Thank you so much for attending Saturday's class. If you enjoyed the class, please leave your review here to let others know how much funds you had. (we are going to have a class in Peninsula starting in August)
Domo Arigato!!
TOOLS
Makisu (Rolling Mat) A bamboo rolling mat to make rolls.
Available both online, in Asian Stores, and in Kitchen Stores including Sur La Table and William Sonoma.
Daiso is a great place to buy them at a great price ($1.50)
If you buy a large one (27cmx27xm), it will fit perfectly into the one-gallon Ziploc bag. Rice Cooker If you’ve always used a pot to cook rice, I highly recommend using a rice cooker. Why? Because it’s so nonchalant! You put rice and hit the switch. After thirty minutes, your rice would be ready. So which brand should you buy? If you want the best, I recommend Zojirushi or Tiger, which are both Japanese make. There are many other brands including Aroma ($30) Hangiri/Handai (Rice Mixing Tub)
You need to mix rice with sushi vinegar to make sushi rice. They are available at Soko Hardware in San Francisco Japan Town, Tokyo Fish Market, Marukai, and Mitsuwa. You can also purchase one online here. Made in China is less expensive than Made in Japan. If you want superior quality, go for made in Japan. Knife (Yanagiba)
The Knife I use in the class is Miyabi Birchwood Slicer.
INGREDIENTS
Rice
Most Japanese rice is Short Grain (some Medium Gran) Rice. We use Lundburg Organic Sushi Rice. It’s labeled as Sushi Rice and what it is Shor Grain. Available at Whole Foods and most natural stores.
Rice Vinegar
We use Marukan Organic Sushi Vinegar. It so happens that Marukan uses Lundberg Organic Rice, so naturally, it goes well with our rice.
Fish All of our fish are sustainable. Our fish supplier is Monterey Fish Market, Pier 33 in San Francisco. They email us a price list with where and how the fish is caught, so only order sustainable fish according to Seafood Watch Guide by Monterey Bay Aquarium. The founder of Monterey Fish Market, Paul Johnson has helped to create the guide. Nori/Seaweed
Nijiya Brand Nori is a good one to use.
Wakame Seaweed (Dry)
They are available in the Japanese Market and many Asian Market also. Hydrate in water for 30 minutes, then season with sesame oil and soy sauce. RECIPES AND GLOSSARY
Cucumber Seaweed Salad (serves 4) Ingredients:
Persian Cucumber 3
Seaweed Mix or dry wakame (soak in water for 15 minutes)
Instructions:
Thin slice (1/16") cucumbers, put into a bowl
In a bowl, sprinkle ½ TBSP salt, gently rub, and let it sit for 15 minutes
Squeeze cucumber, drain water the plate
Add seaweed and serve
Sushi Rice
Use "Short" grain rice or rice labeled as "Sushi" Rice such as Lundberg Farm Rice. To cook rice, wash the rice in the water a couple of times. Drain water put it in a rice cooker, then add water - the rice: water ratio is 1:1.1. (I used "Lundberg" Organic Sushi Rice - available at Whole Foods Market) Let it sit for at least fifteen minutes in summer and up to thirty minutes in winter before cooking rice. This helps the rice cook better and brings out sweetness from the rice (the flavor of the rice is in the core). Using mineral water or filtered water dramatically increases the taste of rice (which is what I do). Key Points: 1. Use mineral water to wash the rice 2. Let rice sit in water for 15-30 minutes before cooking 3. Use organic ingredients
Ingredients:
3 cups Organic Short Grain Rice
Sushi Vinaigrette:
Ratio - Rice Vinegar:Sugar: Salt=5:3:1. For example, 5 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt.
1 1/4 cup Marukan Organic Rice Vinegar (Available at Whole Foods Market or Natural Grocery Store)
3/4 cup Organic Cane Sugar
1/4 Sea Salt
Instructions:
In a bowl, put rice and pour mineral water to soak all the rice. Quickly drain water. Repeat one more time. ( you can use tap water for the second time, but for the first rinse, use mineral water)
Pick up a handful of rice and rub it gently with your hands. Do so with entire rice.
Pour water (tap is OK) all the way so that all rice is underwater. Stir the rice with your hands gently, then drain the water.
Repeat step 2&3 one more time
Put washed rice in a rice cooker, add 3.3 cups of water and let it sit for 30minutes. This will bring out the sweetness and more flavor of the rice.
