Jeff Sandino isn’t uptight about sushi. He prefers the all-you-can-eats to the high-dollar havens (his favorite is the all-you-can-eat sushi at Ichiban in downtown Minneapolis). He likes to buy his supplies, including already-cut, previously frozen fish, at Coastal, because it’s the cheapest and you can get it all under one roof. For harder to find frozen fish, like flying fish roe and eel, across the street at United Noodle. He scouts out whatever sushi books they’re selling at Half Price Books because he doesn’t like to pay full price (and he doesn’t consider any one book to be the sushi-making bible). And if you want to use a rice-cooker as your little helper for getting the sushi rice done right, that’s just fine by him.
Prior to teaching “The Art of Sushi” class offered through Edina Community Education (an upcoming class will be offered on May 12th), Sandino taught himself to make sushi by reading books and magazines. In fact, he built a career out of being self-taught, with cooking experience that began at the old Lincoln Del in St. Louis Park at the age of 15, followed by chef positions at Hotel Sofitel, Figlio, Sunsets in Wayzata and others. After more than two decades in professional kitchens, he got the entrepreneurial bug, and started doing in-home cooking classes and events, including sushi-making parties. Sandino thought of it as a natural transition, “I always enjoyed teaching people…in restaurants, I was always in a management position.”
Eight years ago, Sandino began teaching adult community education classes throughout the Twin Cities metro. He has a strong expertise in the realm of European cooking, especially Italian, but has branched out into other areas. In his sushi class, he walks students through the preparation of sushi rice, making rolls with various fillings, and how to make nigiri on hand-molded rice. He covers the accompaniments, like cucumber salad, spicy mayonnaise, tempura onions and seasoned rice vinegar.
With his can-do approach, Sandino seems to be the everybody’s everybody of sushi-making. He doesn’t want pupils to be intimidated or afraid to experiment, but he does have a few straightforward tips that’ll get any novice off to a great start.
- Buying the supplies. Sandino swears by United Noodles (2015 E. 24th St., near Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis), where the customer service is outstanding. He suggests writing up a shopping list before you go, then enlisting a manager to walk you around and find all of the items you’ll need, from the sushi rice to toasted nori, already-cut fish, rice vinegar, sesame oil, wasabi powder, eel sauce, flying fish roe, pickled ginger and more. He has no qualms about buying previously frozen fish, for about a quarter of the price.
- Get the rice right. Sandino recommends Kokuho Japanese sushi rice. Using a rice cooker makes it foolproof. Overcooked rice is better than undercooked rice (nobody wants it crunchy). Let it cool then stir in seasoned rice vinegar one tablespoon at a time. Don’t refrigerate it. Rice can be portioned out, frozen and then thawed in microwave for later use—a useful tip if you want to practice making rolls during the week.
- Experiment with fillings. A couple of recommendations: seared tuna, avocado, a smear of wasabi and toasted sesame seed garnish; or crab stick, cucumber, avocado and spicy mayonnaise. Don’t limit yourself to fish—teriyaki chicken or beef tartare work well, too.
- Making rolls. Start by wrapping your sushi mat in plastic wrap. Cut the sheets of nori in half crosswise and line them up on the mat. With moist hands, grab a ball of rice, shape it and spread it evenly over the nori. Flip rice side down then add a smear of wasabi and your fillings. Don’t overfill! Tuck the fillings in and roll up the mat, using all ten fingers. Lift the mat away to cut.
- Cutting the roll. Cut the roll in half, then line up the two halves next to each other and cut both into thirds. Use a sharp knife and wet the edge between each cut. Don’t be shy with the knife, but cut decisively. Serve your rolls with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.
- Have fun! Even if your sushi roll looks terrible, it’s still going to taste good.
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Check out Jeff Sandino’s “Art of Sushi” class ($39) through Edina Community Education, 6–9:30 p.m. on May 12.
CALIFORNIA ROLLS
yields 5 roll (30 pieces)
Ingredients:
1 recipe cooked rice (see below)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into fine julienne
3 sheets nori (dried seaweed)
4 sticks imitation crab meat or 6-ounces diced cooked shrimp
3 Tbsp. wasabi powder (yields enough prepared wasabi for assembling and serving 5 rolls)
Sesame seeds or flying fish roe for garnish (optional)
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into strips the length of the avocado about 1/2 inch diameter
Equipment:
Bamboo sushi rolling mat
1.) Measure 3 Tbsp. wasabi powder in a small bowl. Mix with cold water (about 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp.) with 2 chopsticks or you fingers to make a paste. Be sure to wash your fingers, as the wasabi is very hot.
2.) Cut slender wedges of avocado. Try this trick: without peeling, trim off the top and bottom of the avocado and cut it in segments lengthwise to the pit. Pull away the peel and then gently grasp a segment at a time and pull it off. Set the avocado aside as you prepare the cucumber and crabmeat; set them aside as well.
