Have you ever taken a bite of sushi and had the entire thing fall apart? Did you still eat it? It seems like every time I try to eat with chopsticks, inevitably my sushi falls just as I am getting it to my mouth, and I have to scoop it up with a fork. And this got me thinking. Maybe I could try to make some homemade sushi? If sushi still tastes good when it falls all over the place on my plate, what’s the worst that could happen if I made it myself? Optimism is important for cooking experiments.
Ingredients for Homemade Sushi:
When I was visiting my Meema this summer, she served us lox and bagels for breakfast. I was shocked. With my love for salmon, how had I never had this before? I asked my Mom, and her response was pretty simple. It is expensive. Funny, that is the same reason she gives when I ask why we don’t have sushi every week. This is when my plan started hatching. What if I convinced my Mom that I could make cheap homemade sushi with lox?
Do you have any idea how hard it is to make sushi?
Pessimistic Mom
Well, no. Actually, I do not know. But I wanted to find out! So I started researching some methods of ways to make homemade sushi that did not require all of the fussy rolling techniques.
Making Homemade Sushi Rice:
The first step in the process is to make some sticky sushi rice. And when I say sticky, I mean sticky!
This recipe said that I needed to rinse the rice for a couple of minutes until the water was clear. I used a steamer basket from one of our frying pans, and it worked perfectly!
After that, I used our instant pot and cooked the rice for 5 minutes and then let it sit for 10 before releasing the pressure.
While that was cooking, I made the seasoning for the rice. I had no idea that sushi rice needed seasoning. I mixed the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Cooking vinegar on the stove top has got to be one of the worst smells ever! It reminds me of when we made our cucumber salad. We always say it smells like “dead feet.”
When the rice was ready, I poured in the vinegar and carefully folded the rice with a rubber spatula. I didn’t want to mush it all into a ball of mush. Then, I laid a damp cloth over the rice so it wouldn’t get dry and let it cool.
Method #1 of Failed Sushi:
From my research, I thought I would try to make some, “sushi balls” as that sounded so funny to me. Did I mention how sticky this rice was?
After dipping my entire hand into a bowl of water, I started trying to form a ball with some lox, avocado, and cucumber inside.
Well, this was not going well.
After adding a lot more rice, I did eventually make a “sushi ball” but worried that you could not see what ingredients were in it. I renamed these, “take a risk sushi balls” as the ingredients were a mystery.
Method #2 of Failed Sushi:
No worries, I had a backup plan. I brought out some silicone cupcake liners and started pressing the sushi into a bowl shape. Then I added my ingredients. Perfect! Now to take it out of the liner.
Well, never mind, I had another plan.
Method #3 of Failed Sushi:
Okay, why not skip trying to do this in my hand or liner and just make some “sushi patties.” That name really got me laughing!
I had no idea how I was going to eat these patties, but this method seemed to work the best. And it was the quickest to put together.
Method #4 of Failed Sushi:
I knew these patties were just going to fall apart when I tried to eat them. So I just gave up and put the ingredients into a small bowl. I wanted to love this, but I had a hard time getting all of the ingredients in one bit like rolls of sushi. The taste just was not the same.
So now I know. Making homemade sushi is hard! But the experiment was fun!
4 Ways to Fail at Making Homemade Sushi
Have you ever taken a bite of sushi and had the entire thing fall apart? Did you still eat it?
Ingredients
For the Sushi Rice
- 2 Cups Sushi Rice
- 2 Cups Water
- 1/4 Cup Unseasoned Rice Vinegar
- 4 Teaspoons Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
Options for Sushi
- 4 Ounces Lox or Smoked Salmon
- 4 Ounces Cooked Shrimp
- 1/2 English Cucumber
- 1 Avocado
- 4 Ounces Cream Cheese
- Sesame Seeds for Topping
- Soy Sauce
Instructions
For the Rice:
- Rinse the rice with cold water in a large fine mesh strainer for 1-2 minutes, or until the water runs very clear. Drain well.
- Follow directions on package to cook rice. Alternatively, use an instant pot and cook for 5 minutes. Allow 10 minutes before manually releasing pressure.
- While the rice is cooking, heat the rice vinegar, sugar and sea salt together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture nearly reaches a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
- Once the rice is cooked, transfer the rice immediately to a large mixing bowl and drizzle it evenly with the sushi vinegar. Use a spatula to very gently fold the rice until the vinegar is evenly mixed.
- Cover the mixing bowl with a damp towel so that it is touching the surface of the rice, which will help prevent the rice from drying out. Let it cool until it reaches room temperature.
For Preparing Sushi:
Try your best to use one of the methods above to see what you prefer. Make sure to dip your fingers in water before handling the sticky rice.
Notes
Adapted From Gimme Some Oven, and Think Rice
Katherine
Monday 23rd of September 2024
That was pretty funny! Now I’m going to try this one!