SUSHI QUESTIONS

A friend of mine wants to have a surprise birthday party for his wife in the bay area.  He wants to know if anyone knows of a one day Sushi school, or an interactive "you make you eat it sushi bar" if there is such an animal.  Basically a catering/school type theme?  I know of a catering college in LA has a one day (4-6) hour short course on how to make sushi (the basics).  If anyone could answer either of the questions  (short one day course) or a catering company that might goto your house and SUSHI IT UP?

Thanks in advance  KB

Mikuni Japanese Restaurant was doing a sushi school.  I think there is/there was 4 different classes from beginner never touched rice to intermediate with choosing the right fish.

Depending on what types of sushi you want nigiri (fish on sushi rice) or rolls or the hand roll you can do most yourself just make sure you are getting fish that is sushi grade.  Let me repeat that make sure you by sushi grade and not from the local market.  Market fish is handled different than the higher grade maguro (blue fin or big eye if you can get it) or hamachi (yellow tail).  Notice color and texture of the fish.  Good fresh fish doesn't smell like "fish".

 I make my own sushi and being the lily white "round eye" I get some funny reactions.  I like sushi so much I had to learn to make it myself to cut down on the bar bills.  So look at some sites on line for ideas but really it's not that hard it just takes practice.  Good luck and enjoy what you make!!!

I know I've seen sushi classes in the past so I did a little search. It just made me hungry more than anything else, but my search did keep bringing up Mari's Catering in the Bernal Heights area of SF - looks worth checkin out:  http://www.marisfood.com/class.php

The Learning Annex also has a course but it says We're sorry, we cannot accept enrollments in this section at this time. Then I read the instructor's name & guess who? "Mari Takahashi....she is the owner of Mari's Catering..." Maybe Mari's got a monopoly on the sushi class biz.... http://www.learningannex.com/default.taf?sctn=Q&_function=detail&cnum=0113SF&cat=

Let us know how it works out.

You said "Bay Area", so wasn't sure about your geographic preference or restrictions.

In Campbell, the Professional Culinary Institute offers Hobby Classes, including Intro to Japanese/ Sushi.
http://events.mercurynews.com/campbell-ca/events/show/81133815-intro-to-japanese-cooking-hobby-class
http://www.pcichef.com/hobbyschedule.php

I've got the card for one of their directors for promotional events at home somewhere. I'm sure you could get one of their instructing chefs or apprentices to come out for a moonlight gig in residence.  I've always wanted to do exactly as you requested, and probably will this summer.  So keep us posted on how it pans out, and what your friend chooses.

Im gonna check them out

THANKS A BUNCH

NCKA RULES!!!!

Have you tried Nijiya Market Mountain View 143 E El Camino Real, 94040 650-691-1600 or Nijiya in San Jose 240 Jackson St 95112 408-275-6916 or Nijiya San Mateo 1956 94403  They even got a store in SF 415-563-1902 1737 Post St  94115

Real good for a market and also as good as most restaurant in our area. I am Japanese and I eat their stuff all the time.  Sure you can not get the stuff that  is not common.  But, it is fresh.

Ken kickfish

Lots of places like http://surlatable.turnstilesystems.com/Default.aspx Sur La Table have classes or Home Chef (Westgate Mall, San Jose) have in-store classes.

I took a sushi one there...lot of fun!

-mox

All the sushi I've ever encountered was of fish caught from the sea.

How is/are freshwater fish for sushi?
Can you do sushi from bass and catfish?

Thoughts?

Judd

If you are in/around Sacramento  Oto's Marketplace is the place for sushi grade fish.

I just did a little sushi party with a "roll your own" class taught by round eye himself (me) for some friends last weekend and left overs for the next day.  Yummm!!  I think the guests preferred me making them as it went a lot faster. 
I would however be interested in some sauces to give the rolls a little change up or some BANG!!!!!!!!.  Ponzo with ginger I'm using but need some more extravagant fru fru sauces?  Anyone? Anyone?  Bueller.  Bueller......

All the sushi I've ever encountered was of fish caught from the sea.

How is/are freshwater fish for sushi?
Can you do sushi from bass and catfish?

Thoughts?

Judd

All commercially sold Sushi grade fish has been frozen, for times and temperatures specified by the FDA. This is to ensure that all potentially harmful parasites are dead. Most of the parasites that are harmful to humans are found in freshwater, or in the nearshore area.

I've eaten Yelloweye sushi that had not been frozen (NOTE:This was in Alaska, where Yelloweye is a legal catch). This is considered a no-no by many well-educated individuals. I was willing to take the risk in this particular case. However, there's no way I'd eat raw Largemouth, unless it had been frozen well beyond the FDA requirements for Salmon. And even then, I'd assume that this was slightly risky.

Keep in mind I'm not an expert, just someone that's done about a dozen hours of research and reading on the subject.

Scott

Why does anyone need a class to make Sushi?
I make it all the time. Any idiot can make sushi. Roll hand rolls.... how hard is that?  Buy pearl rice in bulk. Sushi paper, Beaver wasabi, pickled ginger, soy sauce.
I make hand rolls from seared tuna, just buy some decent quality tuna and spice it up and sear it both sides. You can then slice it and make nigiri(pieces) or make hand rolls from it. I mix the tuna with a tad mayo, schiricha (vietnames hot sauce) and Thousand Island and then make hand rolls for a spice tuna hand roll. I make sushi but most of my hand rolls are with cooked stuff. I only make my own raw when I get sushi grade fish that I order or catch.
I make hand rolls from cooked scallops, deep fried calamari, pickled herring, smoked salmon lox, canned blue crab meat, shrimp. Crab meat I mix with Thousand Island, Schiricha, and mayo for spice crab hand rolls. I saute scallops or shrimp in a little butter and olive oil. The smoked lox I buy at the super market also as well as the herring in wine sauce. I'll buy some squid, clean it and deep fry it and it makes outstanding hand rolls.
It is pretty easy to cook up some seafood and twist up some hand rolls.
You can oder sushi here or other places online also if you want raw sushi.
http://www.catalinaop.com/

Also you need rice wine vinegar to make the sushi rice. Some recipes also call for sugar to be added. I don't use the sugar, I just use 1 cup rice vinegar and 2 cups water to 1 cup rice. I microwave it for 25-30 minutes. If I need to add some more water and another 5-10 minutes I do it if it comes out a little hard after the first 25-30 minutes.

You make a little ball of rice and put a slice of fish or something on top of it. How hard is that? Just watch the sushi chef at your local sushi restaurant. After eating some sushi and watching you can see how to roll a long roll.
I personally don't bother with lon rolls as I just want good tasty sushi handrolls and pieces and don't need to be fancy or impress diner guests. But long rolls ar simple to do. I make my own because I prefer the less rice of a hand roll.

You're right; it is fairly easy once you have the right ingredients.  We'll do "sushi night" every once in a while when Nijiya (local Japanese market) has some good looking sushi-grade fish.  Although, my Japanese wife would spit out her sake if I suggested your microwave technique for the rice...we make ours in the rice cooker and then rapidly cool it the old-fashioned way (fanning with a magazine) to get the right texture.  To each his own though - if it works, all the power to ya! 

Rice comes out perfect in a microwave. I make Basmati and Jasmine rice all the time. I used to boil rice on the stove....the microwave does it better.
1 Cup Basmati rice, 2 cups water, garlic powder, curry powder, salt, crushed black pepper, butter, olive oil nuke on high 25 minutes. Perfect rice.