3.) Stack the sheets of toasted nori and cut them in half, parallel to the lines on the seaweed (as if you were folding the longest side in half). Or crease them along the fold and the tear them apart.
4.) Completely wrap the bamboo mat in plastic wrap (to keep the rice from sticking) and put the nori in place. Make sure the mat lies completely flat after wrapping. Lay a sheet of nori horizontally on the wrapped mat. Position the bottom edge of the nori sheet ½-inch above the edge of the mat that’s closest to you.
5.) Moisten your hands with a little water to keep the rice from sticking. (Keep a bowl of water handy). Grab a large handful of rice and toss and squeeze it lightly to form a loose oval ball.
6.) Starting in one of the upper corners of the nori, spread the ball of rice across the top of the nori to the other side. Using both hands, “pull” the rice down to cover the nori. Spread the rice until the sheet is covered in a layer about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or flying fish roe and pat evenly.
7.) Holding the top corners of the rice-covered nori, flip it over. The rice will now be face down on the mat. Keep the bottom edge of the nori ½- to ¾-inch above the edge of the mat closest to you.
8.) Using your fingers, spread a pinch of wasabi across the middle of the nori. A little goes a long way, so spread lightly. You can always put more in your dipping sauce if you like more heat.
9.) Lay equal amounts (about a small handful) of each ingredient down the middle of the nori. Start with a row of cucumber, overlap with the avocado slices, and then lay the crab on top.
10.) With all eight fingers holding in the ingredients, lift the edge of the mat closest to you with your thumbs. Tucking the ingredients into the middle of the roll, bring the edge of the mat over the ingredients and straight down. Leave ½-inch of the nori exposed at the top edge.
11.) Press the roll together with your thumbs and middle fingers, while index fingers tuck the ingredients.
12.) Lifting just the edge of the mat, pull it forward so that the nori roll rolls another quarter turn. The seam will now be at the bottom.
13.) Press again with fingers and thumbs, molding the roll into a squared log.
14.) Lift the mat away and transfer the roll to a cutting surface. Dip a sharp knife into a bowl of water and let a bead of water roll down the knife’s blade. Cut the roll in half and then bring one half around and cut both into thirds. Stand the pieces up on the cut side.
15.) Serve the sushi with pickled ginger, a small dish of soy sauce, and a little mound of wasabi. Since everyone likes varying degrees of heat, you can let each guest mix a little wasabi into a small dish of soy sauce. The pickled ginger is to be eaten as a palate cleanser between pieces of sushi.
Other filling options:
1. Avocado, julienne carrots, shrimp and a stick of cheese
2. Shrimp, avocado, cucumber, spicy mayo
3. Smoked salmon, cream cheese & tempura fried onions
4. Seared tuna, avocado, smear of wasabit and garnished with sesame seeds
5. Eel, cucumber, avocado and garnished with toasted sesame seeds
6. Tuna, crab stick, cucumber, cream cheese, smear of wasabi
7. Cucumber, avocado, carrot, spicy mayo
8. Avocado, romaine, spring onion, carrot and a smear of wasabi
9. Teriyaki chicken, avocado, cucumber, garnished with toasted sesame seeds
10. Crab stick, cucumber, avocado spicy mayonnaise
*All Items can be mixed and matched, be creative!
SUSHI RICE
makes about 4 generous cups, which yields 5-6 California rolls (30-36 pieces)
2 cups Japanese’s sushi rice (Kokuho Rice is a good one)
2¼ cups of water
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
Procedure:
1. Rinse the rice by placing it in a bowl of cold or warm water and swishing your hand around; strain well; repeat 3 or 4 times or until the water runs fairly clear; allow the rice to drain well in a strainer (about 10 minutes then tap the bottom of the strainer a few times with an absorbent towel to remove any remaining water).
2. Add the water and allow the rice to soak for 10 minutes; cover the rice with a tight fitting lid and place over high heat and allow it to cook until steam blows out from under the lid; reduce the heat to low (don’t lift the lid); allow the rice to cook for 15 minutes; remove the pot from the heat and let stand, still tightly covered, for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Spread the rice out onto a sheet tray lined with plastic wrap. When the rice cools to the point where there is no longer steam rising, transfer it to a large non-reactive bowl (stainless steel, glass, or wood); stir in the seasoned vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time, while gently tossing and folding.
4. Spread the seasoned rice onto a sheet tray lined with plastic wrap and allow it to cool for about 20 minutes; using a large rubber spatula, flip the rice and allow it to cool for an additional 20 minutes. Transfer the rice to a large non-reactive bowl. The rice should be no warmer than room temperature. If it’s warm, it will make the nori chewy/gummy. Cover the rice with a damp cloth at room temperature until you are ready to make the sushi. Do not refrigerate.