#36/101: Learn to make sushi.

(jennie): Jyl and I made sushi! Realizing it was nearing the end of the month, with nothing crossed off the list, I thought cooking would be the best bet, and sushi seemed like a good challenge. In search of supplies, we headed off to Uwajimaya.

(jyl): Have you ever been to an Asian supermarket? If you haven't it's like having a dream that you go to a supermarket and can't ready anything on the shelves. You rummage through all the food, aisle after aisle, then you see something you recgonize: Sunchips. It's in English. Then you go further into the supermarket and it becomes TJ Maxx, with bowls and plates and clothing. Basically, I'm saying that if you haven't been to an Asian supermarket, go to your nearest International District and try it out. You won't be sorry. Plus, you can probably pick up some Pokki for the ride home.

(jennie): We were kind of intimidated by the idea of making our own sushi, since all I've really heard from people is how hard it is, and that it rarely turns out. We did luck out by finding sushi rice at the supermarket, which I think eliminated the most difficult step of actually making your own sticky rice. Once we got the hang of it, it was pretty easy, and it tasted absolutely delicious. We kept saying how good our little asian meal was. I was so proud of my little Jylly and I!

Here's the process in pictures...

Here's the goods we picked up: Pear nectar juice, nori, avocados, rolling mats, chopsticks, cucumber, imitation crab, sushi rice, and soy sauce.


Cutting up the cucumber:


Cutting up the avocado:


Flattening the rice, and adding the filling:


Rolling it all up (head cut off--Jyl said she was sorry):



And...drum roll please...the final product::

(cucumber + avocado roll)


(california roll)



Well that's that! Here's some magical tips we discovered along the way...
1. Buy sushi rice. Don't make it...it's much easier.
2. Keep your hands wet while working with the sushi rice.
3. Buy a rolling mat that is flat on one side, instead of round on both sides.
4. Refrigerate the roll for a bit before cutting. And when you do cut it, use a serrated knife.

oh, and if you are wanting a good overall guide, click here. It's the first, and the best, that we found.