Sushi in the Sukkah

Sushi in the Sukkah? Yes a unique name for a unique blog. Sukkah in hebrew literally means "booth". A temporary house constructed during the festival of booths (Sukkot). Sukkot is a cheerful upbeat festival and when I think of eating Sushi I become exuberant hence the the blog name. 

The thought of making my own Sushi never crossed my mind until I saw this great episode on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food-Network. It was one of those South-of-the-border episodes that featured Mexican Sushi. Yes, you heard (read) it correctly Mexi-Sushi. It was so unique and creative and something I never considered! Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I can do this too but with my own unique twist. 

I was first introduced to Sushi in Dec of 09 by a good friend. I never had it before and I thought I would give it a shot. The idea of eating raw fish seemed unappetizing. Man was I wrong. Wow! I was blown away by tastes and flavor profiles of each one. My taste buds were jumping up down and I was smiling from ear to ear. I have been eating it ever since. I try to eat it every month. It can get pretty expensive and I have a big appetite which means I need to spend a lot of $$$ to satiate this big boy. 

When I see these plates arrive at my table I think of art. Making Sushi and coming up with unique things is only limited to your imagination. 

So what do I need to get started? Well I picked up several books and I began to acquire several essential things to prepare Sushi. Some of them were not essential but just nice to have. I am one of those guys that must have it all. I am an All or Nothing person so I must have it All.

I bought a Rice maker. Simple enough machine to make rice and it takes the guessing out of it and it sure makes it convenient. 

I also purchased a Japanese Uchiwa fan to I can cool off the hot rice rapidly. 

Ahhhh. Not really needed but really cool looking.  A Hangiri is a Japanese wooden sushi tub which is perfect for cooling down rice and for adding your sushi vinegar.

Sushi Bamboo mat for rolling your Sushi and a Rice paddle. 

Nori to roll the Sushi.

Dried Kelp for to make perfect Sushi (Rice).

One of many knives I own. This one is a Kramer Ken Onion. 

Japanese molds to make special molded Sushi. 

A Japanese grater for Wasabi root and ginger. A must for authentic cuisine. 

And then of course you need Wasabi. The picture to the left is the real stuff. You can buy it HERE. 

An alternative to the real stuff is Sushi Sonic although there are many other brands out there. Avoid the ones made with mustard and horseradish. 

Pickled Ginger (Gari) is a necessity when eating Sushi. 

It's used to cleanse your taste buds between different types of Sushi. 

Bonito Flakes- Dried fermented Tuna flakes. Not really necessary but brings a great flavor to your Sushi. 

Fish Roe-  What's fish Roe? Glad you asked. Simply put.....Fish eggs. You can buy it HERE. 

These are just a few of the items that you can use to make Sushi. Go crazy and buy everything. That's what I am going to do.