Secret Project number nineteen

Hello Friends, 

It is Thursday again, and of course, time for another secret project. This project comes from a repeat-offender, I mean repeat-project-maker, Michelle. Michelle's first project, which was also the very first Secret Project on MPK is here if you'd like to revisit it. Michelle lives and plays in France, with her husband and cat Lilou. I would just like to mention, Michelle doesn't have a lot of free time like me, because she is in grad school, just like me, except her grad school is french grad school.

They speak french there, full-time! So much harder than full-time English!

 

Homemade sushi night chez nous. Our way of having yummy food, cheap and creatively!

France does love its French food. You could go into practically any little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the small town we live in and have a delicious, inexpensive meal. You'll be rolling out the door afterwards because you didn't know just how good duck was and you just ate way too much. But what do you do if you're an American from the west coast and have a little hankering for some Japanese food like me? Well, lucky enough for you (and me and thanks to me, my now sushi-loving husband) there is one Japanese restaurant in town. I know, I know, we should be supporting our local economy. We're lucky enough to have this place! But have no fear, they always have customers waiting out the front door because it's really good. And, on the other hand, it's not cheap. A typical dinner for two costs around 50 euros, which is kind of an ouch to our wallets these days, so what to do? We still need our sushi!

Ok, so this may seem like an obvious thing to most people, just make it yourself right!? As a wedding gift two of our dear friends gave us a bamboo rolling mat, and we thought, 'Could we do this?' So, we
bought a set of knives and realized that our local grocery store had all the ingredients necessary. Japanese rice, sheets of 'nori', rice vinegar and even wasabi! We must not be the only ones making sushi at home...

Essentials:
A good knife
Lots of vinegar-ed rice
Sheets of dried seaweed
200 g of fish per person
An avocado or other fillings
Some soy sauce
A touch of wasabi


You must start out with a good piece of fish. Normally we get salmon and some tuna, but this time the market only had salmon so we went with that. Ask to have the skin taken off, since that's the hardest
part. Once all skin is off, check to make sure that there are no bones. Give it good wash and a rub. Find the grain and the prettiest side (that shows the grain) because it will be the top of your sushi. Cut off any of the parts of fish that don't look good or that look odd-shaped.

If you are going to make nigiri, or raw fish/seafood over balls of rice like we are here, the goal is to have a nice block of fish that will make cutting thin slices of fish easier. Each slice should be about 1 inch thick, 3 inches long and 2 inches wide. On the other hand, if you decide to make maki or rolled sushi, you'll need to cut the fish into long strips. I prefer nigiri with a good piece of fish to maki filled with something green and weird, but that's just me.

Once the fish is prepared, it's best to keep it stored in a very cold fridge while preparing the rice. I've heard keeping the fish in the freezer for a good 15 minutes is the best way to insure that nothing scary starts reproducing itself in/on the little fishy, but I don't know how scientific that is. I just say, the fridge is good. Plus it keeps our cat from getting at the fish. Now, it's time to prepare the vinegar flavored rice.

Japanese rice is a little funny, but boy is it good. Once you've measured out how much you'll need (depending on whether you'll be making nigiri or maki. Nigiri calls for a little more) and how hungry
you are. I like to sneak a little here and there while i'm making the rice balls, shhh don't tell.

First off, you'll need to give it a good bath in cold water. I usually put the measured amount in a big sieve that I hold over the sink while I swish the rice around to make sure it's all getting clean. Some
people say to let it soak in the water before rinsing it clean. Whichever method you prefer just make sure the water is running clear and that all the water is drained out.

Next, put the rice in a pot over the stove. Add equal parts water and turn the heat on high. Let the water begin to boil, move the rice around gently with a spoon so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and continue to let it boil for a minute or so. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and leave it alone for about 15 to 20 minutes.

When most of the water has evaporated and the rice looks almost finished (fluffy and starting to dry) you'll need to make the vinegar mixture. For this you'll need 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and a good pinch of salt (for 2 cups uncooked rice). Pour the vinegar into a small pot, turn on medium heat, add sugar and salt and let them dissolve. This is will clear up any stuffy noses!

Finally, once you've made the vinegar mixture, remove the rice from heat, uncover and pour over the rice. I like to take a large spoon, stir, and make sure the mixture has covered all of the rice. Sometimes
you'll want a rice that is extra vinegar-y, and it's okay to add more of the mixture, depending on your tastes. Stirring the rice or transferring it to a large mixing bowl helps the cooling off process which can take a good 20 minutes. Be patient! You don't want to burn your fingertips with hot sticky rice!

When you've finished the rice it should look like this. Well, probably a little prettier than this really. What's most important is that it's sticky, not burning hot, and smells/tastes a little vinegar-y. It's
perfect!

The next part of this recipe is for making nigiri only. If you want to make maki there are great tutorials online about how to roll a perfect sushi roll as well as some good and interesting recipes out there so go check them out. We shall continue...

You'll need to now form the rice into small little balls like this. Well, maybe these are more log-shaped? They should be about the same length and width as your pieces of fish, if not a little smaller. As far as thickness goes, some people prefer a little more fish to their rice. I on the other hand like perfect bite-sized balls so as to make the eating part a little easier. I use a large spoon to help shape the rice. Since it can be really sticky, it's nice to have a non-sticky hand in case the phone happens to ring or something like that. Real sushi chefs keep a wet wash cloth by their side to wipe off any stubborn grains or they sometimes wear gloves. I like to wash my hands between making 3 balls or so because the little bit of water left on my hands make the balls more solid and it sticks to itself better. If you really want to get into the experience, you can put vinegar on your hands for the same but more flavorful effect.

Feel free to get a little creative when decorating your plates. Once I've made the rice balls, I lay them out in a pattern or shape and everyone gets their own special plate. Then, place the fish onto the rice. If everyone enjoys wasabi you can hide a little dash of the green paste under the piece of fish. It makes for a spicy surprise when eating!

I like to secure the fish and rice together with a small band of nori  like this. Just cut with kitchen scissors a long strip that you will secure on the bottom with a dot of vinegar. It's pretty and gives a little hint of taste without being overpowering.

This is just a basic, salmon nigiri but as I suggested, the possibilities are really endless. It's yummy, fresh and healthy. Happy sushi-making and eating!

Ok, that it's, I'm hungry now. This blog always makes me hungry. Thanks Kate!

- Michelle, from lesmotsquivonttresbienensemble