Japan | Sushi

Ingredients Needed (based on topping preference):

  • Bamboo rollers

  • 2-3 cups jasmine rice

  • Seaweed sheets (1 per roll)

  • 1/2 pound fresh caught salmon

  • 1/2 pound fresh tuna steak

  • 1 English cucumber (do not buy regular kind, too much

    water will cause you problems)

  • 1 bag shredded carrots

  • Cream cheese

  • 1 jar sushi ginger (I buy two because I eat a lot of ginger)

  • 1 bottle wasabi sauce

  • 1 bottle Szechuan sauce

Cooking Instructions:

  1. Cook your rice and place in the refrigerator to cool for 30 minutes (hot rice will break through your seaweed sheet + no one wants to eat hot rice in their sushi)

  2. Place seaweed sheet on bamboo roller (flat side up) and cover sheet with a layer of rice

  3. Flip the seaweed/rice layer over to have seaweed face up (modern style) or leave seaweed on the outside (traditional)

  4. Place your filling in a row directly in the center of the roll and fill it generously (For my filling, I mixed cucumber strips, carrot, and cream cheese together)

  5. Roll the sushi (Youtube video below)

Skip to 8:47: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=532&v=9QUpTeTVPJo

Here in America, we love our sushi. From shrimp tempura to California rolls, we go crazy for beautifully presented rolls coming from all directions on little toy trains and refuse to stop until we are stuffed with rice and raw fish.

The well-known meal dates back to the early 2nd century, but not in the way that we know it to be today. First mentioned in China, the fish was fermented in rice to preserve the quality, allowing for a longer time between consumption. It wasn’t until sushi was introduced in Japan back in the 7th century, that it was prepared with the rice instead of separately, like in China.

Back in the early 19th century, a man by the name of Hanaya Yohei, changed the way sushi was presented forever. Instead of wrapping the fish in the rice, Yohei displayed fresh, colorful strips of fish on top of long rolls of seasoned rice. This was a new era of ‘fast food’ sushi, known as nigiri sushi.

Following World War II, sushi was presented in more formal ways, moving from the street side markets to indoor settings. The world was now aware of what sushi was and it quickly spread to what we know it to be today. Japanese culture has a reputation for presentation and you will see that represented in their cooking, whether it be a bowl of ramen noodles or a roll of fresh sushi, its going to look good.

I set out to make my own at home and as fun as it is to make yourself, is not the easiest to prepare. While being a perfectionist myself, I had to learn to accept that my rolling skills would not match those with years of expertise in the Japanese kitchen. Grab a group of friends, a few bamboo rollers, and get rolling!

 
Jack Hatzfeld