Sushi

We had an Asian themed family dinner this month with my side of the family. I've been wanting to try my hand at making sushi, and this was the perfect opportunity! So I did.

I first had sushi as a missionary for my church. In my very first area, I had two companions: a sister from Nevada (Sis. B) and a sister from Japan (Sis. N). Sis. N was a Salt Lake City temple square missionary: for most of her mission, she was here in Utah taking visitors on tours of the Church buildings in Salt Lake City. But for a few months, she got to go down and proselytize in Texas. I loved Sis. N! She is genuinely one of the nicest people I have ever met, and after seeing how hard she tried to learn our language and our culture, I enjoyed taking an interest in learning about hers.

I used Food Network chef Alton Brown's recipe for sushi rice and followed his instructions on how to make a California roll even though I put different ingredients inside the roll: cream cheese, avocado, and orange bell pepper.

I wasn't feeling adventurous enough to use any kind of raw fish. I had considered using canned tuna or cooked shrimp, but ultimately decided not to.

When it comes to sushi, I generally prefer the California roll (rice outside, toasted seaweed/nori inside) because the nori has a very strong flavor. When the nori is on the outside, it is the first flavor to hit the taste buds, and I find it a bit overwhelming. But on the inside, with the California roll, the nori flavor is muted and mixes in better with the other sushi ingredients--I think.

For rolling the sushi, I did not have nor could I find a bamboo rolling mat. I did, however, have a ribbed place mat. So I covered it in plastic wrap and used that to roll the sushi. It worked out really well. Getting the right amount of rice and rolling the sushi up tight seems to be a skill that requires some practice, but for my first-ever attempt, I think my sushi rolls turned out pretty good.

I ended up with seven rolls. Which turned out to be about twice as much as I needed. We had about 20 people at the dinner. Not everyone was adventurous enough to try the sushi; some were held back by one ingredient or another (Who doesn't like cream cheese? My sister, that's who. Weird). But I did get several compliments from some of those who did try it.

I'm pleased with the result. Of course, I do recognize that my sushi is not really authentic . . . at all. I wasn't going for authenticity. But it was fun to make and eat.

As far as I know, Charlie was the only kid there who tried the sushi--and that's because I made him try it. He cried. Oh well. It's character building, right? But for a more American-kid-friendly sushi I would do things differently: omit the nori, cook regular rice with some sugar added in the hope that it would be sticky enough, omit the rice vinegar, and fill the roll with some kind of cooked teriyaki or orange chicken. I'd try to keep it simple.

Sushi is a food that can be done however you want. It has tons of creative potential!