Mr. Alton Brown did it again. If you want to enter the world of sushi making, this video probably covers it all. It is incredibly informative as well as entertaining. Alton demonstrates how to make sushi with all the key points on how to buy and slice sushi grade fish while giving you a history lesson on how sushi was born in Japan.
I usually let sushi chefs do all the work when it comes to making sushi as I don’t have much patience to learn, but other than nigiri, sushi rolls such as cucumber rolls or California rolls are pretty simple and easy to make. You can also be creative and make your own using whatever the leftover you have in your fridge. Avocado and cucumber are great ingredients to use because they create great combinations with many other ingredients. Imitation crab, fish cakes, egg, spam, you name it.
You don’t need to understand Japanese. Just watch the video. This young man’s creative improvisation is amazing at making sushi. If there’s a will, there’s a way. The PSP case seem to hold a little bit too much rice, but who cares. Look at the size of the mackerel. It’s a hungry man’s invention. Make sure and yell “Heierrr..” when you close the case. It brings out an excitement for what is about to reveal.
Just because Gordon Ramsay is a celebrity chef, that does not mean he is good at everything he lays his hands on. When it comes to sushi making, it is a league of its own. If you ever lived in Japan, you know that you don’t find sushi at a typical restaurant where it serves Japanese foods. You go to a sushi restaurant where you know you are served top quality sushi by a highly skilled chef. If you want to become a sushi chef, in a typical scenario, you start out by working under a sushi master as an apprentice, provided that he sees you have potential. Traditionally an apprentice used to do multiple chores from doing dishes and cleaning to running errands. During the course of these menial tasks, the master determines if you have what it takes to become a sushi chef and if you are lucky, he lets you use a sushi knife for the first time after five to ten years. It’s sort of like an army boot camp.
Anybody can make sushi, but to learn subtlety of everything involves in making sushi, you have to become an art.
When it comes to making sushi, it’s always a good idea to learn from a pro. Chef Bob is very patient and walks you through the process step by step. He is particularly informative on how to roll sushi because that’s where first timers can go wrong. The sliced avocado and shredded carrots are beautifully prepared. The chef knows little things like that make a big difference. The next time you go to a Japanese restaurant, doggy bag some tempura shrimps. You can use them to make tempura rolls. It’s too hard to make tempura from scratch otherwise.
I’m a big fan of Alton Brown. With anything you do in life, if it’s not fun, it’s just a job. We are inundated daily with so many have-to-do stuff, we don’t even have time for fun stuff. It’s a dangerous path to becoming a grumpy old man. We need hobbies or something that makes us feel passionate about. I used to think cooking shows are so boring I could not have patience to watch a minute of the program. Then I discovered Good Eats with Alton Brown.
Alton helped me shift my view of cooking. Even a complete novice to cooking like me started to think, “well, I might want to try that.” I love his introduction of everything involved in making sushi. Alton is not only informative, but also very entertaining. I knew that almost all wasabi sold are fake, but I didn’t know that real wasabi has a floral sweet taste. Wasabi is grown in my home state, Oregon. I did not know that either.
I also love his improvisation when it comes to things you need to make sushi rice. Who carries a paper fan? I sure don’t. Not to worry. You can use a paper plate. Brilliant. Use microwave to dissolve the sugar in the process of making sushi vinegar. Brilliant again. Throw out your rice cooker and make rice Alton’s way.
