Homegrown Sushi

Sushi Staple Ingredients

While most associate sushi with raw fish -- and how wonderful some very fresh raw sushi can be -- sushi can be made with just about any ingredient that strikes your fancy. I have even tasted a cheeseburger sushi, though in all honesty I will be passing on that one if it should cross my path again!

Generally though, sushi [from dictionary.com] is cold boiled rice moistened with rice vinegar, usually shaped into bite-size pieces and topped with raw seafood (known as nigiri-zushi) or formed into a long nori(aka seaweed)-wrapped roll, often around strips of vegetable or raw fish, and sliced into bite-size pieces (known as maki-zushi).

The key items here are: rice, rice vinegar, and nori/seaweed wrap. Personally, I would add soy sauce and wasabi, because those wonderful condiments add much to the experience.

Just about everything else can be improvised. While raw fish is a wonderous thing, unless you can get sushi or sashimi grade fish (Catalina Offshore Products has an wonderful selection), I would probably stick to veggie and/or cooked fish/chicken/beef recipes.