By Steve J Gerwig

Other than a good reference book that will show you how to make sushi at home, you will need some basic equipment that most home kitchens already have.

But just to be sure here is a list of that equipment:

Cutting Boards

Wood is better than plastic because it is more resilient and less likely to dull your knife. It also looks better than plastic. You could probably get by with just one but it is quicker if you have more than one so you could cut different ingredients without having to stop and wash the board each time.

Strainer

A fine mesh strainer is a necessity for washing some of the thinly cut ingredients that are required for most sushi dishes.

Grater

You also need a fine one of these. There are some sushi that requires finely grated ingredients for looks as well as taste.

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Accuracy is king in these recipes. A dash too much or a pinch too little can change the whole complexity of the sushi you are making. Make sure the measuring implements are accurate and have plenty of gradations to them.

Nonstick Fry Pan

Some sushi requires cooking. You don’t want to have to use any oil when cooking those ingredients. It spoils the flavor.

Plastic Wrap

Don’t skimp here. You want a wrap that is not so thin that you can’t control it. This is used when you are rolling with the bamboo mat so you have to be able to manipulate it very well.

Tweezers

Some of the fish you use may come with the bones still in them. You need tweezers to help you get them all. Nothing is worse than a mouthful of fish bones after you plop your sushi in your mouth. The tweezers should have a broad tip and be ribbed on the inside to help hold on to the bones.

Vegetable Peeler

Another item you don’t want to skimp on. You need a good ceramic one that is well built and very sharp. You will need these to peel vegetable as well as make those cute little curls to decorate the plates with.

There you have it. This should be the bases for a good sushi kitchen. These aren’t the only tools you will need but it will give you a good start anyway.

Steve has been writing articles on a wide variety of subjects. Come visit my latest site at http://philandtedstrollers.net/. You will find information and reviews from other Phil and Ted Strollers owners here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_J_Gerwig

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By Bonnie McFyde

Sushi started in the 7th century when the Japanese presented the process of pickling. Fish was packed with rice and as it fermented, lactic acid was made. This long procedure (taking two months to a year) gave the fish the signature flavor that is now known as Nare-Sushi. Sushi making has since grown into a culinary art that has been mastered by chefs around the world and sushi itself became known as the pieces of raw fish placed rice on or wrapped in seaweed (nori), rolled and cut into slices. Stylish Sushi restaurants are popular for their ambience, sake (rice wine) and exhibitions the chefs put on of their knife skills as well as the excellent sushi. There are many different types of sushi:

1. Nigiri-zushi – bundles of rice, topped with wasabi and fish.

2. Sashimi is simply raw fish, sliced thinly, served without rice.

3. Chirashi-zushi or sushi salad is prepared in a bowl, with several different kinds of fish and vegetables mixed in with rice.

4. Maki-zushi is rice and seafood, rolled up in nori seaweed. This is the most popular type of sushi

If you want the sushi without the restaurant, this beginners’ guide to Maki-zushi will get you on your way.

Required Materials

Japanese rice

Japanese rice vinegar

Meat: Sashimi-Grade fish (fish that has been frozen at under -4 F for to kill any parasites) shellfish tofu or eggs

Vegetables: avocado, carrots, and cucumber

Nori – thin sheet of seaweed

Ginger root

Wasabi

Soy sauce

Sushi (bamboo) mat

Chopsticks (optional)

Sharp kitchen knife

Instructions

Part one: Preparing the rice

Step one:

Warm the rice vinegar with and dissolve sugar and salt in it.

Step two:

Wash the rice in cold water.

Step three

Steam in a rice cooker or boil water add the rice, then cook over very low heat until the water is vaporized. This will leave the rice sticky and just right for placing on on your nori. Use the rice soon after preparing it, or cover it with a damp towel to keep it damp.

Part two: Rolling and Cutting the Sushi

Step one:

Put a sheet of clear plastic wrap over the bamboo mat.

Step two:

Spread the Nori down on the bamboo mat with the shiny side face down

Step three:

With damp hands, take the cooked rice and put it onto the Nori. The layer of rice should be thin enough so that you can see the nori under it.

Step four:

Leave approximatly half an inch of space at the edge of the nori furthest from you. Put a little warm water on it to permit the two sides of nori stick together.

Step five:

Place your constituents in the center of the nori.

Step six:

Using the closest edge of the bamboo mat, roll the sushi away from you.

Step seven:

Tighten the roll as you go, do not make it too tight as the fillings will fall out

Step eight:

Unwrap the sushi mat (if rolled correctly, it will not fall apart).

