Questions about making sushi at home…?
First, is it okay to use any short grained rice, or does it have to be a special short grain rice?
Second, I know you have to get Sashimi Grade Fish, but is it true that tuna is safest, and that even all Sashimi Grade Fish is dangerous, because of mercury/other things?
Third, how long can you keep sushi in the refrigerator? I’m sure it won’t be as fresh tasting, but will it be safe to eat?
Thanks!
Preparing Sushi Rice (Shari or Sushi Meshi):
Rice cooked for sushi should be slightly harder in texture than for other dishes. You will need approximately one cup of cooked rice for each roll. It is easier and better to make too much rice than too little. Every recipe for sushi rice is different, but they all work. You might find a recipe on the bottle of rice vinegar, on the bag of rice, or on the package of nori.
Most recipes call for rinsing the raw rice until the water runs clear, but I often neglect this. The reason it is rinsed first is to remove talc from the rice. Most rice seems to be coated now with some sort of cereal starch, rather than talc, so rinsing could be omitted. They also suggest letting the rinsed rice drain in a colander, or zaru, for 30-60 minutes. It’s up to you. Just promise me one thing — that you will not use instant rice, converted rice, or brown rice. The rice you use should be short-grained rice, preferably Cal-Rose.
A fairly consistent recipe is to use equal amounts of rice and water, which will make the same number of cups of rice as the total of the rice and water. Another book mentions adding water until it is one inch above the rice, but I would go with the one-to-one ratio. The rice and water are brought to a quick boil, boiled for 1 minute, covered, simmered for 20 minutes, and let stand for 10 minutes after removing from the heat. It is optional to add a piece of kombu to the water and rice while it is brought to a boil, then removed. Another option is to add a few drops of sake or mirin to the water, but it will make little difference when the vinegar is added afterward.
Put the hot rice in a large bowl and pour sushi vinegar evenly over the surface of the rice, mixing it into the rice with quick cutting strokes. You should use one tablespoon of vinegar per cup of rice. Fan the rice at the same time to cool the rice quickly. What I often do is pour the vinegar into the pan and stir it in, then spread the rice out on aluminum foil on a cookie sheet to cool. If you are keeping track of the terminology, a hangiri, handai, or sushi oke is a rice cooling tub, and a uchiwa is a rice cooling fan.
If you cannot find sushi vinegar, you can make your own. To make sushi vinegar, combine 1/3 cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir to dissolve everything, and remove from heat.
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Regarding fish: sushi quality is essential. As far as “dangers” are concerned, this is a great website:
http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp
http://www.rain.org/~hutch/sashimi.html
Buy your fish from a reputable seafood mkt or a Whole Foods. Very few grocery stores care sushi quality seafood.
Have fun & enjoy!
Mercury in Fish – CBS Eye Witness News KPIX part 1.wmv
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American Tuna MSC Certified Sustainably Caught Albacore Tuna, 6oz Can w/ No-Salt Added, Caught & Canned in America (6 Pack) $33.00 American Tuna Inc. was formed by Six American Fishermen; These American Fishermen are leaders of the “Pole and Troll” Fishery with generations of Heritage in Pole and Troll Albacore Fishing. The quality of our canned product, as you will see is unmatched anywhere in the world. The fish are handled and processed with the highest level of care and caution. All of our Products are hand filleted and h… |
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American Tuna MSC Certified Sustainably Caught Albacore Tuna, 6oz Can w/ Sea Salt, Caught & Canned in America (6 Pack) $33.00 American Tuna Inc. was formed by Six American Fishermen; These American Fishermen are leaders of the “Pole and Troll” Fishery with generations of Heritage in Pole and Troll Albacore Fishing. The quality of our canned product, as you will see is unmatched anywhere in the world. The fish are handled and processed with the highest level of care and caution. All of our Products are hand filleted and h… |
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American Tuna MSC Certified Sustainably Caught Albacore Tuna, 66.5oz Can w/ No-Salt Added, Caught & Canned in America (1 Can) $28.00 American Tuna Inc. was formed by Six American Fishermen; These American Fishermen are leaders of the “Pole and Troll” Fishery with generations of Heritage in Pole and Troll Albacore Fishing. The quality of our canned product, as you will see is unmatched anywhere in the world. The fish are handled and processed with the highest level of care and caution. All of our Products are hand filleted and h… |
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Wild Planet Low Mercury Albacore Tuna $54.99 Delicious tuna-abundant in healthy EFAs- and low in mercury |
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Tuna: A Love Story $10.59 Famed marine researcher and illustrator Richard Ellis brings us a work of scientific achievement that will forever change the way we think about fish, fishing, and the dangers inherent in the seafood we eat. The bluefin tuna is one of the world’s biggest, fastest, and most highly evolved marine animals, as well as one of its most popular delicacies. Now, however, it hovers on the brink of extinction. Here Ellis explains how a fish that was once able to thrive has become a commodity and how the natural world and the global economy converge on our plates. With updated information on mercury levels in tuna, this is at once an astounding ode to one of nature’s greatest marvels and a serious examination of a creature and world at risk. From the Trade Paperback edition. |
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Single Sashimi $5.49 The third book in the Sushi series reunites four cousins—Lex Trish Jennifer and Venus—for romance with the spice of ginger. In the world of video games innovation is king. And Venus Chau has been reigning queen one of the high-powered developers in the industry. But Venus also has a reputation for not being the easiest person to work with. After her massive weight loss at age twenty-five that turned her from a geeky blimp into JLo CEO Drake Yu tried to force her to use her looks to benefit his company and Venus has never forgiven him. Now Drake needs her expertise for his sister’s startup and is asking for a second chance. Grandma bribes Venus to do this favor for Drake’s wealthy family with an introduction to an investor for Venus’s game development company. They form an uneasy truce for the next few months. But one wild youth group a two-faced assistant and Grandma’s determined match-making threaten to make them both fail—or go insane. And Venus discovers that even a wounded heart can undergo a beautiful transformation … Venus Chau is a high-powered video game developer. Now she might be working for the man she’s always hated … but what if he’s no longer the man she thought she knew? The third book in the Sushi series offers romance with the spice of ginger. |
