Sushi

     I wouldn't say that sushi is one of my most favorite foods, but I do like it once in a while. More so, I don't like all of it and have always wanted to learn to make my own and subsequently play with the ingredients and tastes.

     As a first time sushi maker, I didn't make anything spectacular, but it has always seemed like even the simple ones were such a difficult dish to make. Not anymore!! 

     I do have to say, after making several rolls, I much prefer sushi with seaweed on the outside, they were much easier to roll, cut, keep contained, transfer, and eat.

     I purchased a bamboo sushi mat, which can be purchased anywhere, I would think, I bought mine at Wal-Mart.

     And we have a store called Global Foods Market, it's quite fascinating, foods from all over the globe, so I was able to find all the necessary ingredients here.

If you're thinking of making sushi, it helped me to look at this infographic: 

Src: www.foodista.com

     Found a ton of recipes on pinterest, but picked only a couple easy ones and these are the ones I liked:

California Rolls

Misc Sushi

     Once I made a couple of California rolls, I made some with raw salmon that I salted myself.  Which I later found out it's called lox in English.

     Check out my friend, Katya's, video for the recipe and instructions on how to make salted salmon (it is in Russian) Part 1 and Part 2

For my readers who don't speak Russian, here is the quick recipe:

     Mix together 5 Tbsp salt and 4 Tbsp sugar. Dry and cut half of a salmon. Coat with salt mixture, place in a glass container, cover with a plate and press. Let sit for 24 hours, salmon will create it's own juices, that's normal. Wipe salmon from the juices, slice and serve. Easy Peasy. Although it has been salted and preserved, it is still considered raw, so eat at your own risk. IMPORTANT: Throw away the remaining salt mixture. DO NOT use anywhere else.

This was my set up and they were pretty simple to make.

I brought these to our neighbor's for a friendly gathering and everyone loved them, even Mr. Chickadee who hates sushi! So this was a big win.

Tell me, have you made sushi? What are your favorite recipes?