Step nine:

Place the bamboo mat over the roll and press to compress the roll further.

Step ten:

Place the roll on to a cutting board. Slice it first down the middle. After that you can cut it into sixths or eighths.

Step eleven:

Serve roll on a flat plate, garnished with wasabi and ginger root.

To eat, put a small amount of soy sauce into a small platter or bowl, put wasabi and ginger root onto a roll and dip in the soy sauce and then place the entire roll in your mouth and enjoy!

Tips and warnings:

1)Only use Sashimi-Grade fish when making sushi, regular frozen fish is not safe to be eaten raw and can result in serious cases of food poisoning. In order for seafood to be safe for consumption in sushi, it must be frozen at under -4 F for a significant enough time to have killed any parasites.

2)At all times use Japanese rice, regular rice is not sticky enough and the roll will fall apart.

Please visit these links for more information on: How to Make Sushi and Make Sushi.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bonnie_McFyde

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How to Make Sushi – Secrets Revealed – What Sushi Restaurant Owners Do Not Want to Tell You
By Maggie Tan

When it comes to food, we all have our weaknesses. Some people just cannot resist another bite of chocolate or that beef burger oozing with all its juices.

For me, I love Sushi! Sushi is NOT just about raw fish and caviar. The varieties and ingredients are as wide ranging as your imagination can be. You can roll a sushi with egg, avocado, carrots, cucumber, beef, prawns and the list goes on and on.

More importantly, Sushi is extremely healthy. It is heavily pack with nutrients and minerals. A typical setting of 7 – 9 pieces contains about 300-450 calories. Not only are they low in fat, the fishes used provide protein and are rich in Omega 3 fatty acid, the vegetables are a great source of vitamins and the Nori (seaweed sheet) is rich in iodine. Even the sushi rice provides complex carbohydrates. You really cannot get a more nutritious meal and snack than this.

There are 5 good reasons why you should make your own sushi and we will go through each of them in this article.

1. Sushi is one of the fast growing healthy fast food

2. Sushi can be prepared very quickly

3. Sushi is very easy and fun to prepare. Even a child can help out

4. Sushi can be prepared very economically i.e. on shoestring budget

5. Sushi makes great party food

Unfortunately, for many people, sushi is extremely pricey. Any Sushi Lover will tell you that sushi dining is kept for that special occasion because of its price tag. Seeing how Sushi Masters stalwartly wave their razor sharp Yanagi Ba knives and their deft hand movement, it is no wonder that we think that making sushi is best left to these highly skilled and talented Sushi Chefs. Did you know that it is actually a misconception that only sushi master can carve out a decent sushi platter? I will let you into a little secret… You do not even need to know how to use chopsticks to know how to make sushi, what’s more eat it!

Making sushi is one of the easiest tricks of the trade. The good news is you can learn to make sushi in no time and on really shoestring budget as well.

Let us very quickly run through the usual ingredients that you will need. You can get Japanese Sushi rice grains, Nori and Sushi mat from most Oriental supermarkets. For all other ingredients such as beef, prawns, capsicum, carrots, cucumbers and really any ingredient that you fancy putting into your sushi roll; they are easily available from your local supermarket. By the way, there is minimal cooking involved, so even if you are not a great cook, you can still be your very own Sushi Master. Most of the work and fun of course, is in cutting up the ingredients and rolling them up into sushi rolls. There are really no special skills or talent needed to roll the sushi. The motion in rolling a sushi roll is identical to rolling up a towel into a baton! It is that easy. There is a very simple video in the link below that will show you exactly how this is done.

You will be amazed by the spread and colours of your sushi platter from just these basic ingredients. To give your platter the “restaurant look” you can include garnishing and decorations made from thin strips of carrots and cucumbers or you can use cookie cutters to cut out carrots and cucumbers into shapes of flowers.

Just these tips alone will allow you to throw a brilliant sushi party at home. Your guests will be able to eat till their hearts’ content without you feeling the pinch in your pocket. In fact, I will suggest that they join you in rolling their own sushi. It is a lot of fun to get everyone involve making homemade sushi and the truth is making sushi is really not rocket science.

Never again will you have to resort to eating the cold, gunny sushi rolls sold in supermarkets or even sushi bars and restaurants. You will derive so much more pleasure in sinking your teeth in the warm and moist homemade sushi rolls.

