Sushi: Definitely not a black belt but getting there

I’ve always steered clear of making Japanese food, reserving it in my mental food bank under “foods I enjoy eating out, not in.” This changed last Sunday night.

Background summary: My sister, Julie, recently received an overbearing, intimidating package of sushi-making ingredients from her trusty friend from work, Pam. Ever the thrill-seeking home cook, Julie created a frighteningly delicious, but daunting menu, listed below.
wonton soup with pork-filled dumplings
spicy tuna maki
shitake mushroom maki (added on because we just had so many shitakes lying around, not that I’m complaining)
my go-to “chop chop” salad
Julie’s panko-crusted salmon (based on Ina Garten’s recipe), which we had on stand-by in the event of sushi-making failure)

Pre-sushi solution: a bloody maryIt was Sunday morning, after all. And a football Sunday, at that! I needed to calm my nerves so I could keep a cool head in this experimental kitchen. And I simply cannot, and will not ever, turn down one of my brother-in-law, Oliver’s, bloody marys. You have to buy the heirloom tomato bloody mary mix which he purchased recently at Fairway. God, this is good. Very spicy. We let Oliver into the kitchen, with his own private cutting board station, to whip up these not-so-Japanese, but highly effective marys. Check out the tools at hand: old bay seasoning, Stoli vodka, lemon, and that awesome mix.

We started off by making the rice. And this was definitely the coolest part. It turned out just right, although we do need to adjust the seasoning next time (I’ve adjusted here, below). The rice is cooked in less water than your standard rice, so that once cooked, the kernels can gratefully absorb their seasoning components of rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. At room temperature, the rice is placed atop the nori before folding with your bamboo mat (these are only $1 or $2, and can be found at most kitchen supply stores.)

I have never had so much fun in the kitchen or have been so rewarded, recently. And I swear it wasn’t the Stoli! I felt as I did the first time I successfully tackled a challenging layer cake recipe. I must admit that Julie, with her tiny hands, exceedingly more delicate than my own, caught on to the sushi trade quicker than I. Still, I can’t believe that I had shied away from making sushi all this time. Although I am no sushi master, this is simpler stuff than I once thought, and so fun to do with a group. Follow this recipe for spicy tuna maki, and you’re well on your way to your next sushi/sake night. These days, with sushi-making ingredients and tools pretty much everywhere, there's no reason not to harness the sushi chef in you.

Makes about 25 rolls:
1 ½ cups of Koshihikari rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
nori sheets
2 tuna steaks
¼ cup mayonnaise
black sesame seeds, optional
4 tablespoons asian chile sauce (we used sriracha)

-Place both rice and water into a large stovetop pot. Bring up to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
-Let it boil for a minute and then reduce heat to a low simmer and cover.
-Keep simmering, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
-In the meantime, in a small bowl, mix together rice wine vinegar, salt, and sugar.
-At the 20 minute mark, taste a kernel of rice to check for doneness.
-Once cooked through, but slightly firm, set aside. Incorporate seasoning mixture, stirring throughout.
-Slice tuna steaks into chunks. Place in a food processor and pulse two or three times. You don’t want to ground up the sushi, but you want it to be evenly chopped up.
-In a medium-sized bowl, combine mayonnaise and chile sauce. Mix in tuna.
-On a clean work space, lay out bamboo mat. Place a small dish of cool water nearby, because this is going to get sticky!
-Place one sheet of nori over the mat, with the smooth side facing down. Dipping your hands into the water dish, scoop out some rice and pat onto the nori, leaving a ½ inch border. Don’t add too much rice, just a thin layer.
- Place spicy tuna (about 2 tablespoons worth) a ½ inch above the bottom rice border, in a horizontal layer.
-Take hold of the bamboo from below the nori and fold up and over, pressing down. Lift up, gently, and pat some water in there so that the first roll adheres. Roll again and secure with water.
-Using a small sharp knife, slice thinly (about ½ inch), and set aside on your sushi platter.
-Make some soy sauce and wasabi dipping bowls, and you’re set.