Monday, October 17, 2011

How to Make Your Own Sushi - Great Basic Sushi Recipe


The most basic sushi recipe is not only easy but it is also fun and quick to make. It consists of raw fish like tuna or salmon, sushi rice, seaweed and wasabi. Even though many restaurants pride themselves on making the best sushi or having the best sushi chefs, it should not deter you from making sushi at home. In making your own sushi, you will save money, have fun and add another craft to your list of accomplishments.
Things you will need for sushi:
2 cups of white sushi rice
Seaweed
¼ lb. raw blue fin tuna, salmon or any saltwater fish
Wasabi
Soy Sauce
Seaweed (optional)
Pickled Ginger (optional)
Things you need for sushi rice:
½ cup white rice vinegar
¼ cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
Konbu Seaweed (as much as desired)
2 large boiling pots
Strainer
Water
Measuring cup
Sushi Preparation instructions:
Begin with preparing the sushi rice. Take the two cups of rice and pour it into a strainer. Run water over the rice and rinse thoroughly. After rinsing the rice, take the rice and place it into one large boiling pot. Fill the pot with the strained rice and water. The water should completely cover the rice. Soak the rice for at least 20 minutes. After 20 minutes elapses, drain the water from the pot. Place the rice back into the strainer. Rinse the pot. Run cold water over the strainer again to rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Next, place the rice back into the same boiling pot. Take 2 ¼ cups of cold water and put the water into the pot with the rice. Heat the water and rice to a boil. Once boiling begins, reduce heat to simmer and cover the pot for 20 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, take the ½ cup of white rice vinegar, ¼ cup of sugar, and two teaspoons of salt and place into a separate boiling pot. Let the sugar and salt dissolve in the white rice vinegar first. Place the seaweed into the pot. Heat the components on medium heat for at least two minutes or until seaweed is tender. After the components are ready, remove from heat and set aside.
After the rice has cooked for 20 minutes, there should be little to no water in the pot with the rice. Remove from heat and let cool for 20 minutes. Once cooled, remove the rice from the boiling pot and place inside a large bowl. Remove the seaweed from the sugar, sale and vinegar mixture and set aside. Take the sugar, salt, and vinegar mixture and pour over the rice. Thoroughly mix all the components together thoroughly with a large spoon. Now you can begin to assemble the sushi.
Now that the rice is ready, you can begin on cutting the fish. Most traditional sushi recipes call for saltwater fish like salmon or tuna. Whole, raw blue fin tuna is best suited for this recipe. Take the tuna and slice thin slices. The slices should be no larger than two inches long and ¼ of an inch in thickness. Slice all the tuna you need and put the remaining tuna in a freezer.
Take the wasabi and place a small amount into the center of the tuna slice. You can also add a small strip of seaweed on top of the wasabi. However, this is optional.
Next, take one small spoonful of sushi rice and fill the tuna with the rice. Shape the rice and tuna so that the rice does not fall apart. Don't be afraid to press the rice into the tuna. You can also wrap the tuna slice around the rice if you'd like.
Prepare all the tuna with rice, wasabi and seaweed until you are finished with every piece of tuna. Garnish with soy sauce or pickled ginger to your liking. You may also eat the remaining rice as a side dish. Enjoy.
Important sushi health considerations:
Remember, always keep your fish frozen or on ice while not in use. Fish that remains in room temperature or humid conditions is more susceptible to parasites, bacteria and viruses. Also, sushi should be consumed in moderation. Due to its high mercury content, it is not ideal to eat sushi daily. Consume in moderation for the best health benefits.
Lewis Avalon is a sushi aficionado living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lewis writes regularly about all things sushi related including career advice, recipes, and restaurant news. Check out Lewis' favorite Las Vegas sushi bar and watch for upcoming articles.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Szechuan Chicken Recipe


Let me introduce to you one of my favorite recipes -- Szechwan chicken -- a sharp flavoured dish. It is chicken stir-fried and covered in a dark soy-based sauce with ginger and hot peppers. The meal is very beautiful when served, and even more impressive to watch while being made. Here is a bonus hint for  you: use this to its fullest advantage by making the meal on dates or other events in which being impressive could be considered advantageous.

It is best to serve Szechuan Chicken with rice, or another mild dish to offset the spicy heat of the stir-fry. Vegetables are also a nice touch, and along with rice will serve to round out the meal to match anything you would find at an expensive restaurant. The sauce from the stir-fry can also be used to fry a number of vegetables to accompany the meal. Recycling the sauce you used with the chicken is a quick and easy way to get the most out of your preparation time!

This dish is best served with a sweet beverage, like white win, cola or other soda, or mixed drinksThe heat from the peppers mixes well with any Mexican beverage.

Overall this is a very special dish, which does require some extra time to cookbut once you are ready you'll be happy with the result... and as I said the preparation process itself is very unique and interesting by itself. So enjoy cooking it!

Ingredients:

Chicken:
1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cubed
4-6 carrots, sliced into 1/4" pieces
1 can bamboo shoots
12-15 dried hot peppers
Olive oil

Sauce: (Thoroughly mix all ingredients before preparation)
6 tbsp. soy sauce + 3 tbsp. water (or 9 tbsp. of low-sodium soy sauce)
2-3 tbsp. cornstarch
Chopped fresh ginger or powdered dry ginger (to taste, usually 3 tbsp.)
3 tbsp. Sherry

Instructions:

1. Place the peppers and 1 tbsp. of cooking oil in a wok. 
2. Brown the peppers under medium-high heat, then remove them to a plate. 
3. Place the cubed chicken in the wok and cook until pink color disappears (2-5 min). 
4. Remove the chicken from the wok. 
5. Add 1 tbsp. of oil to the wok, and add the carrots. 
6. Stir-fry until carrots begin to soften. (If you prefer soft vegetables, you can add several tablespoons of water to the carrots and steam them for 5 min.
7. Add the bamboo shoots and stir-fry 1-2 minutes. 
8. Add the (browned) peppers, chicken, and the sauce to the wok. 
9. Stir under medium heat until the sauce thickens.

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