#EdenCooks - SUSHI! - Monday Apr 15 at 8pm EST

Contributor: Jordan B Jordan B
Hey there, Just coming in now. Had some technical difficulties. I'm so excited for this!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Antipova Antipova

Pickled Ginger Continued

Put the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Heat them up over medium heat until the liquid is simmering, making sure the sugar and salt dissolve. Once that is done, put the pickling liquid in a jar.



Now fill your pot with plenty of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. When the water is boiling, add all your ginger slices at once. Young ginger needs to be blanched for about 20 seconds, mature ginger about 40 (or until the slices turn translucent.) Mine was right about at 40 seconds

Dump all the ginger immediately into a strainer, and toss them with about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to mascerate them.



Then put them in the jar with pickling juice while they're still hot. If your ginger is going to turn pink, this is the stage at which that will happen. (Mine stayed golden, probably because they were old, or my vinegar wasn't awesome enough. I'm not exactly sure.)

These are fine in your refridgerator for a few weeks, and they taste best after they have steeped in the pickling juice for a while. I was really shocked---I didn't expect them to be that much different from commercial pickled ginger, but this kicks the pants off the stuff that comes with grocery store sushi.
04/15/2013
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Jordan B
Hey there, Just coming in now. Had some technical difficulties. I'm so excited for this!

Welcome, Jordan!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
Hmmm. I've never tried pickled ginger
04/15/2013
Contributor: Pixel Pixel
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Pickled Ginger

One large ginger club
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2/3 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

lots of water

I bought one very large piece of ginger, with all the growth in the "palm" and none in the ... more
Oh, nice! I've never done pickled ginger at home before, so that'll be fun to try! (Also, hi! *waves* I'm a bit late but here!)
04/15/2013
Contributor: Pixel Pixel
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Pickled Ginger

One large ginger club
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2/3 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

lots of water

I bought one very large piece of ginger, with all the growth in the "palm" and none in the ... more
Oh, nice! I've never done pickled ginger at home before, so that'll be fun to try! (Also, hi! *waves* I'm a bit late but here!)
04/15/2013
Contributor: Miss Morphine Miss Morphine
Quote:
Originally posted by surreptitious
I've never thought about pickling my own ginger. That's really neat!
It tastes so much better that way. I think it's a little bit spicier if you do it yourself also.
04/15/2013
Contributor: surreptitious surreptitious
Quote:
Originally posted by Lildrummrgurl7
Hmmm. I've never tried pickled ginger
I'm really bad and eat it directly on my sushi instead of in between as a palate cleanser. It tastes surprisingly good.
04/15/2013
Contributor: Melan!e Melan!e
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Pickled Ginger Continued

Put the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Heat them up over medium heat until the liquid is simmering, making sure the sugar and salt dissolve. Once that is done, put the pickling liquid in a ... more
Maybe I'll try this. I never thought of making it at home either. The grocery store stuff usually sucks.
04/15/2013
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by surreptitious
I'm really bad and eat it directly on my sushi instead of in between as a palate cleanser. It tastes surprisingly good.

Welcome Pixel and Miss Morphine!

I used to eat mine on the sushi too, but I started just eating it straight and leaving the sushi alone as of this homemade batch. It's so good you /want/ to eat it alone. And turns out the sushi is better this way too!
04/15/2013
Contributor: GONE! GONE!
The pics are really helping!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Antipova Antipova

Simmered Mushrooms

~20 shiitake mushrooms (2 ounces dried gourd / 36 8" strips)
plenty of water (for gourd, also 2 tsp salt)
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce (1/4 cup soy sauce)
1 1/2 tsp mirin (2 Tbsp mirin)

To save time, I'm going to show the steps for simmered mushrooms and simmered gourd at the same time. The ingredients are actually the same, except where I note where they are different.

The most important part of making the simmered mushrooms is choosing good mushrooms. The best type of shiitake is called donko, and when they are dried they look like they have tortise shells. My Japanese market had these in a large bag, and you took as many as you liked and they were sold by the pound. With dried gourd and dried tofu, they will be sold in individual packs.

The night before you simmer your mushrooms (or gourd), put them in cool water to soak. With the mushrooms, rinse them quickly once before soaking. With the gourd, moisten them and rub salt into them, then rinse again to get rid of salt. Then soak.)



I put the bowl on top so they wouldn't float out over the water level.


04/15/2013
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Welcome Pixel and Miss Morphine!

I used to eat mine on the sushi too, but I started just eating it straight and leaving the sushi alone as of this homemade batch. It's so good you /want/ to eat it alone. And turns out the sushi is ... more
I'll have to try the pickled ginger on my next trip to my local sushi place!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Antipova Antipova

Yipes! There is a lot more to cover, so I'm going to put these up fast and heavy! Please still ask questions, though... and luckily I won't have to leave right at 9 EST, so if people still have questions, the meeting can just go longer.

Simmered Mushrooms / Gourd continued

The next day, dump the mushrooms and their soaking water into a pan. Over medium heat, bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes. (Just like when cooking stock, be sure to skim off foam, as it will ruin the flavor.)

Add the sugar and continue to cook for about 10 minutes.



Add half the soy sauce and cook 10 minutes more. Basically you are reducing the liquid so that most of the water is evaporated and most of the flavor is left behind in the mushrooms.

I was scared the whole time I was soaking and cooking these mushrooms, because they smelled pretty bad. Until the moment I added the soy sauce, I thought I was going to just throw these out. After adding the soy sauce, they smelled okay... and then after adding the mirin, my friend cutting vegetables says she was doing "one for the sushi, one for me. One for the sushi, two for me!" It was miraculous how the mirin transformed these.

