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One of the things thats a bit of a bummer about living out here is the fact that if we want to eat out we have to travel a very long distance. Hey, we kind of wanted that too. Being so, we don’t get to eat out very much, in fact, we probably only eat out once every couple of months. My favorite place to go is a Korean restaurant in Nob Hill, Albuquerque that serves Sushi. It is not open on Sundays, which is the one day we are guaranteed to be together as a family. We also haven’t been there since I gave birth to the twins, and thats been two years now! This year on Valentines Day I REALLY wanted to have a romantic evening with my husband because, it was going to be our fifth Valentines together. I wanted it to be extra. Valentines Day fell on a Wednesday so going somewhere was out of the question due to my husband working. I started planning a month ahead and went to work scouring youtube for how to make Sushi videos. I watched so many videos! I am a visual learner, so I felt confident I could do this. I even made a fancy dress using my mannequin for the first time! I visited my favorite online shopping store, Amazon, and bought EVERYTHING I needed except for the produce, meat, rice and wasabi to make the Sushi. Unfortunately, I did not use raw fish, because it needs to be fresh (never frozen) and we don’t live near the sea. I could not find anywhere in Albuquerque that sold fresh fish, other than trying a restaurant, but I just didn’t have that kind of time to search. So I went with shrimp and imitation crab, which is what we like best anyway.

Back to Amazon. I love Amazon. For me, a stay at home living in the sticks mom, it makes shopping so much easier. I have it delivered to my husbands work because I don’t think I’ve seen Fedex or UPS around here yet. Hubby brings the packages home to me and I don’t have to go anywhere to shop. This is the list of places I physically go to shop (by myself):

• Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
• Wal-Mart
• Smith’s or Sprouts

Thats it. Not that very long of a list is it. Even clothes shopping for me is easier to do on Amazon if I’m not sewing it myself. Amazon opens the door to the world of never ending shopping. I do my research on the products I’m purchasing by reading reviews, detailing the description of the product and searching for a better price if I can find it. Ive only had to return one item because they sent the wrong size, but for the most part everything I’ve purchased on there has been great. I sometimes joke with my husband that his co-workers must think I’m a shopaholic because, every week I’m at least receiving one package. He assures me that they understand my dilemma. Everything from sewing tools to my favorite bra (Seriously the most amazing bra EVER! Ask me and I will share the link with you 🙂 ) has come from Amazon. I really recommend people upgrade to a Prime account. I cannot rave enough about it.

Back to Sushi. I researched what I needed and went to work. I wanted it to be perfect so I purchased all the tools to make it happen!

Disclaimer:                                                 I would never share anything that I do not firmly believe in. Anything I refer on here has my honest opinion and experience with it. As I stated before, I have to shop online out of necessity and want to share with you those products and how I use them in our home.

First things first. Jump on Youtube and do a quick search on how to make Sushi rice. It is the most important part of Sushi! If the rice isn’t good then the sushi won’t be good. As a matter of fact, the very definition of Sushi is the rice itself. Making sure you get the correct grain of rice and following the directions exactly as they are is important. Once thats done, you can make any and all kinds of rolls! Get creative! You can make Sushi with any fillings you want, it does not have to be exactly what restaurants make. Its going to taste good, and your going to love it because YOU MADE IT.

Secondly, making Sushi at home is a serious money saver. Buying the Nori on Amazon was too! For the same price as packages in-store, I got 5x the amount of Nori sheets on Amazon! Fifty sheets of Nori will last me a heck of a long time! And save us trips to the store. Win!

Since I purchased this the price has gone up. Its still a great deal considering what Ive found in stores. I paid $8.99 at the time. I definitely came out good!

Nagai Deluxe Sushi Nori, 50 Count

So, lets get to making Sushi!

Watch this Youtube video on how to make your sushi rice. The step about cleaning your rice is very important! Rinse your rice until the water is completely clear.

