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Feeling a draw to raw

For many, the thought of sushi sounds, well, fishy.

But those who give it a chance are instantly hooked — and thank themselves later for opening their mind to a new experience.

Using a variety of methods, the Japanese art of sushi can be easy, fun and a taste sensation.

There's sort of a romantic allure to making sushi. Depending on your taste, sushi can be a cheap and healthy meal.

It's creative work, and the results are impressive enough to make your guests think they're at a top sushi bar in Ginza instead of your kitchen.

The following are tried, true and simple sushi-making techniques, and a few recipes to get you started.

What you need

Sushi kit: The basic sushi kit can be found at just about any market — particularly new Kroger stores and the Fairfield-based Jungle Jim's International Market. It should include wooden spoon or spatula and bamboo mat.

Medium-grained rice: To be safe, buy rice that says "sushi rice" on the front. It tends to be more expensive but trust us. If the rice doesn't stick you won't be making sushi.

Large bowl: No metal bowls. The rice vinegar reacts to metal and leaves a bad taste behind.

Nori: Nori is dried seaweed to hold the sushi together. Nori has little flavor, so don't let the seaweed part stop you.

Rice wine vinegar: Used to to dip fingers into when rice gets stuck.

Ingredients: Whatever you would like to put into the sushi, including fish and vegetables.

Small electrical fan: Not required, but suggested.

Making the rice

Depending on what kind you buy, directions may vary — but always follow them. Wash the rice first, until the water runs clear. Preparing the rice is the longest part of the process because it usually needs to cook for 20 minutes, sit covered for 10 minutes, then cool down to room temperature under a fan for 30-45 minutes. After you put it in the bowl (remember, not metal) mix in

1/3 cup of rice wine vinegar and toss with the wooden spoon, making sure you're not smashing the rice. Add enough vinegar — a little at a time — to coat thoroughly, just so the rice glistens.

Prepping the fish

You can buy raw sushi-grade fish frozen and use it later, but it's generally tastier to buy it fresh directly before you begin cooking. Thaw it if necessary and leave it in the fridge until you're ready to add. You can use any kind of sushi-grade fish or shrimp. It sounds strange, but canned tuna works on a tight budget.

Prepping the veggies

Veggies have to be cut to fit in the roll, so they need to be thinly sliced about 2 inches long, a julienne cut. Popular vegetables in rolls include cucumber, avocado, carrots, green onion, ginger root, and radish.

Roll it up

Grab your bamboo mat and set it on a counter top in front of you. Rolls with the rice on the outside look nice but can be tricky for your first sushi experience. You may want to stick with the rolls that have the nori on the outside.

Set a piece of nori on the bamboo — shiny side down. Put a small bowl of water and rice wine vinegar mixture — about 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water — in front of you for dipping your fingers in when the rice gets stuck. Spread rice onto the nori as thinly as you can, leaving about half an inch of nori on the end furthest from you.

This inch will fuse with the roll and hold it together. Now grab your ingredients (fish and two to three types of veggies, egg, etc.). Start about 1/4 of the way up the roll and make a one inch pile of ingredients in a horizontal line.

Now you're ready to roll. Pick up the side closest to you, with the bamboo mat, fold the roll over top of the ingredients and tuck the end of the nori. If you've ever rolled a cigarette, or watched someone who has, it's the same concept.

After it's tucked, lay your hands flat on the bamboo and roll it up, away from your body. Make an effort to put the same amount of pressure on all parts of the roll. Once the roll is made, you can put it back in the middle of the mat and tighten it.

Cut it up

Now you've got a sushi roll, but you want it in delectable pieces. Get a long serrated or otherwise very sharp knife, put the roll down on a cutting board with the part where the opening was closed facing down. Cut the sushi slowly in 1- to 2-inch pieces. Wipe the blade off — or dip the knife in the vinegar/water mixture — after cutting every two or three pieces, otherwise the rice may make the blade sticky consequently tearing the nori.

The extras

Without wasabi, you haven't really experienced sushi. When it's flavor hits your sinuses you'll get the feeling you get when eating something with horseradish or a spicy mustard — but way better. You feel cleansed, and ready for the next bite. We're making our best pouty face asking you to try it. Test a tiny bit of it first and gradually add until you find the perfect amount for you. You can buy it in the tube or add water to the powder form.

Don't forget the soy sauce! Most people like to dip sushi in soy. Unless you're not on a tight budget, don't buy the cheap kind.

You can pour sesame seeds on your sushi for texture and taste. Try black sesame seeds for a change. They're good for your bones; studies show one gram of seeds contains approximately 85 milligrams of calcium.

Shaves of sweet pickle ginger are traditionally served with sushi. If you eat one kind of sushi, then eat a piece of ginger it cleans your pallet and allows you to enjoy the full flavor of the next piece of a different roll.

When you make the rolls you may want to add a Japanese chile sauce, the "spicy" sauce you'll find on sushi menus. Just pour a line next to your pile of ingredients, or it can be added to the top of the piece after cutting.

Ideas for sushi rolls:

• California roll — Avocado, crab stick, cucumber, carrots, sesame seeds

• Spicy tuna — Tuna, avocado, carrot, Japanese chili sauce (spicy sauce)

• Veggie salmon — Salmon, cucumber, carrot

• Veggie roll — Avocado, cucumber, carrot, yellow pepper, ginger

• Nigiri (fish and rice) — Tuna and wasabi or salmon or wasabi

Help, I can't read the menu!

Hosomaki — Thin rolled sushi with very little rice. The Nori (Roasted seaweed) is rolled on the outside of the roll. Hosomaki, as well as the following four types, are often called Maki rolls for short.

Futomaki — Thick rolled sushi with many ingredients inside and each piece is very large.

Uramaki — Sometimes called inside-out roll. The rice is on the outside.

Temaki — Hand rolls that are meant to be eaten from the hand like an ice cream cone

Source: http://sushinow.com