After 85% of the liquid has evaporated/absorbed, add the rest of the soy sauce and the mirin. Cook while stirring until all the liquid is reduced, and the mushrooms are coated in a glossy sauce.




After they're cool enough to handle, cut off the stems (my veggie prepper ate them all!) and cut the caps into strips about the diameter of asparagus.

04/15/2013
Contributor: Antipova Antipova

Those look delicious, yes? I am going to buy them and make these mushrooms all the time.
04/15/2013
Contributor: Jordan B Jordan B
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Those look delicious, yes? I am going to buy them and make these mushrooms all the time.
They do look pretty good!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Wicked Wahine Wicked Wahine
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Those look delicious, yes? I am going to buy them and make these mushrooms all the time.
Yummo!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Melan!e Melan!e
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Those look delicious, yes? I am going to buy them and make these mushrooms all the time.
They look awesome!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Antipova Antipova

Dipping Sauce

1 cup mirin
2 cups soy sauce
4 oz bonito fish flakes

The dipping sauce you get at a sushi restaurant---I always thought it was soy sauce? It is actually not soy sauce. It is made by simmering the mirin, adding the soy sauce and brining it to a boil, then turning off the heat and adding the fish flakes. Once all the fish settle to the bottom, strain through a cheese cloth.



My pan after pouring most of the sauce out: the bonito flakes remain behind.



Press all the good stuff out of the remaining fish.

This dipping sauce can actually keep for half a year, which is why you make such a large amount (if you like. You can always reduce the amount.)

Vegetarians can skip the fish flakes and still enjoy the outcome.
04/15/2013
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Those look delicious, yes? I am going to buy them and make these mushrooms all the time.
They look amazing!
04/15/2013
Contributor: surreptitious surreptitious
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Yipes! There is a lot more to cover, so I'm going to put these up fast and heavy! Please still ask questions, though... and luckily I won't have to leave right at 9 EST, so if people still have questions, the meeting can just go ... more
I remember the first tie my dad found fresh portobello mushrooms on our farm and cooked them - they smelled so bad that I almost refused to try them. Once he seasoned them, they were absolutely delicious! I know that shitake and portobellos have very different tastes, but I guess mushrooms are just stinky. xD
04/15/2013
Contributor: geliebt geliebt
Oooh that sauce looks AWESOME!
04/15/2013
Contributor: geliebt geliebt
Quote:
Originally posted by Lildrummrgurl7
They look amazing!
I know everyone thinks I'm crazy for it, but I just do not like mushrooms I kinda wish I did, but man... I can't stand the things! Bleh!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Dipping Sauce

1 cup mirin
2 cups soy sauce
4 oz bonito fish flakes

The dipping sauce you get at a sushi restaurant---I always thought it was soy sauce? It is actually not soy sauce. It is made by simmering the mirin, adding ... more
I always thought it was soy sauce too!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Melan!e Melan!e
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Dipping Sauce

1 cup mirin
2 cups soy sauce
4 oz bonito fish flakes

The dipping sauce you get at a sushi restaurant---I always thought it was soy sauce? It is actually not soy sauce. It is made by simmering the mirin, adding ... more
The lady at my favorite sushi place always tells me the sauce is the same as the soy sauce I grab for the restaurant next door instead. I knew it wasn't the same!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by surreptitious
I remember the first tie my dad found fresh portobello mushrooms on our farm and cooked them - they smelled so bad that I almost refused to try them. Once he seasoned them, they were absolutely delicious! I know that shitake and portobellos have very ... more

I was so worried they would be awful I really like wood ear mushrooms (Chinese I think?) but I hate button mushrooms. I though I just wouldn't liek shiitake, but it turns out with a little mirin I'm a complete convert.

Don't worry, geliebt, I'm not wholly sold on the fungus thing myself. Only the tasty ones for me!

I have a friend who won't eat them because the concept of gills creeps her out.
04/15/2013
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Melan!e
The lady at my favorite sushi place always tells me the sauce is the same as the soy sauce I grab for the restaurant next door instead. I knew it wasn't the same!

This book taught me so many things, I had no clue either!
04/15/2013
Contributor: Antipova Antipova

I'll throw the wasabi making procedure here too, because it's pretty simple. I had dried wasabi powder, and made wasabi simply by adding equal parts water and powder. The powder is not the best quality of wasabi, and it usually contains little rootlets instead of the full main body of the root. But it's still better than the stuff that is dyed bright neon green.





Also, I don't have pictures for spicy mayonnaise, but spicy mayonnaise is made by adding Sriricha sauce to homemade mayonnaise. Wasabi mayonnaise is made the same way, buy by adding wasabi. Both are tasty additions to American rolls!
04/15/2013
Contributor: geliebt geliebt
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

I was so worried they would be awful I really like wood ear mushrooms (Chinese I think?) but I hate button mushrooms. I though I just wouldn't liek shiitake, but it turns out with a little mirin I'm a complete convert.

Don't ... more
Eek! OMG I never thought about the whole gills thing, haha! Eeeeew! XD Ok, ok, gotta think about yummy delicious things instead!
04/15/2013
Contributor: surreptitious surreptitious
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Dipping Sauce

1 cup mirin
2 cups soy sauce
4 oz bonito fish flakes

The dipping sauce you get at a sushi restaurant---I always thought it was soy sauce? It is actually not soy sauce. It is made by simmering the mirin, adding ... more
I generally make this with low-sodium soy sauce (well, I make everything with low-sodium alternatives if possible) and I've never had any problems with it. I find that that way, I can be a bit more liberal with it when I'm dipping my sushi. =)
04/15/2013