Sushi, the trendiest little export from Japan , is now a staple in the American diet. These bite-sized delights have made a long journey since the original popularization of the California Roll in 1973.
Expunging it's appetizer section stigma, sushi is now considered worthy enough to be the main entree in most Miami restaurants. Diners clamor and languish over the dish as they perceive it to be the food of sophistication and cosmopolitan lifestyle. Restaurateurs are happy to satiate their customers hunger for sushi but for a high price.
The ubiquitous commercialized sushi bar and hot-spot dish up these mini-meals from cheap fillets and vegetables that were on sale at the grocers this past week. "But if the ingredients are cheap then why the high price?" I asked myself.
I surmised that greed is probably the primary answer to this question. Restaurant owners know they can hike up the prices for that "tuna sushi tartar" or "6-piece tempura roll" because their clamoring customers don't know any better. This makes me sad because I use to be the victim of these scams. Sushi is an indulgence but, it doesn't have hurt your wallet like one. With this in mind, I decided to make my own sushi and examine it's true worth.
Together, my Mom and I drew up a list of ingredients. We dashed to the grocery store spent about $12 and zipped back home to start cooking. After unsurfacing a sushi making kit and recipe book I got for Christmas, I was ready to get down to work with my momma as my sous chef.
We worked as a team. I diligently julienned the cucumber and carrots while Momma cleaned and deboned the fish. Once the prep was complete, we ventured in making the rice. Unlike normal white rice, sushi rice is quite volatile. We had to move fast to remove the pot from the stove and drizzle vinegar over the rice in order to obtain that perfect consistency of stickiness. After that mayhem, things got a lot easier and fun. Out came the sheets of glossy seaweed paper to which I smashed a layer of white sticky rice, delicately laid the slivered vegetables and the cuts of fish upon. I rolled the paper up into a little log shape and cut it. It looked pretty good for homemade. I was impressed. So far the price was right for the quantity of sushi yielded and it passed the aesthetics test, but I knew the moment of truth laid in the taste.
I grabbed one of the little suckers and popped it in my mouth. It was DELICIOUS. The sushi tasted so fresh, unlike the ones I was mushing on before.
While it took some time to make and prepare, the quality and quantity exceeds the stuff out there on most menus. An additional plus was the ability to see all the work and effort into making an edible work of art.
Expunging it's appetizer section stigma, sushi is now considered worthy enough to be the main entree in most Miami restaurants. Diners clamor and languish over the dish as they perceive it to be the food of sophistication and cosmopolitan lifestyle. Restaurateurs are happy to satiate their customers hunger for sushi but for a high price.
The ubiquitous commercialized sushi bar and hot-spot dish up these mini-meals from cheap fillets and vegetables that were on sale at the grocers this past week. "But if the ingredients are cheap then why the high price?" I asked myself.
I surmised that greed is probably the primary answer to this question. Restaurant owners know they can hike up the prices for that "tuna sushi tartar" or "6-piece tempura roll" because their clamoring customers don't know any better. This makes me sad because I use to be the victim of these scams. Sushi is an indulgence but, it doesn't have hurt your wallet like one. With this in mind, I decided to make my own sushi and examine it's true worth.
Together, my Mom and I drew up a list of ingredients. We dashed to the grocery store spent about $12 and zipped back home to start cooking. After unsurfacing a sushi making kit and recipe book I got for Christmas, I was ready to get down to work with my momma as my sous chef.
We worked as a team. I diligently julienned the cucumber and carrots while Momma cleaned and deboned the fish. Once the prep was complete, we ventured in making the rice. Unlike normal white rice, sushi rice is quite volatile. We had to move fast to remove the pot from the stove and drizzle vinegar over the rice in order to obtain that perfect consistency of stickiness. After that mayhem, things got a lot easier and fun. Out came the sheets of glossy seaweed paper to which I smashed a layer of white sticky rice, delicately laid the slivered vegetables and the cuts of fish upon. I rolled the paper up into a little log shape and cut it. It looked pretty good for homemade. I was impressed. So far the price was right for the quantity of sushi yielded and it passed the aesthetics test, but I knew the moment of truth laid in the taste.
I grabbed one of the little suckers and popped it in my mouth. It was DELICIOUS. The sushi tasted so fresh, unlike the ones I was mushing on before.
While it took some time to make and prepare, the quality and quantity exceeds the stuff out there on most menus. An additional plus was the ability to see all the work and effort into making an edible work of art.
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