Full Gastronomic Tilt

One night, it came up that I had never attempted homemade sushi.
“Really?” asked my friend. “It’s so easy. I’ll teach you. The trickiest part is making the rolls, but that comes with practice.”

I was skeptical about the easy part. Many Japanese dishes have a short ingredient list but a long list of steps, as the food is lovingly arranged or incorporated just so for a pleasing aesthetic and surprisingly complex taste. Not hard to make, but involved. Truth be told, I hadn’t given much thought to the creation of sushi prior to that night. My sushi thoughts are reserved for the eating of it, which I do frequently and with gusto.

So one night soon after that conversation, my friend and I set out for the store and gathered all the ingredients we’d need. Back home, I was unsure where to start and waited for some direction.

“How can I help?”
“Hmm…julienne these vegetables, please.”

Red pepper, green pepper, carrot, cucumber. I cut, scooped and sliced until I was surrounded by piles of veggies. Cooked baby shrimp and snow crab legs rounded out our ingredients. I was reminded that I dislike handling raw seafood, but pressed onward with only the lightest shudder. This was going to make a lot of sushi! Meanwhile, my friend busied himself with making nishiki rice, a specific variety of on-the-short-side-of-medium grain rice that lends itself perfectly to sushi, becoming plump and sticky when cooked. After the rice finished cooking, he dumped it into a large bowl and let it cool slightly before making slashes in the rice and dribbling in a goodly amount of seasoned rice vinegar, then folding it in with a wooden rice paddle.

“Okay. Do you have the mat?”
I did. I made room on a countertop, setting out the mat and the sheets of nori.
He turned around, reaching for the veggies…and stopped.
“What? What is it?”
“…Nothing.” He picked up my knife and started re-julienning all of the vegetables I had so neatly cut minutes ago.
I sighed, frustrated. I reminded him I had never done this before. If it was imperative the vegetables be sliced that finely, why didn’t he say something?
He turned around and smiled, not taking my bait for the sort of argument that only happens when two foodies (each with their own well-developed approach and rituals) cook together.
Instead…”When you’re making sushi with this many fillings, each has to be sliced pretty finely so it doesn’t make the roll too large. If it’s too large, it will fall apart.” Oh. Right.
Specificity.

At last, it was time to roll. I watched as my friend laid a sheet of nori on top of the bamboo mat, rough side up. Did you know nori sheets have a shiny side and a rough side? I didn’t. Rice always goes on the rough side, as I soon learned. Shiny side out makes for a more attractive presentation. He scooped some rice out of the bowl with the rice paddle and, turning the paddle over, began to spread the rice. Shiny side, rough side. Front of the paddle for scooping, back of the paddle for spreading. Specificity.

He placed the vegetables in a line along the edge - alternating and layering up as he went. The shrimp (sliced) and the crab (shredded) went on top. Then, lifting up the bamboo mat and pressing firmly, he confidently rolled the sushi tight.

(How crazy neat is this picture?)

Moving the roll to a plate, he wet the edge of the seaweed and pressed down to make a firm seal. Taking a knife with the tip dipped in the water, he sliced up the roll, and circles of perfect sushi appeared.

I was impressed. My turn didn’t go nearly as well. As effortless as he made it look, it was challenging to roll the sushi. At one point, I confess I wanted to fling the sushi mat across the room. My sushi was more oblong than spherical. But I did it! Now I have a better understanding why there are chefs out there completely devoted to the art of sushi and have even more appreciation for those beautifully presented rolls I get at Wasabi and Zen Sushi.

Have you made sushi? How many tries did it take before you got the rolling part down? If you do make it at home, does it diminish your desire to go out for sushi? My inquiring mind wants to know!

Speaking of inquiring, do you have a burning question for me? Ask away, anonymously, at my Formspring page.