For decades, Sushi restaurants and bars have fiercely guarded these tips and tricks and kept these secrets from the public domain, which are now made available to you. I strongly encourage you to try your hands on making sushi and I promise that you will never look back.

To find out more about how to make sushi, watch a video demonstration of making sushi and obtain more information about The Art of Sushi Dining and get more Sushi Recipes, visit http://www.HowtoMakeSushi.co.uk.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maggie_Tan

http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Make-Sushi—Secrets-Revealed—What-Sushi-Restaurant-Owners-Do-Not-Want-to-Tell-You&id=3645784

How to Make Sushi – Secrets Revealed – What Sushi Restaurant Owners Do Not Want to Tell You
By Magdalene Tan

When it comes to food, we all have our weaknesses. Some people just cannot resist another bite of chocolate or that beef burger oozing with all its juices.

For me, I love Sushi! Sushi is NOT just about raw fish and caviar. The varieties and ingredients are as wide ranging as your imagination can be. You can roll a sushi with egg, avocado, carrots, cucumber, beef, prawns and the list goes on and on.

More importantly, Sushi is extremely healthy. It is heavily pack with nutrients and minerals. A typical setting of 7 – 9 pieces contains about 300-450 calories. Not only are they low in fat, the fishes used provide protein and are rich in Omega 3 fatty acid, the vegetables are a great source of vitamins and the Nori (seaweed sheet) is rich in iodine. Even the sushi rice provides complex carbohydrates. You really cannot get a more nutritious meal and snack than this.

There are 5 good reasons why you should make your own sushi and we will go through each of them in this article.

1. Sushi is one of the fast growing healthy fast food

2. Sushi can be prepared very quickly

3. Sushi is very easy and fun to prepare. Even a child can help out

4. Sushi can be prepared very economically i.e. on shoestring budget

5. Sushi makes great party food

Unfortunately, for many people, sushi is extremely pricey. Any Sushi Lover will tell you that sushi dining is kept for that special occasion because of its price tag. Seeing how Sushi Masters stalwartly wave their razor sharp Yanagi Ba knives and their deft hand movement, it is no wonder that we think that making sushi is best left to these highly skilled and talented Sushi Chefs. Did you know that it is actually a misconception that only sushi master can carve out a decent sushi platter? I will let you into a little secret… You do not even need to know how to use chopsticks to know how to make sushi, what’s more eat it!

Making sushi is one of the easiest tricks of the trade. The good news is you can learn to make sushi in no time and on really shoestring budget as well.

Let us very quickly run through the usual ingredients that you will need. You can get Japanese Sushi rice grains, Nori and Sushi mat from most Oriental supermarkets. For all other ingredients such as beef, prawns, capsicum, carrots, cucumbers and really any ingredient that you fancy putting into your sushi roll; they are easily available from your local supermarket. By the way, there is minimal cooking involved, so even if you are not a great cook, you can still be your very own Sushi Master. Most of the work and fun of course, is in cutting up the ingredients and rolling them up into sushi rolls. There are really no special skills or talent needed to roll the sushi. The motion in rolling a sushi roll is identical to rolling up a towel into a baton! It is that easy. There is a very simple video in the link below that will show you exactly how this is done.

You will be amazed by the spread and colours of your sushi platter from just these basic ingredients. To give your platter the “restaurant look” you can include garnishing and decorations made from thin strips of carrots and cucumbers or you can use cookie cutters to cut out carrots and cucumbers into shapes of flowers.

Just these tips alone will allow you to throw a brilliant sushi party at home. Your guests will be able to eat till their hearts’ content without you feeling the pinch in your pocket. In fact, I will suggest that they join you in rolling their own sushi. It is a lot of fun to get everyone involve making homemade sushi and the truth is making sushi is really not rocket science.

Never again will you have to resort to eating the cold, gunny sushi rolls sold in supermarkets or even sushi bars and restaurants. You will derive so much more pleasure in sinking your teeth in the warm and moist homemade sushi rolls.

For decades, Sushi restaurants and bars have fiercely guarded these tips and tricks and kept these secrets from the public domain, which are now made available to you. I strongly encourage you to try your hands on making sushi and I promise that you will never look back.

To find out more about how to make sushi, watch a video demonstration of making sushi and obtain more information about The Art of Sushi Dining and get more Sushi Recipes, visit http://www.HowtoMakeSushi.co.uk.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Magdalene_Tan

http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Make-Sushi—Secrets-Revealed—What-Sushi-Restaurant-Owners-Do-Not-Want-to-Tell-You&id=3645784