How to make homemade sushi that isn't bland?!

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eastie3, Mar 11, 4:34am
I forgot to add the pile of ginger that accompanies each piece of sushi.If I'm sharing with my daughter I eat hers as she's not a fan of it,so I get a double lot.

purplegoanna, Mar 12, 4:16am
RICE VINEGAR where on earth is it in countdown! is it by the sushi stuff! i got myself a sushi roller (that should put paid to my lopsided rolls now) but the 3 bottles of liquid by the sushi stuff which i presume were rice wine or vinegar were all in chinese!.even the shelf label gave me no ideas.

eastie3, Mar 12, 4:34am
I forgot to add the pile of ginger that accompanies each piece of sushi.If I'm sharing with my daughter I eat hers as she's not a fan of it,so I get a double lot.

schnauzer11, Mar 8, 12:25pm
The pickled ginger is lovely,but is not meant to be eaten on the sushi.It's for bites in between,to freshen the palate,especially if eating different kinds of sushi.If plastered onto a perfectly nice piece of sushi,as many Kiwis do,it drowns the flavour of the ingredients.

vashti, Mar 8, 10:39pm
I can't find the rice vinegar either, my daughter uses vinegar mixed with sugar, It was nice but maybe a bit too vinegary, I thought maybe the rice vinegar would be milder.

samanya, Mar 8, 10:52pm
Exactly, that little fact rather negates the idea at #7 for including it in the sushi roll.

nauru, Mar 8, 10:59pm
I always use the following recipe for the sushi vinegar, it was given to me by a Japanese friend.

1/3 cup white vinegar, 11/2 Tablsp sugar, 11/2 teasp salt. Mix together until salt and sugar are dissolved and add to 3 cups cooked rice and mix well.

vashti, Mar 8, 11:38pm
I would like to try this.How much uncooked rice would this amount be used for!Edited to say I think I used malt vinegar, it was probably stronger.

amanda_simonp, Mar 11, 2:42am
i have always bought the sushi powder but quite expensive I reckon like $5 for two lots of sushi.
So could I use rice vinegar instead of this powder!and how much would I add!

auckland63, Mar 11, 3:01am
To those who do not like Nori, try making sushi as you do Trifle (or lasagna). In ramekin or whatever shape as long as it's deep enough for layers of rice, and fillings (drained canned tuna, Japanese mayo, chopped spring onion or red onion) etc. Rice on the bottom, filling, rice, filling and rice on top. Gently press, grad wrap, then to fridge to set. An hour or longer. It will come out beautifully as long as you wet the bottom of ramekin slightly with water first. You can then sprinkle toasted sesami or teriyaki sauce etc.

davidt4, Mar 11, 5:55am
Here is a basic recipe for sushi rice.

Sushi Rice

200g sushi rice
100 ml rice wine vinegar
1 tab sugar
¼ tsp salt

Rinse rice thoroughly, drain and put in large pan with enough water to cover by 3 -4 cm.Soak 30 min.

Bring to a fast boil and cook for 5 min, turn heat down and simmer 15 min until all water absorbed.Take off heat, cover and stand 10 min.

Dissolve vinegar, sugar and salt over heat, cool.Add to warm rice and combine well.Tip out on to a tray and spread out to cool.

amanda_simonp, Mar 12, 6:31am
thanks so much davidt4 appreciate it.

unknowndisorder, Mar 12, 9:54am
That makes sense about the ginger, I've found that if the sushi has been contaminated by it, it overpowers it, so could never quite figure out why bother with it (I find it disgusting, but don't like ginger anyway).

Wasabi, I find, enhances the flavour of the sushi, and have become addicted to it.

gardie, Mar 12, 5:34pm
White rice usually multiplies to 3 times the uncooked amount.eg 1 cup uncooked = 3 cups cooked.

gardie, Mar 12, 5:35pm
I only use half a packet so $5 makes 4 lots of sushi.Still gives the rice a nice flavour.Edited to add:I don't particularly like the vinegar taste - much prefer the powder.

chynna2, Mar 12, 8:09pm
Oh, hi uli!I didn't think this thread was still going LOL!Just saw it by chance today!

I've given up making sushi.I could never get it to taste right.But after seeing the new postings on here I might try it again soon.

willyow, Mar 12, 9:35pm
The Japanese specialistfood stores sell a thing called 'dashi' which is bonito flakes and is widely used in Japanese cooking. If youmake a square omelet with ateaspoon of dashi it tastes delicious - you cut the omelet into long square shapes and roll them into the sushi -and it is really yummy. It is also added to those thousands of tonnes of small dark NZ pumpkins they export to Japan from Hawkes Bay- they chop them up and boil them in water with dashi and soy added to the water - we often have it at home.
We have a Japaneseladydoing sushi in our kitchentonight - so if I spot anything new - I'll report back!

jaybee6, Mar 13, 4:07am
I have a Japanese girl staying with me and she laughs at the way shushi is made here as it is nothing like how they do in Japan.Their way is like an open sandwich on the seaweed.She laughs.She said it is so not right rolling it up.

willyow, Mar 13, 4:25am
Sushi powder costs about $1.50 a pack in Japan - $5 here.It is made with rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt. It is in actionn in our kitchen as I type! Yum

zuggle, Mar 13, 5:15am
Is there any way you can refrigerate sushi overnight! I would imagine the nori would turn slimy. and no good freezing, either! I have been making lots of these little "health bombs" as I call them, instead of snacking on other food, as I have a heart condition and they are handy when working fulltime at home. I reduce the salt and hardly notice the difference - too much of it in those packets of sushi flavouring too!

chynna2, Mar 13, 8:35am
I wrapped my sushi rolls tightly in gladwrap overnight in the fridge.The nori didn't go slimy if it was eaten the next day, but it was no good if it was kept for longer than that.

richard198, Mar 13, 10:41am
Sounds like you need Onigiri (Rice Balls)
Also people who don't like ginger or Wasabi, don't worry, a lot of Japanese don't like ginger and wasabi anyway! (Most of what we get here isn't real wasabi but is horseradish made to look like it; when you have them side by side and do a taste test, they are quite different)
Must have vinegar (any) and sugar.

richard198, Mar 13, 10:53am
Not so. What we see a lot of here is Makizushi (Sushi rolled with Nori) although there are many other forms of Sushi without Nori such as Chirashizushi, Inarizushi, Narezushi, Nigirizushi (we see a lot of that here) and Oshizushi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KansaiSushi.jpg
(Makizuchi on sale in Japan; rolling up is so right in Japan)

karenz, Mar 3, 11:39pm
I thought California rolls did not have the nori but after googling it turns out they are like inside out sushi with the, if you find it hard biting into the Nori this could be the answer.
http://japanesefood.about.com/od/sushiroll/r/californiaroll.htm

uli, Mar 8, 6:21am
So how is your sushi nowadays chynna2!