A recent trip to Mitsuwa, our awesome Asian market, proved too tempting. The fish had just been sliced, placed in the cooler while I stood there. I pressed on the fish like Ming taught me to do to see how fresh it was… solid as a rock. It was beautiful, and it cost about the same as the rolls of sushi I had in my cart. I decided to take the leap, and I’m so glad I did. I paired this with some of my famous TiaraMaki rolls, and this is how I made the tuna:

I only had a 1/4lb slab of fish — plenty for the two of us, especially when paired with some salmon for the sushi. I cut it into two sections, in case I screwed one up.

For the marinade I used 1.5 tbsp of Tamari soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground ginger (The Ginger People make my favorite) and a splash of lime juice. I marinated the fish in a zipper baggie for about 45 minutes before cooking.

In my sauté pan on medium I heated up about a tablespoon of dark sesame oil. When it was hot, I put the fish face down, keeping my tongs handy while I watched the searing progress. I found recipes online that called for up to a minute per side, but I quickly found that letting it cook for that long would quickly cook the fish all the way through. So I just watched, and for about 20-40 seconds on each side I seared the tuna. When it was done I placed it on a layer of paper towel and quickly put the plate in the freezer to keep the fish from cooking longer.

That was it.

Seriously.

My husband declared it amazing and quickly ate it up. I’m actually not a huge fan of this dish, but even I could admit that the freshness of the fish paired with the bite of the ginger made this phenomenal. And it was so easy! I know it won’t be long before he asks me to make this again.

I served this on a bed of chinese broccoli greens that were stir-fried with carrots, mushrooms and onions in just a little soy sauce. Very plain, but beautifully simple.

The Bandai Futomaki Maker has arrived, and as expected it’s kind of fun, kind of a pain in the ass, and going to feature quite the learning curve, but it was a start. We made the “it’s almost a heart” sushi (the purple in the picture) and figured out how to make it actually a heart, but I only made enough rice for dinner. This will require rice for experimentation.

I did, however, discover the sheer awesomeness that is colored sushi, featuring rice tinted with McCormick Neon Food Coloring. HOLY CRAP IT’S AWESOME. I learned that by putting the colors half & half (I had  a little more green than purple left) you get a sort-of-but-not-really-a-yinyang shape, and that purple and green sushi might be the coolest thing ever.

QUICK TIP: If you’re planning on making a sushi dinner on a work day, make your rice before you leave for work. It’ll be JUST FINE in your rice cooker all day and when you get home you’ll have already cooled rice ready for mixing.

Want my sushi recipe? Check it out here. I shall reserve judgment on the Futomaki maker for when I actually get some time to play with it properly.

My lunch tomorrow is going to be so badass… In reality it’s at least a lunch-and-a-half, but still…

Lured by the promise of sushi in the shapes of flowers, bunnies, and bears, my husband and I were transfixed when this toy was shown on a random blip about the Tokyo Toy Show. We immediately sought it out online and bought one.

Sure, it’s probably not going to be anywhere as easy to make bear sushi as it claims in this commercial if you follow the link, but we had to try.

It’s for science.

QUICK TIP: Don’t skimp on the fish! Spend the money and get high-quality fish, because there’s nothing worse than fishy-tasting sushi. If you can find one, go to an Asian grocer. I won’t make sushi with fish from anywhere but Mitsuwa for my sushi fish and other Asian ingredients.

There are lots of ways to make su-meshi, sticky sushi rice. This is my method.

INGREDIENTS: TIARAMAKI (Tiara’s maki rolls)

• 2 cups Calrose Rice, Sushi Rice, or Brown Sushi Rice. I swear by Kagayaki Brown Sushi Rice.
• Rice Vinegar, 3 tbsp
• White sugar, 7 tsp
• Sanrio Hello Kitty Furikake … wait, what?

I came across this at first because it was adorable. Then it became what I consider my signature ingredient that makes my Tiaramaki special. The Hello Kitty brand includes dried bits of 7 different vegetables in all: broccoli, tomato, radish, green pea, spinach, pumpkin, seaweed and carrot. You can also use the seasoning packet that comes with most brands of roasted nori, the seaweed for rolliing.

I prepare my rice with my Black & Decker Handy Steamer, adding a little extra water. Mix the rice vinegar with the white sugar and set aside. When the rice is cooked, put into a mixing bowl. Add the vinegar and sugar with two packets of the vegetable furikake.Put in the fridge until cool, at least 30 minutes.

More on the recipe behind the cut…

To make the rolls, you will need:

• 1-2 small pieces of sushi-grade fish; I use tuna or salmon for my dinner parties
• 1 package roasted seaweed nori
• 1 small zucchini, sliced julienne style
• 1 small carrot, sliced julienne style
• 1 bunch spring onions
• 1 avocado, sliced (how to slice an avocado)
• Mayonnaise
• Sriracha Thai Chili Sauce
• Pickled Ginger
• Penzey’s Wasabi Powder
• San-J Premium Tamari Soy Sauce (don’t skimp on the soy sauce… this is by far the best I’ve tried)
• Sushi mat

Slice the fish thinly across the grain and set aside. Mix 3 tbsp mayonnaise with a small squirt of the chili sauce. This will be your spicy mayo, so make it as mild or spicy as you’d like. Mix the fish with the mayonnaise until coated.

You can find many YouTube videos and step-by-step instructions for making maki rolls; this is how I do it. Lay your sushi mat in front of you with the slats laying horizontally. Place a piece of nori on your sushi mat, the shiny-side out. Using a rice paddle or wet fingers, take a bit of rice and put it in a thin layer across the entire piece of nori. This is the part that takes the most practice, so don’t be alarmed if it seems like your first few rolls are too thick or skimpy. About 1″ from the bottom, layer in a thin line some fish, one line of julienne carrots and one line of zucchini, 1–2 spring onion segments, a slice of avocado and a layer of coated fish. Using your mat to help you, begin rolling the nori by folding the first bit over and pressing down. Continue rolling the sushi, keeping pressure on the roll. Again, this will take practice. Set aside and make the rest of the rolls.

Chill the rolls for at least 10 minutes. You will cut this into pieces using a VERY sharp knife. Wet the knife first, then use a slicing motion with as little pressure as possible. Cut it into 3/4 inch segments.

Serve well-chilled with pickled ginger, tamari sauce and wasabi.