I’ve always learned things the hard way, whether by choice or bad luck, it’s the way it is. I suck at frying stuff, from tofu (scramble) to rock hard egg rolls to overcooked tempura, no bueno. I’ve mentioned my bastardized sushi and PW did a sushi tutorial a few years ago, and I was quite inspired to make it at home for the fear of further public shame of ordering something that completely doesn’t exist on the menu was unbearable, well really because I’m cheap and sushi gets ‘spensive, I ain’t got no shame.
To give you a refresher on the bastardized sushi, marvel at the photo above from my favorite sushi joint in Alexandria, Yamazato, oh how I miss you. SaVUryandsweet can’t palate raw fish, she’s tried, just can’t get over it, so she opts for shrimp tempura, krab (yes it’s krab, the imitation stuff, I CAN SPELL DARNNIT), and cream cheese. She also doesn’t like the taste of seaweed and swaps in soywrap. It’s delicious, don’t judge.
So this sushi adventure started with making sushi rice and shrimp tempura. I definitely overcooked the shrimp and my rice wasn’t the right taste or texture.
Hello soy wrap! I found them at Harris Teeter in the international aisle. When I asked the people who worked at Grand Mart (my local international grocery store) for soy wrap, I received many perplexed looks and shrugs. The seaweed and sushi mat were procured at Grand Mart.
Place plastic wrap on sushi mat, unless you enjoy eating shards of bamboo and like having most of your rice stick to the mat and not your roll, just sayin. Put down a layer of rice, then seaweed, then fillings, roll tightly and voila! Really, it wasn’t that easy, that rice was a PITA, sticking and not cooperating at all. For my soy wrap I put the wrap down before the rice, then proceeded like normal.
Beautious no? Get your sharpest knife and slice up that sucker. If your knife ain’t so sharp hope you like a hand roll, go get a decent knife… seriously.
It looks half decent but it was pretty sucky, just be glad there isn’t food-o-vision yet because this joint was not that great. Look I made nigiri ebi! That was sucky too. Thus concludes my sushi fail, but wait! I’m a glutton for punishment so guess what? I’m going to try it again someday. Fingers crossed for not so sucky sushi.
saVUryandsweet 
Oh boy, well, it wasn’t a complete loss — at least you learned from your efforts. I haven’t made sushi in many many years, but it was always a little frustrating. It’s a game of patience, but you can’t be too patient or the nori will get soggy and the rice will dry out. It’s a game of balance.
I might have to make my own to see if I can still do it.
I bought those soy wrappers the other week, but when I opened the package I didn’t care for the texture or flavor, so in the trash they went. I really didn’t know what I was going to use them for, to be honest. It just looked “cool.” haha
One day we need to take a field trip to my favorite Korean market — Super H Mart in Fairfax. I spend so much time in there, although now I don’t know what I’ll buy since I am restricted to 29 points. LOL