I am a sushi FANATIC. I love it.... like LOVE it... In 2nd grade, for my birthday, my mother brought me sushi for lunch and I happily sat in the school cafeteria popping tuna rolls while the other kids with their PB&Js stared.
A year before that in a San Fransisco "pay per plate" sushi place, I ended up in a picture with the chef (at HIS request) holding up my plates. Why? Let's just say he was quite impressed with how many I had stacked up.
As a sushi nut and crafting addict, there was only one thing to do. Learn to make sushi my self! Now, something to know about me, I'm not just a crafter, I'm a "social butterfly"... aka: I hate going places by myself. So when I wanted to sign up for a sushi making class, I dragged my friend Danielle with me. Which honestly ending up being a great idea! Having a partner made it so much more fun and meant I had a helper to eat all the half falling apart rolls we made.
We found the class on Groupon at Sea To You Sushi in Boston and went on a cold blizzardy night. The class itself took place in a sectioned off room behind a Japanese grocery store with about 10 other people and started with a 30-45 minute talk/demonstration on how to pick ingredients, properly prepare the rice and finally, how to roll sushi rolls.
There are 4 very important things that I remember:
- Restaurant or grocery sushi fish in the US is previously frozen unless you are in a really REALLY nice place and sometimes even then! Why? It kills parasites that may be in the fish.
- Nori (the black seaweed wrapping) has 2 very different sides. One is shiny and smooth, the other is rough and textured. The rough texture, allows the sushi rice to stick to it for rolling while the shiny side looks MUCH nicer. Therefore: always rice the right side!
- Do NOT overstuff your rolls... you will want to... you will be tempted... you will think "I got this!"... you don't got this. Pace yourself.
- And finally, CAT PAW...
The #1 rule to remember and by far the funnest, is cat paw! Cat Paw (as exhibited below) is tucking your fingers under like a cat paw to tuck the rice into place and to get the nori and rice to stick when rolling your sushi. It is the key to making everything tight and making sure nothing falls apart.
Quick details:
Pearl hours: 1.5
Start to Finish: NA
Difficulty: Easy!
Location: Sushi classes are everywhere! You just have to search for them
Class Thoughts:
If you have the chance to take a sushi making class, DO IT! Check Groupon and Living Social for deals. Even if you're not into raw fish, there are SO many other kinds to have fun with.
Lessons learned:
- Bring a friend
- Don't expect to want to eat everything you make the first time... it may not look as put together or as appetizing as you are used to. You will also get very full.
- CAT PAW CAT PAW CAT PAW!
- Inside out rolls are SO much easier and they're tastier because you can add stuff on the outside (ex: sesame seeds, spices, sauces, roe/fish eggs)
How I'd do it differently next time:
- Make less rolls and focus on perfection
- MORE CAT PAW, always more cat paw
- Let's be honest, nothing! I've now had sushi making parties and have made sushi for my family. It's a fun party trick!