Sweet Potato and Shiitake Maki

Article Written By: Marisa Baggett

Sweet potatoes and shiitake mushrooms are boiled in a soy sauce based broth which gives a pleasant salty, sweet and savory flavor to this roll. Try this roll served with a side of steamed spinach.

Sweet Potato and Shiitake Maki

1/2 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into French fry sized sticks

5 large shiitake mushroom caps

1 1/2  cup soy sauce

1 1/2 cup water

1/4 cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine)

5 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

5 pieces nori (4in x 7in)

2 1/2 – 3 cups prepared sushi rice

pickled ginger, optional

wasabi, optional

In a medium sized saucepan, stir together soy sauce, water and mirin. Bring to a full boil over high heat.  Place sweet potato sticks in boiling liquid and boil until just soft, about 3 –4 minutes. Remove from liquid, reserving liquid for mushrooms, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Place mushroom caps in boiling liquid and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from liquid and place on a plate to cool. Once cool, cut each cap into thin slices.

To assemble rolls, begin with a piece of nori placed vertically on a bamboo rolling mat, rough side facing up. Cover the bottom 3/4 of the nori with a thin even layer of prepared sushi rice, about 1/2 –3/4 cup. Place 1 tablespoon of scallions horizontally in the middle of the rice. Spread one cap’s worth of sliced mushrooms on top of the scallions making sure that the slices extend to the edges. Top the mushroom slices with 2-3 sticks of boiled sweet potato. 

Roll according to the method for rolling thick rolls. Let roll rest seam side down on the cutting board for 2 minutes before cutting into 5 pieces. Repeat steps for assembly with remaining 4 pieces of nori.

Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce for dipping if desired.

Sesame Beef Sashimi

Article Written By: Marisa Baggett

The addition of sesame adds a delicious nutty dimension to the flavor of tataki as well as a spectacular presentation. This tataki is great with ponzu sauce and crispy fried wonton strips sprinkled with shichimi togarashi, Japanese 7 spice pepper. One recipe yields 1 large sashimi platter.

Sesame Beef Sashimi

1 pound high quality beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat

1 cup Japanese soy sauce

1/2 cup mirin, Japanese sweet cooking wine

1 TBSP unseasoned rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

cooking oil

about 1/4 cup black and/or white sesame seeds, toasted

Ponzu Dipping Sauce, optional

Fried Wonton Strips

Gyoza or dumpling wrappers, cut in half, thin strips or as desired

Enough oil for frying

Shichimi togarashi or a mixtue of salt and cayenne

Heat cooking oil in a pan to 350 degrees F. Add wonton pieces a few at a time and fry until golden, flipping to ensure that both side are cooked. This will only take a few seconds. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with togarashi or salt/cayenne mixture. Repeat until desired number of chips have been made.

Optional suggested garnishes. For best flavor, select 1-2 garnishes:

Finely chopped scallions or chives

Fried garlic chips

Finely grated daikon radish

Finely grated ginger

In a plastic or ceramic bowl, mix soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Place beef tenderloin in bowl and turn several times to coat all sides of beef in marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 20 minutes, flipping the beef over after 10 minutes.

Remove beef from marinade and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Discard marinade.Very lightly rub the tenderloin with a thin coating of cooking oil. Roll tenderloin in sesame seeds. Heat a heavy-duty sauté pan over high heat. Add just enough cooking oil, about 1 TBSP, to keep beef from sticking to the pan. Place beef in pan and quickly sear each side until lightly browned, about 10-15 seconds*. Alternately, quickly sear beef with a kitchen torch. When all sides have been seared, remove from pan allow to cool.

Cut beef across the grain into the thinnest possible slices with a very sharp knife. Lightly tap each piece a few times with the blade of the knife to score, being careful not to cut all the way through. Arrange pieces, slightly overlapping, on a large serving platter. Place fried wonton strips in the center of the platter. If desired, place a chopstick pinch of 1 garnish on top of each slice or sprinkle liberally. Serve with soy sauce or ponzu.

*This is very rare and falls well below the USDA recommended internal temperatures guidelines for beef to enhance its safety for children, pregnant women, those with compromised immune systems and older individuals. Please prepare your beef with consideration to what is comfortable and healthy for those consuming the finished product. Beef tataki is best enjoyed when prepared at a temperature of medium or below.

The USDA recommends the following Temperatures:

Rare 120- 125 degrees F

Medium Rare 130 – 135 degrees F

Medium 140 – 145 degrees

Beef Tataki Nigiri

Article Written By: Marisa Baggett

Using one basic beef tataki recipe, you can create an assortment of flavors by simply changing the toppings. For best results use only 1-2 toppings per piece of nigiri. One basic beef tataki recipe yields about 30 pieces of nigiri.

