*We received some of the ingredients free of charge, in return for an honest review*
Say it three times slowly with me now; ‘sushi is not raw fish, sushi is not raw fish, sushi is not raw fish’. There we go, lesson one for the day. It’s long been a misconception that sushi means raw fish, and, whereas it may occasionally contain raw fish, it’s mainly rice, nori (seaweed), vegetables and some kind of meat or seafood (usually cooked or, at least prepared). I love sushi so the prospect of sushi making at home was really exciting!
It’s an acquired taste for sure, but something I’ve always been rather partial to. In fact, it became a train snack staple for me when I would go up and down to Eastbourne once a month pre-COVID. It was a healthier option than a doughy, mayonaisey sandwich and fills you up nicely. Of course, real sushi connoisseurs wouldn’t be all that impressed with the meal deal sushi available from a train station Sainsburys so when Sous Chef sent me some seaweed and other bits and bobs to make my own sushi at home, oh that fun what was had!
My two favourite types of sushi are the simple ones; sushi rolls; nori on the outside, and sushi rice and filling on the inside and California rolls; the sushi rice on the outside with nori and filling on the inside, so that’s what I decided to make.
I googled some suggested ingredients then completely ignored what I found and did my own thing anyway. I went for avocado and crab meet for the sushi rolls and, wait for it, sausage on the inside of the California rolls. Mainly because I made a mistake with the shopping and thought I’d bought shredded pork, when I had in fact bought sausages instead, so in they went. To be honest, once something is cut up small enough it doesn’t really matter does it?
The rice I was sent by Sous Chef had instructions on how to make both on the back so that’s what I followed. The instructions were simple enough, although I found the California rolls a little trickier due to the rice being on the outside. You need to cover your rolling mat in cling film to stop the rice sticking to it too much (top tip!).
Essentially they’re simple enough to do; nori on the rolling mat, add your rice (it helps if it’s still a little warm from cooking so it softens the nori a little bit) then add a line of filling and roll away with the help of the mat. The fact the rice is sticky when cooked really helps with keeping everything together. I found a recipe for Japanese mayonnaise online which is essentially mayo, soy sauce and garlic all mixed together. I used that in the middle of both rolls and it worked a treat.
I mean, I think it’s safe to say that it’s an F for presentation but A for effort because I’m actually really chuffed with the way they turned out. My technique also needs a little bit of work because they’re definitely on the ‘jumbo’ scale but they tasted pretty darn authentic if i’m honest, and 300g of sushi rice went a really long way and made enough for us to have for lunch for two of us for two days.
It takes commitment and definitely not something I think I could just ‘whip up’ but since we’re all still in semi lockdown and have loads of time at home to experiment, it’s been a fun new skill to learn. I can’t wait to perfect my rolling skills!
Sous Chef was started in 2012 by Nicola and husband Nick. After working in a Michelin-starred kitchens, she was used to cooking with amazing ingredients and wanted to make them more widely available. So Sous Chef was born. And today they are still an independent family business. Every month they add hundreds of new products, inspired by leading restaurant menus, chefs they speak to, and their travels to producers around the world. They’re all about sustainability and one of the first online retailers to work towards being single use plastic free in our shipping, which I have a blog post coming about, so that’s pretty cool. Check ’em out!
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