Sushi at Home

Wish I could do it, it looks soooooo good.

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Donna, your sushi rice looks so transparent...what rice did you use?
They look gorgeous

BTW, the photo of the miso soup is making me salivate all over my keyboard,,,,,I can smell it!!!

YUM! what great photos. it makes me hungry! i LOVE sushi. :) i have fun making the sushi rice, too - lillie fans it! :) thanks for sharing this...

oh yummmmm.......recipes? techniques? pretty please?

Frugal and fabulous, Mme D! Just wish I liked sushi.......sashimi, yes, sushi, nope.

Madame D you are so very talented. Looks appealing, fresh and delicious!

(((Clapping))) Looks incredible, Madame Donna! What a feast!

You not only present a variety of great foods, but you also never forget the eye candy. Love it!

Super looking sushi and beyond my ability.

I swear this isn't cooking-this is art!

You did a great job! I've been thinking of making suishi - you have inspired me!

Sheesh. It is NOT that simple, Ms. Vinegar...... those rolls are PERFECT. Ingredients centered, rice-to-fish ratio looks good, slices, clean and even.

I want the rest of us to try this and send in photos of our results.
It will not be a pretty sight.

That looks wonderful, Mme D. The sushi alone sends me into bliss, and the soup...ahhh. Like Sonia said, salivating and it's only 8:15 am.

looks perfect!

Wow - that looks GREAT! I watch them make sushi in the supermarket (fascinating!) but rarely have I eaten it. It is pretty though. You a a very talented chef!
(FYI - sushi etiquette dictates that miso soup be served last. - I don't eat it but I read about it!)

Thanks for the inspiration.

Wow! I have a sushi-making kit that is languishing in the back of a kitchen cabinet, time to get it out.

My favorite food! Your sushi looks as good as anything at a good sushi bar! What's your favorite brand of sushi rice? I'm not 100% satisfied with Kokuhu Rose, would like to find one stickier. Your miso soup looks delicious, too. If I bring a bottle of sake, is there room for me?

The sushi looks fabulous--but imitation crab is NOT gluten-free.

I came back to enjoy your sushi again (6 months later!) and am delighted to discover that imitation crab can be gluten-free. Looks like they used potato and tapioca starches instead of wheat. Progress has been made in the food world! Yay! I learned something. Now, if I want to eat these at a restaurant, I will still have to jump through hoops, and make others do so, to find out the ingredients, but at least I know that it's possible I might be able to eat it....thank you, Madame Donna!

Alison, you're welcome! There is progress being made all the time. More and more manufacturers are waking up and releasing gluten free foods and it's becoming much easier to find.

Thanks everyone.

Sonia, I used Kokuhu sushi rice. I get it at the local Asian market. It's an excellent glutinous rice that could probably substitute in a risotto in a pinch. My teacher and my Asian friends all swear by it.

Jessie, since my kids moved out, I use a small table fan for the fanning now. Haha.

Linda, the recipe is basically what you see up there. The sushi rice recipe is universal and is just a rice vinegar and sometimes pinch of sugar seasoning. Sushi rice doesn't vary at all. The technique requires either photographs or a demonstration which is why I didn't include it. I have been learning sushi and sashimi making for over a decade and still haven't mastered it.

Aw, Mr. B., your critique as well as your flattery are welcomed. Thanks.

Richard, I don't do things conventionally unless my guests are Asian. (And believe me, when they are I put them to work in the kitchen and I learn!)

Casey, get that kit out and get busy!

Dorine, I use the same rice and have been using it for years. Perhaps you are buying older rice at a store with less turnover? I go specifically to ethnic markets for things like rice and masa harina, as well as other ingredients, in order to be certain they are selling a fresh product. The same items in my chain markets can sit there for months! When I happen upon on older product the results are far less than satisfying.

Alison, the crab I used was Trans-Ocean Crab Classic. The ingredients are (capitalization from the website, not me):

"INGREDIENTS: ALASKA POLLOCK, WATER, POTATO STARCH, SUGAR, SORBITOL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF THE FOLLOWING: KING CRAB MEAT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, EXTRACTS OF CRAB, OYSTER, LOBSTER, SCALLOP, SHRIMP, AND FISH (SALMON, ANCHOVY, AND CUTLASSFISH), REFINED FISH OIL* (ANCHOVY, SARDINE), SALT, RICE WINE (RICE, WATER, KOJI, YEAST, SALT), MODIFIED TAPIOCA STARCH, HYDROLYZED SOY AND WHEY PROTEINS, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, DISODIUM INOSINATE AND GUANYLATE, SODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE, COLOR. *ADDS A TRIVIAL AMOUNT OF FAT

ALLERGY INFORMATION: CONTAINS FISH, SHELLFISH, SOY, AND MILK."

When I phoned the company, they assured me the product was gluten free. I know that sorbitol is a potential hazard but I couldn't find any gluten in the ingredient list. Please enlighten me to what I missed or overlooked. I'm happy to learn!

Oh, I forgot to add that I had originally phoned to make sure the Koji was rice and not wheat.

Your pics are amazing. I don't know how I feel about sushi. I tell people I like it, but I never order it when it is an option.

Lisa, I guarantee that I could help you love sushi. Not much different than the succulent lobster in Boston...just a little more flavorful. Uh-huh.

THATS IT. I am comming to dinner...but in the mean time...fling me a bowl of that glorious soup!

Oh, Lou Anne, the soup was killer! Those shitakes were amazing and added a meaty texture to a wonderfully salty and simple broth. Perfection!

