I'll try it next time and just have them not put in any mayo. Pictured above is the rainbow roll.



Here's a slightly different angle to the rainbow roll. Seriously, these pictures do not do it justice.



Here's the paradise roll, which includes tuna, salmon, yellow tail, and avocado. And it was big chunks of fish, too, not chopped up fish that I find rather iffy.



Close up of the paradise roll! I love the different-colored tobiko, it makes it look so festive.



One of our party (a coworker of my friend) ordered what I normally would have -- the sashimi dinner. I simply adore how artfully this was presented. The white fish was shaped into a rose, which is just so awesome. Yes, I love stuff like that!



I also ordered a standby favorite -- the caterpillar roll. I'm determined to get it until I get a sushi chef who does the thing where they use two salmon roe for eyes and sprouts for antennae; it's so cute!



A close up of the caterpillar roll.



Last but not least, we ordered bananas glazed with rum and served with scoops of ice cream. It was a very fitting coda to a fine meal.

Why I Do, Indeed, Love Sushi

I don't think I've been to any sushi joint in Seattle that gives you the same kind of value that I Love Sushi does -- at least during lunch. Their food is always fresh, beautifully prepared, and delicious. The service is friendly, and the prices are reasonable. The atmosphere is comfortable and unpretentious, but clean and bright. What more could you want?



Every lunch comes with a bowl of hot miso soup loaded with seaweed and tofu. Their salad greens are fresh and lightly dressed with a miso dressing that's slightly sweet and full of umami. These, along with a cup of hot green tea, are brought to you without any prompting.

They have a large lunch selection, from tender sashimi to crunchy tempura to soupy udon -- and if you can't decide, their I Love Bento is always a sure bet. My personal favorite is the sashimi lunch. At $12.75, it comes with 2 pieces of hamachi, 2 pieces of salmon, 2 pieces of octopus, 3 pieces of albacore tuna, and some white fish.







The one thing I Love Sushi does not have is meat. You'll find salmon teriyaki on the menu, but not beef or chicken. I promise you won't even miss it. The tempura is a surefire winner -- for something a bit unique try the avocado one -- and shioyaki hamachi kama (with some lemon squeezed on top) is also a favorite. For the longest time they served udon but didn't have it on the menu; that's been changed recently. Try the nabeyaki udon for a bit of everything.



As for the rolls, skip everything that has the word "spicy" in it. A lot of people like it for some reason, but the overpowering spicy mayonnaise completely cloaks the taste of the fish -- and isn't that why you're having sushi in the first place? It also means they can use this-is-the-end-of-the-piece fish for it, the parts that don't make up a whole piece for sashimi or sushi, or worse, fish that isn't as fresh. I'd also skip the crunchy roll here, because it's just got too much mayo. (If you like crunchy rolls, it's unsurpassed at Kirkland's Rikki Rikki.) The roll I recommend? The caterpillar roll, which is a bit pricey at $11.50, but worth it. It's filled with eel and topped with thin slices of avocado. It's gorgeous and delicious.



Depending on the sushi chef who prepares this, it might come as carefully sliced roll on a long platter. It might come artistically arranged on a square plate. It might be snaked, resembling a real caterpillar, complete with antennae made of two sprouts. However it's arranged, you're still getting a fantastic roll.



Don't miss this place. It's a treat you'll remember for a long time.