(If you are using a pot, place rice in a pot and add water.)
To mix sushi vinaigrette, add rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Mix until sugar and salt are dissolved. (you can heat the mixture over low heat if sugar and salt do not dissolve at room temperature.)
Cook rice. Make sure to let the rice cooker sit for at least 15 minutes after the "cooking" light is off. (If you are using a pot, medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes or until all the water evaporates. Turn off the heat, let it sit for 10-15 minutes for steaming. Important: never open the lid, as this will release the steam and pressure inside the pot necessary to cook the rice.) 3 cups of uncooked rice should make about 8-9 cups of cooked rice.
In a "handai" (sushi rice mixing wooden bowl) or a stainless bowl, put cooked rice. Using a wooden rice spatula, pour sushi vinegar over it and distribute it evenly to the rice.
Mix rice with sushi vinegar in a slicing motion to keep each grain of rice intact. Avoid smashing, putting too much pressure, and mixing too much. We use about 1/3~1/4 cups of sushi vinegar to 4 cups of cooked rice.
Let it cook until the rice is about the same temperature as the palm of your hand. Turn the rice over to let the other side cool to the same temperature.
California Roll Ingredients:
Sushi Rice 3 cups
Nori Seaweed 6 half sheets
Crab Meat (Chicken of the sea premium crab meat)
Mayo 3tbl.
Lemon Juice 2tbl.
Soy 1tbl.
Black Pepper to taste
European Cucumber 1
Avocado 2
Sesame seeds as desired
To make crab mix:
In a bowl, mix crab meat, mayo, lemon juice, soy sauce, and black pepper to make crab mix. It is like making tuna salad if you will.
Cut European cucumber into thin strings
Slice avocado thin
Instructions:
Place nori, shiny side down
Wet your hands with water
Grab tennis ball size sushi rice
Cover the entire nori surface with rice (place rice on the top left corner, cover the top half first, then the bottom)
Sprinkle sesame seeds
Flip it over so that rice is facing up, nori side down
Place crab mix just a hair below the centerline, followed by cucumber and avocado
Roll from the bottom up, use bamboo matt to seal, cut into 6 or 8 pieces
Rainbow Roll Instructions are the same as California Roll. Just place your choice of fish and vegetable on top of a roll.
BONUS RECIPE
Sake Mojito
Ingredients: • Momokawa Organic Jynmai Ginjo Sake 3oz. (available at Whole Foods or BevMo.) • Agave nectar 1oz. • Lime Juice 1oz. • Sparkling Water 3oz. • Shiso leaf 1 • Mint leaf 2 • Ice
Instructions:
In a shaker, muddle shiso and mint leaf with Agave nectar and lime juice . (Alternatively, you can mix in a glass pitcher.)
Add sake and ice and shake it well. Strain into a glass filled with ice followed by sparkling water.
Garnish with a mint leaf
WHERE TO GET SUSHI-GRADE FISH AND OTHER INGREDIENTS
Your best bet in finding so-called sushi-grade fresh fish is to ask your fish seller if it's suitable for raw consumption. It takes years to acquire the skill to be able to tell if you can eat a fish just by looking at it. Generally speaking, you need to look for a firm, shiny skin tone.
Monterey Fish Market
1582 Hopkins St. Berkeley, CA 94707
Excellent sushi-grade fish all caught in a sustainable way. We get fish from their wholesale on Pier 33. They cater to Chez Panisse.
Tokyo Fish Market
1220 San Pablo Ave B
Berkeley, CA 94706
510.524.7243
Probably the best retail Japanese market to get sushi-grade fish and all the ingredients you need to make sushi
Marukai
19750 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, CA 95014
Good prices fresh sashimi-grade fish are available.
Here is a blog post about Marukai.
Mitsuwa Market Place
675 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129
408.255.6699
The biggest Japanese Grocery Store in the US .
Nijiya Market
Several Locations in Bay Area including San Francisco, San Mateo, and San Jose
If you are cooking Japanese food, this would be the market to go .
Suzuki Supermarket
71 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401
Offers much popular sashimi and sushi fish such as tuna, salmon, yellowtail in prepackaged blocks as well as sashimi platters.
Sushi Restaurant Recommendations: (in alphabetical order)
Akiko's Sushi Restaurant
431 Bush St, San Francisco, CA 94108
Saru Sushi Bar
856 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114
WAKO (Traditional Japanese Cuisine) 211 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118