On a Roll: Learning How to Make Sushi

I’ve had a 101 list item to make sushi with Kelly. I’ve also had an outstanding pledge/promise/plan to make sushi with our friends E&B. We’ve been trying to figure out how the foursome could get this accomplished for six months. SIX MONTHS!

Thank goodness for RA Sushi and their sushi-sake class.

We.Were.There.

And because it was in Plano, I can’t resist taking photos to share on social media. Because I like Plano. And I like our businesses.

The sushi class was super fun and seriously hands-on. One of the sushi chefs demonstrated making a basic California roll for us. He did it in something like .2 seconds.

Ok, I exaggerate. It was like 45 seconds. #truth

Then it was our turn. Gloves on? Check. And ingredients assembled in the correct order and method? Ummmm….

The finished product wasn’t too bad. It certainly tasted good, but didn’t hold together quite like it was supposed to.

But sesame seeds make everything look better. Especially when Kelly’s rolling.

And slicing.

Anyway, back to the drawing board and this time chef was kind to us. He worked slowly and carefully explained everything (that was kind of the point – sushi isn’t hard but you need to do it correctly and correctly takes a bit of time at first). This time: A Maki roll.

We learned the seaweed has two sides – both are important. Rough and smooth. The rough side should face up.

We were very careful the second time around.

We stacked, we rolled, we smoothed, we dunked in tempura crumbles.

Muuuuuuch better. And doesn’t the squeeze of eel sauce really “make” the dish?

I have to say: The sushi chef said I did so well that I had a future at RA Sushi. He could just been flattering me, but cooking is a competitive sport so I’ll accept the compliment with glee. Now where’s my crown and sash?

Since those didn’t arrive, we turned our focus to making nigiri. Super, super easy. Like maybe I might be tempted into making this at home. You simply shape a small amount of rice into an oval.

Then top with sashimi and smooth the rice to fit the size of the fish. EASY. And elegant.

And I totally have a future in fish, don’t you agree?