This is the sushi rice recipe I make:

• 2 cups short grain Rice
• 2 1/2 cups Water
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 cup Rice Vinegar

1. Use a rice cup to measure your rice. Rinse thoroughly until water runs clear. Add an equal amount of water and a half cup to the amount of cups of rice you are making. I use a rice cooker to make the rice. When its done I let it sit for an extra 10-15 minutes in the cooker. I do not take the lid off until its done!
2. In a small sauce pan add Rice Vinegar, Salt and Sugar on low heat to dissolve. Do not let it get to a boil, you don’t want the rice vinegar to boil down. Take off heat once its dissolved and stir. Put aside for when your rice is ready.
3. Once your rice is cooked, put it into a separate bowl. Its preferable to use a wooden bowl and spoon. I use a stainless steel bowl and wooden spoon. Make sure you don’t let the rice at the very bottom that is crispy or over cooked get into your bowl. Pour your rice vinegar sauce slowly while mixing it in with your spoon. I do a little at a time.
4. Cover your rice bowl after mixing it for 15-20 minutes. While thats standing I prep my work area, getting the veggies cut, sauces and seeds in order for easy access.
5. It is ready for use in your sushi rolls! Use a spatula to scoop and spread on your Nori sheets.

More prepping tips ahead!

I started with this kit that even came with a Sushi knife. I used it only once because I learned how to roll with my hands using a ziplock bag. My Mexican heritage kicked in on that part. 😉  This kit is awesome because you can make heart shaped Sushi, and since it was Valentines Day, I was sold! I still use all the accessories it came with so it wasn’t a waste to purchase. I recommend this because it really made it SO EASY to make. I learned with this kit and all of the extras it came with are handy, like the spatula, chopsticks and sauce bowls!

Sushi Making Kit – 15-Piece DIY Sushi Set with Chopsticks, Sauce Dishes, Sushi Knife, Sushi Maker With Step By Step Instructions & Recipe Book – By Masscotta

These are the rolls Ive made with this Kit. Aren’t they just perfect?!

You need to be able to cut your carrots into thin strips. If you are going to add carrots in your Sushi rolls, get this peeler that does the julienne cut. You can use it for the cucumbers too, but I cut them using a knife.

Fruit Peeler 3 in 1 Multifunctional Peeler, 360 Degree Swivel Vegetable Fruit Peeler – Non-slip Comfortable Handle

Sauces. You need sauces. My husband LOVES Sriracha on his rolls. Me? I can only have so much because its so spicy. So I use Sriracha sauce mayo. It has enough spice with a creamy taste. Its delicious on my rolls! I haven’t tried the Wasabi sauce yet, don’t ask me why. I just haven’t. But I will, and I’ll update this when I do so.

Wasabi Sauce Sriracha Sauce – Silver Springs Bundle 2 Pack – 8.5oz & 9.25 oz

Other ingredients that I use for our Sushi are sesame seeds. I use white and black sesame seeds. Once you buy a bottle it should last a very very long time.

Sprouts is my go to for the ingredients I can’t get online. Find a store near you that has an Asian isle. Once you add the ingredients to your pantry you really won’t need to buy them again for quite a while. Unless you are making Sushi every night. 😉

Heres a list of everything I use in our Sushi rolls:

• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Cream cheese
• Sesame Seeds
• Shrimp Tempura (see below for Tempura batter recipe)
• Crab (imitation)
• Avocado
• Sriracha sauce
• Sriracha mayo

Shrimp Tempura batter recipe and instructions for cooking:

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup ice water

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, beat your ingredients together.
2. Prepare your shrimp as needed (peel, de-vein etc.). Then, make small cuts into the bottom and both sides of the shrimp so that they lay straight. Careful not to cut through the shrimp, just small shallow consecutive cuts.
3. Dip your shrimp into the batter and fry on medium until golden brown. The darker the batter gets the crispier they will be.

I know this is a lot to read, and you’re probably thinking “oh my gosh this is too complicated”. Trust me when I say that once you get the hang of it and organize the cooking and prepping process; you will be asking yourself why you ever paid restaurant prices for Sushi. If you are on a budget, but love Sushi, this is a great way to still enjoy what you love!

Feel free to comment and ask me questions! Id love to hear from you and see your homemade Sushi! Here is the most recent set of Sushi rolls that I made for my husbands birthday. 🙂

And some more I made this summer for visiting family!

Until next time, God bless!

-Cristina