Homemade Sushi

July 9, 2011 - Homemade Sushi and Cold Soba Noodles

Rain, Friday and Manila traffic really doesn't mix well so good thing LJ and I planned our Fridate to be at home again. We don't want to get tired of Italian food so I thought of having some Japanese food this time. We are such big fans of Japanese food so this is really a treat for us.

This week, I'll be sharing with you how to make your own sushi and cold soba noodles at home!

First, the JAPANESE RICE - It's different from regular rice because it's sticky and has a short grain. I used 2 cups of Japanese Rice and followed the lines inside the rice cooker that indicates up to where you should fill the water for how many cups. (Next time i'll probably add more water to make it even more wet)

Once it's cooked and still hot, you have to add MIRIN

Mirin is rice wine vinegar (smells like sake!). Add only 2 tablespoons to the 2 cups of rice and it adds a sweetness to it. Mirin on it's own is not sweet at all. Let rice cool. You can't make sushi with HOT rice or else your nori will sag.

Now think about what you want to put in your sushi. The possibilities are endless. You can even put pork, chicken or whatever you feel like.

Here are the things I prepared:

Mango (cut into thin strips)

Cucumber (take out seeds and cut into thin strips)

Avocado (thin strips again)

Crabsticks

Eel/Unagi

Canned Tuna in water mixed with Cayenne Pepper and Japanese Mayo

and the things you must have:

Kikkoman

Japanese Mayo

Wasabi

Nori

I suggest you not to buy this brand of crabsticks. It was so rubbery and hard. It tasted fine. I should have gotten the usual ones I get. Made in Japan is always good.

Broiled Eel in a box. This one is from my sister's boyfriend which we have for quite some time now. Finally got the chance to eat it. They sell this in Cold Storage and also Japanese Stores.

Inside it looks like this. Just put on a plate and heat inside the microwave oven. The sauce is heavenly!

The two must haves for sushi. Kikkoman and Japanese Mayo.

Even yummy on it's own as a snack.

Just mix with water and you'll have the paste just like in the restaurants. Add more powder and less water for more heat!

Make sure everything is within reach so it's easy to make the sushi.

Now let's ROLL!

First, put your nori on top of your bamboo mat, spread cooked Japanese rice on the middle. Make sure the rice is evenly spread. Wet your hands when handling the rice so it won't stick!

Now add whatever it is you want to put inside your sushi. With this one, I added Unagi (eel), Cucumber, and Japanese Mayo. You can add more if you like so you can have a nice tight roll.

This was the other combination I made: Spicy tuna, Cucumber, Mango, and more Japanese Mayo.

Now it's time to roll! Here's a video in youtube that you can follow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swGJ2dIu9XE

This is the spicy tuna roll. Looks good and tastes oh so yummy!

This is the tuna California roll. Look at the other that aren't perfect circles. That's because my knife wasn't so sharp. Make sure your knives are sharp before attempting to cut sushi.

It was supposed to be "Make your own sushi" night but I ended up making for LJ too. haha

Happy tummy! :)

For the COLD SOBA NOODLES:

I wasn't on planning on making this but I saw this in Pure Gold. Buckwheat noodles and sauce for soba.

I cooked two bundles (which was too much) of noodles in boiling water for 5 mins. Drain it and pour cold water over it then put inside the fridge to cool. When serving, add strips of nori on top and dip in the sauce.

There are no English words in this bottle. I only found out what it was for because of the labels in the supermarket. Tastes sweet and light. The noodles were perfect with this!

All in all, the money we spent for this meal would be like eating in a Japanese restaurant BUT we didn't even finish the ingredients like Nori, Kikkoman, Wasabi, Mayo etc. This means we can have another Sushi night! This still turns out cheaper than eating out right?

Hope you try it at home too! It's not that hard to roll a sushi and if you do make a mistake, it still tastes good anyway.

Say Aishiteru (I love you in Japanese) to your loved ones today! Til next time! :)