Beef Tataki Nigiri

About 2 1/2 cups prepared sushi rice

Basic Beef Tataki Recipe

Balsamic vinegar syrup, optional

Wasabi, optional

Pickled Ginger, optional

Soy sauce for dipping

Suggested toppings:

Fried garlic chips

Finely chopped scallions

Finely grated ginger

Toasted sesame seeds

Chives

Finely grated daikon radish

Prepare beef according to the basic beef tataki recipe. Cut beef across the grain into the thinnest possible slices with a very sharp knife. Lightly tap each piece a few times with the blade of the knife to score, being careful not to cut all the way through.

To make nigiri zushi, the most important thing is to make sure that the balls of rice are all the same size. Dip fingers into a bowl of cool water and use your hands to shape little rectangles of rice that are about 1 in by 1⁄2 in. Make enough rectangles of rice to accommodate the number of beef pieces. Top each rice rectangle with 1 slice of beef and use hands to mold beef to the rice.

If desired, neatly drizzle serving dish with balsamic vinegar syrup. Arrange nigiri side by side on the serving platter. Garnish each piece with chopstick pinches of various garnishes. Serve with wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce if desired.

Your Sushi Kitchen

Article Written By: Marisa Baggett

To get started making sushi from your home kitchen, there are a few essentials you’ll need to have on hand.

Equipment
Rice cooker- Perfecting sushi rice on the stovetop can be quite nerve wrecking and tricky. I recommend purchasing a rice cooker and all recipes given for rice assumes that a rice cooker is used. You don’t have to purchase an expensive one. Many discount stores and Asian markets sell models that are less than $30. To make your rice cooker more cost effective, use it for cooking other grains such as barley.
Wire Mesh Strainer or Colander-  You’ll need a strainer, plastic or wire, to allow the sushi rice to drain. If you don’t have one with small holes, a standard kitchen colander lined with lint-free kitchen towels should do the trick.
Wooden or Plastic Cutting board- Although you may use a large bowl to toss the vinegar dressing into your freshly steamed rice, a flat surface is superior as it ensures that all grains are dressed evenly. Try using a wooden carving board with a grooved edge to catch drips. Just be sure to purchase one that is for sushi use only! When using wood, make sure that it is wet before tossing the rice.
Wooden Spoon or Paddle- You’ll need a non-metallic utensil to toss your sushi rice in the vinegar dressing. If using a wooden utensil, be sure to dip it in water before tossing the rice.
Sharp Knife – Unless you plan on frequent use, it is not necessary to purchase a sushi knife. Any sharp kitchen knife will do for making sushi at home.
Maki Su (Bamboo Rolling Mat) – A rolling mat is essential and can usually be found wherever sushi products are sold. For easy cleanup, tightly wrap your mat in plastic wrap in before each use. Remove and toss used plastic wrap before storing mat. To clean the mat itself, submerge in warm soapy water and brush food particles away with a non-abrasive soft bristled brush. Rinse well with warm water and allow to stand upright until completely dry.
Several Lint Free Kitchen Towels – Towels with small fibers are best.
Bowl for Hand Water – Any size bowl will do for this purpose. All you need is room to wet your fingers.

Food Essentials
Short or Medium Grain California Rice – You may find in the beginning that medium grain rice is easier to work with as the grains are larger easy to grasp. When buying sushi rice, make sure that most of the grains are unbroken. Lots of broken grains produce mushy rice.
Sushi Nori – The seaweed nori that is used for sushi usually comes two ways: full sized 8in by 71/4 in or half sized 4in by 71/4 in. If purchasing the full sized sheets, you’ll need to half them in width. Do this by folding the seaweed, a few sheets at a time,  in half horizontally, then crease.
Look for seaweed that is crisp and shiny. Check to make sure that the seaweed isn’t broken or bent.
Always stored opened nori in a tightly sealed plastic bag to retain crispiness. And keep nori covered with plastic during use.
Unseasoned Rice Vinegar  – Unseasoned rice vinegar should not have salt or sugar added.
Salt  – Fine sea salt or table salt works best.
Sugar – Granulated or raw turbinado sugar works best.
Wasabi Powder – Real wasabi root can be pricey and hard to come by. This manufactured powder is based on horseradish and needs just a touch of water to make a paste.
Pickled Ginger – Also called shoga, sushi shoga, gari. This condiment is used as a palate cleanser in between bites of sushi.
Japanese Soy Sauce – Soy sauce is brewed differently depending on its country of origin. For best results, use Japanese brands as they are most suited for dipping. For sushi, many people prefer to use the lower sodium varieties for dipping. In recipes, such as ponzu, that call for soy sauce, be sure to use the full strength.
Your choice of toppings and fillings.

Now that your sushi pantry is stocked, let’s get rolling!