**this post contains a lot of photos**
Today I'm going to show you how I make sushi. This was the method my Japanese auntie taught my mum, then my mum passed on the recipe to me. Recently, a few of my friends have been telling me that they cannot make sushi, one of them even bought the sushi kit but said she did not manage to make it. So I decided to do a post on making sushi and I hope this post will help beginners like myself who want to try making their own sushi.
I find making sushi really easy and fun! It doesn't have to be the exact shape with those served in restaurants, you can make them anyway you want. You can even use a piece of seaweed, slab some rice on top and add the ingredients -- the japanese do this kind of sushi which was so easy and no skill is needed.
for example, this was the xmas party my cousins and auntie in japan held for me on my last day in japan last year. There were a lot of sandwiches, cake and a sweet potato pie...yummy. and there was a DIY sushi (i forgot the term in japanese) where you just choose whatever you want and roll it up, so easy anyone can make it!
my cousin demonstrating how to make a sushi, get a piece of seaweed, spread it with sushi rice
choose the ingredient you want, here she put some ham and egg, then roll it up and eat it.
that was the EASIEST way of eating sushi, not difficult right? Now i will try to show you how i make my sushi, a bit like the restaurant style without the sushi chef's skills
you will need rice vinegar, or sushi seasoning. For 3 cups of rice, you probably need to add, into hot rice, about half a cup of the rice vinegar (or sushi seasoning), 3 tablespoon of sugar, and half a table spoon of salt. Mix it into the rice in a manner where you do not 'break' and turn the rice into a big mush. The idea is to cool the rice down while seasoning it, and make the rice grains separate from one another. You can then add more sugar/vinegar/salt to taste. I personally like my rice a bit sweeter.
Then prepare your ingredients. I made Teriyaki chicken (just marinate the chicken with teriyaki sauce), crabstick, cucumber, egg custard, corn + mayo. You can add other things that you like, if you have fancy tastebuds you can add high quality caviar, fresh salmon ... or just canned tuna with mayo is yummy too. I also bought a pack of seaweed, and the seasoned beancurd skin to make the beancurd sushi (i dunno the name in japanese)
The egg custard sushi is one of my favourite! It is not difficult to make at all. I will show you how!
Recipe passed down by my auntie during my last trip to japan:
3 eggs, 1/2 tea spoon salt, 1 tbspoon sugar - whisk it all together
Then you need to get a pan to make the egg custard, it has to be squarish or like the one below. I bought mine in japan for about aud$3 =)
I have tried to make this with a round pan before and it works fine, it is the same method, but you dont have to roll the egg, just make it into a semi circle where you fold the 'circle' into halves each time... this is really difficult to explain....but maybe try youtube.
So pour a thin layer onto the pan (medium heat), when it is almost cook (not completely so still slightly wet) you 'roll' the egg onto one side of the pan. Spread oil on the empty side, and pour another thin layer. Then when it is almost cook, roll the 'cooked egg' to the new side. Keep repeating till you get a roll of egg custard the size you want. (I think i only made it with about 4-5 layers)
This is also perfect for Bento or just as a side dish, not just for sushi
To make Nigiri sushi (the kind with the ingredients on top of the sushi not in the middle), i bought this sushi aid from Daiso which is about aud$1+, that shop is amazing, everything costs 100yen or AUD$1+.
Rolled Sushi - step by step instruction.
Spread about 3/4 of the seaweed with a thin layer of sushi rice (make sure the rice has cooled down first (but still warm) if not the seaweed will become really soggy). Line the middle of the rice with the ingredients you have prepared and sliced into long and thing strips. Then roll it with a sushi mat while applying constant moderate pressure - to hold everything together
roll it roll it! then press it gently after each complete 'roll' to make the sushi compact. Use a really sharp knife to slice the sushi, and you can get a glass of water to dip your knife in each time you slice a piece, this is to ensure that the rice won't stick to the knife and each slice is 'clean' and perfect
For the nigiri sushi, cut up the seaweed into strips and wrap it around the rice you have made earlier (you can try to make it with your hands without the aid, but i find it so difficult). Then i add my premade mayo+ corn kernels - one of my favourite sushi! I think japanese mayo tastes better with the sushi too, as it is saltier and more 'eggy' (get your friend/partner/family to help you make this while you make the rolled sushi so everyone can participate, and it is really fun! )
The sweet beancurd sushi, I just have to open the beancurd skin and put sushi rice inside! The marinated beancurd skin can be bought in most asian shops. Tastes exactly the same, and you have to pay 5 times the price if you eat these babies in a restaurant.
Then I arrange the sushi into platter style. The plate is also from Daiso $1+ so cheap. Going back to singapore to get more household items from there!
Pack some into the bento and bring it for lunch the next day~!
Not bad huh? I am quite proud of what I made considering I am still a sushi noob. If you are japanese or an expert in making sushi, please dont laugh at my platter or method. I am very proud of it!!
Hope you enjoyed reading this post as it was my pleasure to share this with all of you
Have a nice longggg weekend everyone!
