Soggy Seaweed? (Making Sushi)

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by steven

That sounds like a horrible experience! I think I'd just stick to long grain rice instead of going down that road.

I'd be willing to bet that a lot of "sushi" places in California use long-grain rice just for convenience. This whole topic makes me wonder what Japan did when they had rice-shortages (apparently there was one in my area 10 or so years ago... maybe more.) A lot of people bring up "カリフォルニア米" as though it's really good stuff. I doubt sushi chefs have the same opinion, but it's something to think about!

I can't imagine it working with long-grain either! Surely it'd all just fall apart at the drop of a hat? Basmati sushi~ i'm all for fusion food but just urghhh~

Conversely though, I have made several very good risottos using short-grain japanese rice.

My roommate in Japan once tried to make sushi, only she bought mochi rice on the premise that all rices are the same thing anyway. Now that was a horrible experience. *blegh*

[yuujirou]

Originally Posted by Columbine

I can't imagine it working with long-grain either! Surely it'd all just fall apart at the drop of a hat? Basmati sushi~ i'm all for fusion food but just urghhh~

Conversely though, I have made several very good risottos using short-grain japanese rice.

My roommate in Japan once tried to make sushi, only she bought mochi rice on the premise that all rices are the same thing anyway. Now that was a horrible experience. *blegh*

Yea... I experimented... though more rather, I was forced to improvise using long grain....
let's say... it doesn't work so well >.<''
shit doesn't stick together, lolz

huh... risotto w/ japanese short grains... that's actually kinda interesting xD
watcha cook it with??

and lul... that's.... a very xDD
innocent[?] assumption?~ xD

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by yuujirou

Yea... I experimented... though more rather, I was forced to improvise using long grain....
let's say... it doesn't work so well >.<''
shit doesn't stick together, lolz

huh... risotto w/ japanese short grains... that's actually kinda interesting xD
watcha cook it with??

and lul... that's.... a very xDD
innocent[?] assumption?~ xD

I just followed my usual recipe; it tends to come out creamier/softer because of the higher starch content, but it's really not so different. I tend to wash the rice first (as normal) and then let it dry before cooking. Then you just saute minced shallots in butter and a little oil until soft, add the rice and stir to coat, letting it heat through a little, then gradually add 1/2 pint of very good quality chicken stock a little at a time, stirring continuously to get it to absorb evenly. Keep going until the rice is al dente. really the quality of the risotto is down to the quality of the stock. I don't tend to add much else; maybe some chicken pieces i've cooked separately, parmesan and some peas, and seasoning.

I've done a good crab version too, making the stock from the shells, and mixing passata through the rice towards the end to make a really tomato-y crabby risotto. Time-consuming though as you have to boil and dress your crabs first thing, then roast the shells and then make the stock and then pretty much make the risotto straight away so the crab meat doesn't go dry.

my room-mate was a moron.

[TalnSG]

With several Asian groceries to shop at, I don't have a hard time finding the type of rice I want. But reading the last few posts started me wondering.

If left with only a choice of poor quality short grain that turns to mush too easily or a long grain, I wonder if a mix of the two would work better. With the dissolving starch from the short grain, the long just might hold together.

Anyone ever try it?

[yuujirou]

Originally Posted by Columbine

I just followed my usual recipe; it tends to come out creamier/softer because of the higher starch content, but it's really not so different. I tend to wash the rice first (as normal) and then let it dry before cooking. Then you just saute minced shallots in butter and a little oil until soft, add the rice and stir to coat, letting it heat through a little, then gradually add 1/2 pint of very good quality chicken stock a little at a time, stirring continuously to get it to absorb evenly. Keep going until the rice is al dente. really the quality of the risotto is down to the quality of the stock. I don't tend to add much else; maybe some chicken pieces i've cooked separately, parmesan and some peas, and seasoning.

I've done a good crab version too, making the stock from the shells, and mixing passata through the rice towards the end to make a really tomato-y crabby risotto. Time-consuming though as you have to boil and dress your crabs first thing, then roast the shells and then make the stock and then pretty much make the risotto straight away so the crab meat doesn't go dry.

my room-mate was a moron.

huh... ever consider white wine? x.x

[yuujirou]

Originally Posted by TalnSG

With several Asian groceries to shop at, I don't have a hard time finding the type of rice I want. But reading the last few posts started me wondering.

If left with only a choice of poor quality short grain that turns to mush too easily or a long grain, I wonder if a mix of the two would work better. With the dissolving starch from the short grain, the long just might hold together.

Anyone ever try it?

actually teppay uses a mix of med. and short grain rice xD
it's not strictly either varieties~
so it may work :3
or .... it maybe another dreadful third evil >.>'

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by yuujirou

huh... ever consider white wine? x.x

*face palm* yup, always. Can't believe I didn't mention it.

also surely a mix of short and long would be a bad idea; like mixing different pasta shapes; because they'd cook at different speeds?

[yuujirou]

Originally Posted by Columbine

*face palm* yup, always. Can't believe I didn't mention it.

also surely a mix of short and long would be a bad idea; like mixing different pasta shapes; because they'd cook at different speeds?

heh =P

hurm... well unlike pastas, the time it takes to cook is relatively constant, w/ only the amount of water that's variable.
but meh xD i may be completely wrong
i'm only speculating; since i've never had the occasion to experiment w/ this myself x.x'

[TalnSG]

Originally Posted by Columbine

also surely a mix of short and long would be a bad idea; like mixing different pasta shapes; because they'd cook at different speeds?

Ooops, yes that could be a problem. I was thinking of mixing them once they were cooked separately, but that is an awful lot of extra effort. I think before going that route I would end up with a bowl of whatever rice I could get and throwing in the rest of the ingredients instead of making sushi.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by TalnSG

Ooops, yes that could be a problem. I was thinking of mixing them once they were cooked separately, but that is an awful lot of extra effort. I think before going that route I would end up with a bowl of whatever rice I could get and throwing in the rest of the ingredients instead of making sushi.

They'd still have different consistencies though; which would be weird in your mouth even if both were cooked perfectly.

someone mentioned chiraishi sushi (scattered sushi); that's pretty straight forward, provided you have the rice. Or you can probably buy Japanese rice online; there's several suppliers for the UK, so i can't imagine the USA has none. I get Nishiki; it's not the best by a long shot, but it's versatile, and i've made home-spun sushi with it that's gone down well.