I'm thinking of getting some stuff to let me make my own sushi for christmas. I was wondering if anyone rolls their own sushi and the suplies that I will need. I know I need a bamboo mat and seeweed sheets that I can get at Harris Teeter but what about a rice steamer, specific chopstics, a specific knife, etc. Also i was wondering where a good place is to get fresh fish for the rolls that you can't get in the grocery store like yellowtail, eel, and roe or ebi.

[Edited on December 10, 2005 at 10:09 PM. Reason : .]

12/10/2005 10:03:34 PM

Grand Asia Market at South Hill Mall. I think I saw eel there.

12/10/2005 10:05:47 PM

harris teeter sells sushi grade tuna and sometimes other fish, thats where i get mine

12/10/2005 10:12:23 PM

fresh fish? whole foods. order early and pick it up in the morning. i ask for sashimi grade (it's flash frozen to kill parasites). i'm sure they'll know what you are referring to if you ask for sushi grade too.

don't buy seaweed sheets at harris teeter, their shit is terrible to work with. it's folded and tears easily. go get the flat square variety. i get mine at the korean market behind subway off of western.

you can make rice any old way, but the electric steamers do it quite well. i use a 8-10 cup zojirushi rice cooker, but you can use something cheaper and smaller. wal-mart sells $9-20 rice cookers that would work decently well if you don't eat/use rice everyday.

typically you need a wooden spoon or a plastic rice scoop (it's the thing that comes with the rice cooker) to get the rice on the seaweed sheet and then to arrange it.

chopsticks? you can use any kind. i have thin metal ones, but you can use bamboo, plastic, laquer finished, etc...

the bento knife i have is long and rather short (unlike say a regular chef's knife), made of high quality carbon steel, and stays rather sharp. it most likely should have a wood handle that makes it easier to hold when wet. i got mine in japan, but you can get a decent one at off of amazon or williams sonoma at the mall. i also have a santoku knife to do fine cutting and chop/mincing ingredients. hand wash and then dry, never in the dishwasher. if you don't know how to sharpen a knife, now is a good time to learn. dull knives suck.

12/10/2005 10:25:45 PM

Very cool. thanks a lot for the info. Time to start looking around for everything



What about types of rice? Do you usualy just use typical white rice or is there some specific kind that is the best?

[Edited on December 10, 2005 at 10:37 PM. Reason : rice]

12/10/2005 10:27:54 PM

Get the short grained "sushi" rice. It should be marked on the package.

12/10/2005 11:27:26 PM

most any short grain white rice will do. sure you can buy "sushi" rice, but you'll just be paying for the label.

avoid "instant" rice.

sushi rice should be firmer than the typical white rice asian people eat.

do you have sushi vinegar? you need to mix that in at a one tablespoon of vinegar per cup of rice while the rice is cooling. pretty much just take the rice paddle and move the rice around making sure that the vinegar has coated everything evenly.

also depending on what you're rolling, you'll need some other ingredients, such as soy sauce, wasabi, daikon radish, ginger, etc...

FYI: i find it helpful to put a piece of saran wrap (thick cling wrap) on the makisu (bamboo mat) to keep from having to wash the mat. it's also useful to store the rolls in the fridge if you didn't eat them all.

also don't rush. it turns out ugly that way.

12/11/2005 12:14:44 AM

i always roll my own

12/11/2005 2:25:01 AM

My friend Linda swears by a food chopper. She puts a lot of veggies in her rolls and it saves her hours to get them cut the right way. i want to say there is a special kind to get the long skinny sticks cut

12/11/2005 8:57:28 AM

ive found that wearing latex gloves helps out tremendously when rolling the sushi. make sure you never use metal anything when preparing the sushi, because it reacts with the rice vinegar and tastes really really bad. you really don't need a rice steamer, as long as you know how to make rice in a pot and then put it into a plastic bowl.

when you're first starting out, do it so the seaweed is on the outside, then later try doing it with the rice on the outside.

some things that i like on my sushi: sesame seeds, salmon eggs, powdered wasabi and ginger.

12/11/2005 9:44:54 AM

yummy!!!

you've already gotten pretty sound advice. Find out what day the store gets fresh fish delivered and plan to do it on that day.

12/11/2005 3:39:37 PM

sushi - thumbs up
VT - thumbs down

12/11/2005 4:08:21 PM

Anyone know where you can take an actual sushi rolling class? I would really love to try it but have no idea where to begin.

12/11/2005 4:16:19 PM

I've been looking into doing this as well. There are some good videos you can find online that show you step by step how to roll.

12/11/2005 4:50:03 PM

I agree with qntmfred on that one

There are only two stores (to my knowledge) that sell Sushi grade Tuna- Whole Foods and Harris Teeter. We usually get the lobster sticks and the salmon. Sometimes we get shrimp. The hard part is getting other kinds of fish. You have to learn how to "cook" them. We have this great book that helps- Sushi:taste and technique by Kimiko Barber and iroki Takemura.

Other than that- Grand Asia Market. We even ordered a special sushi knife that was in the book from Grand Asia. They can get it even if you don't see it.

12/11/2005 7:18:33 PM

i learned from instructions on the internet, then i went to harris teeter and watched the guy making them there. that was enough for me to get it.

12/11/2005 7:32:35 PM

^ & ^^^ Great idea Thanks!

12/11/2005 8:40:03 PM

Quote :

"Anyone know where you can take an actual sushi rolling class? I would really love to try it but have no idea where to begin."

A friend of mine was taught by one of the guys who works (or used to work) at the sushi bar at Whole Foods - I'm sure if you went there and got chummy with them, they'd be willing to teach you.

12/11/2005 8:45:36 PM

You might wanna check out Grand Asia Market for their mats and chopsticks too. I remember getting a mat for under a dollar. I'm sure its more expensive at Harris Teeter.

12/11/2005 8:53:31 PM

for the uninitiated, HT sells a sushi rolling kit, complete with mat, rice scoop, and chopsticks. everything else is beside it in the shelf. of course it's rather pricey, but what at HT isn't.

yes, go to grand asia for cheaper stuff.

you can always find the japanese knifes cheaper online and you'll pay no tax. of course tax only matters when it's something expensive.

[Edited on December 12, 2005 at 2:36 AM. Reason : eg ]

12/12/2005 2:36:21 AM

short of finding classes or lessons, ive seen Ming Tsai and Alton Brown each do shows on rolling it yourself if you can find them.

12/12/2005 9:10:09 AM

for the record, you are supposed to eat sushi with your fingers. not with chopsticks.

12/12/2005 10:32:20 AM

sushi is meant to be eaten with hands, sashimi is eaten with chopsticks

12/12/2005 10:46:00 AM