If only we were neighbors. But I am lucky anyway as my friends up the street have invited me to many a home-made sushi night. I have also done it at home. I always feel like it's a healthy meal. I love how you presented this. So your post is now featured on Cooking Without Recipes!

Thanks, Jan. I'd love to have you join us anytime you come south.

I wanta come visit you!!! ;-) I've only been eating sushi about 3 years and I tell you, yours is lovelier than any I've seen in a restaurant! And that miso soup...yum!!!

Rose, thanks very much. This is one of my favorites.

It is very cool that the imitation crab does not have gluten in it. The companies that produce it must be waking up to the wheat-labeling law! That is the first instance I have seen of gluten-free imitation crab. Thanks for sharing that.

Alison, I'm glad you came back. As you know, vigilance is still necessary regarding labels and ingredients but I think things are beginning to change in terms of awareness.

Donna - all I can say is WOW. It's 4:24 am and I'm sitting here craving a spicy tuna roll thanks to those incredible photos.

I bought a sushi cookbook a few years ago, but haven't had the courage to give it a go yet. I think that maybe, just maybe I will venture into home made sushi this next grocery visit. (Gives me an excuse to go to AJ's - our posh retailer up the street. Expensive, but definitely worth the bit extra !)

Now, I'd feel ever so much more confident if I had a step by step guide by Madame with marvelous photos at my side for reference (hint hint nudge nudge.)

I love AJs, Gisela! I used to shop there for party food all the time. They always had the most beautiful produce and some unusual meats that I could only find there. Certainly not the place for regular grocery shopping but invaluable for entertaining.

(A step by step guide, eh? It would be easier just to visit and do it in person...hahaha)

Oooooh, my daughter would love this one!

Thanks, Toni!

Not only is this an enjoyable essay with valuable information but the pictures are wonderful. I don't even eat Sushi and wanted some of this.

I love miso! Your photos are as perfect as your lovely food is!

This looks delicious! I have never ever tasted sushi ... simply because I have never got around to going to a Japanese restaurant - but I really must!

I'm comin' to your house! I love sushi.

That looks awesome. You ever make seaweed salad. I can only get it at Presto's in Wilimington, DE. and Yanagi Too in the Cherry Hil Mall, NJ. I just might have to do some shopping. But for now have to settle for fast food. Your looks amazing. Does it take you long to prep it? When I watch the guys at Yanagi I'm always impressed how quickly they just slap it together, like how I would make a ham and cheese.

I always thought there was more to them, but I take it more about technique not the ingredients or prepping.

Do you use those bamboo sheets or a mold?

Thanks very much, Clare!

Melinda, thank you. It's a lot of fun to make most Asian cuisine.

Magi, I love sushi especially in the summer when I want to stay away from the oven and stove. When the temperature climbs sometimes even a hot meal from the grill is not how I want to end the day so I resort to chilled sushi. Delicious!

elizabob, come on over!

Holly, thanks. I do make a seaweed salad as well as radish and cucumber salads. Sushi doesn't take long once you've made the rice. The rice, done properly, does take a while though. It's fast once the ingredients are in place. The technique is something I've worked on with a tutor for many years although I'm aiming for perfection for catering purposes. In the assembly phase, I use a bamboo mat for the sushi rolls and for sashimi I mold the rice in my palm. The plastic molds are useful for novices and I admit that for mass production, I have cheated and used them when necessary.

Then, Donna, sushi in the long hot Oz summers sounds just the shot! I'll get Bob to guide me through it.

Thanks, Magi, and good luck. If you have any questions, I think you know how to find me. I'm always happy to help.

Ummmm....San Diego is not that far away to drop in for tea and sushi.

elizabob, you are welcome anytime!

I am out of Nori
:-(

Ellie, that's a shame.

Oh this looks absolutley wonderful Donna, I love sushi but Hubby wont even give it a try. Your posts would be a most welcome addition to Good Cooks Illustrated

Thanks very much, Debra.  I'll go and edit the groups and fix that.

I love sushi and it's fun to make it at home. I wish I lived closer to an Asian store and I'd make it more often. Your's looks great.

Thanks very much, Joan.

What fabulous and stunning pictures!

Christy, thank you.  I'm glad you enjoyed them.

impressive, looks just like a restaurant presentation!

Thanks very much, David!

I'm not a fan of sushi, but the soup looks positively delicious. I have a friend who's allergic to gluten - I'll have to remember the next time I talk to her to suggest sushi.

Michelle, thanks, the soup is lovely hot or cold. Sushi is generally a pretty safe food for people with gluten allergies or celiac disease as long as the ingredients are fresh.

Found a new piece of real estate for you...a Mansion in Searsport, Maine...for 799,000. Go to
a Mansion for Madame Donna.

You could serve suchi here.

Shit, sushi not suchi....you have enough chi.

That's a great price! I went, I saw and I am investigating further as time allows. Thanks a bundle! Got anything else up your sleeve perhaps?

That miso soup looks delicious! The sushi looks good as well. I'd love to learn to make sushi rolls one day.

April, if you see a good class in your area, it will save you hours of aggravation if you take the class before you try this at home. If you can't find a class the next best thing is instructional videos. There is a sort of feel you get when you work with the nori, rice and filling that tells you when the roll is right.

april, mason can teach you. i suggested he do some teaching parties. do you have any friends that might want to learn as well? perhaps we can figure out a way he can make a little extra money on the side this way.