Sushi Class, Surry Hills
F’s sister called me up out of the blue last year and asked, “If I buy F a gift voucher for a sushi making class as a Christmas present, would you go with him?” Unhesitatingly, I said yes. I adore sushi and I thought understanding the work that goes into making it would make me appreciate it more when I’m inevitably nom’ing it down.
Also, having a bit of a competitive streak, I wanted to see who could make better-looking sushi (despite knowing fairly well who’s the more adept cook).
It took a while to get into gear to book in the class, as there was always something cropping up, but every time I tried, the class was always booked out! Finally, I managed to secure a date… way out in August.
Waiting for class to begin
We arrived a little early to Emon, a Japanese restaurant located on the busy Cleveland St in Surry Hills that’s only opened for dinner. Which makes sense, as it wouldn’t do if they had to close during the day to accommodate for the class.
We had to wait a little bit longer to start the class, as three people were late to arrive. Ten minutes later, there were still no sign of them so Hati (I hope that’s how her name’s spelt!), our hostess for the day, decided to start the class.
Hiro demonstrating how to fillet fish
We were taught where sushi originated from, how to distinguish fresh fish, how to fillet a fish and the proper way of making rice for sushi. Hiro, a sushi chef of 20 years, made it look so easy, but as one of my classmates said, “It won’t be easy when we try to do that!”
The fish he filleted were snapper and salmon. The snapper was wrapped up in a thick sheet of konbu, while he sliced the salmon a couple ways to accommodate for our sushi roll and hand rolls (didn’t realise they require different cuts, but it makes sense).
I also didn’t realise that not all salmon could be eaten sashimi-style! The fresh-water salmon that are native to Japan contain toxins and so could not be eaten raw. However, in the advent salmon being farmed in Tasmania, the Japanese have been importing the fish to their plates since.
Some ingredients for our sushi
Hiro whipped up some teriyaki chicken and a creamy mayonnaise-tuna-onion concoction for our hand rolls.
We got to use the knife we brought from home to slice some avocado (sideways!) and cucumber. Slicing avocado is messy business!! I was glad for the damp chux that Hati gave us each, though I did make a lot of use of my apron as well.
Hiro taught us out to make two types of sushi rolls – a normal sushi roll with cucumber and an inside-out California sushi roll.
My cucumber sushi roll was literally a roll, while F was a bit more of a rounded square. The same occurred with my California roll! I heard Hiro say not to squeeze too hard or the insides would come out, but F heard differently – the opposite in fact! So he squeezed the bamboo mat hard before unrolling it.
Hiro, hearing my lament as he passed by, took over and fixed up my sushi roll. Hehe…
F was a bit exuberant with the amount of rice he used to make his salmon nigri, while I was quite pleased with my quite rectangular-shaped ones.
But you can see for yourself who did the better job overall:
F-made Sushi
I don’t know how he managed to slice his rolls so evenly!!
squishies-made Sushi
As you can see, my cucumber roll were more like steps. Sad panda.
Hiro demonstrating how to make hand-rolled sushi
Once all the ingredients were divvied out and our sushi rolls made, Hati ushered us to the long communal table out at front of the restaurant.
We were given a final lesson from Hiro: how to make hand rolls. It was super fun to make and I plotted in having a hand roll sushi party instead of a summer roll party that usually happens.
Miso Soup and Konbu-Wrapped Snapper Sashimi
While we ate, Hiro made us miso soup, using bonitos as the stock. Some of my classmates didn’t like it as much, including F, because of the strong fishy taste, but I adore bonito so I quite liked it.
Hati recounted the fondness most Japanese have for snapper though it would be only consumed on special occasions as it is quite expensive in Japan. However, I think the konbu-wrapped snapper sashimi (the konbu was left on the fish for an hour before being discarded) is an acquired taste, as it was quite fishy perhaps made stronger by the konbu.
Hiro and Hati
After 3 hours, I’ve learnt so much about sushi, had so much fun making them and was completely stuffed (Hati kindly issued out plastic containers for us to take them home)… all thanks to the patience and hard work of Hiro and Hati.
It was definitely an eye-opener on just how much I take for granted the sushi I chow down without a thought (besides how tasty it is) at a sushi train. A lot of hours of prep work goes into that delicious, bite-size morsel – more than I realised! It definitely has made me more appreciative of sushi and everyone involved in making them.
Now I can’t wait to host a sushi party and show off my skillz!! (Snort)
The sushi class is held on every first and third Saturday of the month (though not on public holidays) at 10am and cost $110 per person. This three-hour class is more aimed at beginners and they offer more advanced classes in making sushi and cooking Japanese cuisines.
The gift voucher is valid for 6 months from the date of purchase and I’ve found that you can still book in for a class that’s scheduled for after the expiry date provided that you’ve booked it prior to the end of voucher’s validity.
The class was held at:
Emon
432 Cleveland Street,
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010
Ph: (02) 9698 0778
Web: http://www.emon.com.au/
For more information about the class:
Ph: 0431 432 359
Email: enquiry@sushischool.com.au
Web: http://www.sushischool.com.au/cookingclass/
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By squishies
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This article was written on 23 Aug 2010, and is filed under Food Chat, Japanese, Lunch, Sydney, East.
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I reckon the Sushi turned out pretty well!! Great Jobs guys~
Linnya´s last [type] ..Day at the Day Spa
Aww thanks Linnya =D
Squish, your rolls looked a bit lopsided Hehehe I wanna come to sushi making party too!
Hush you! Hahaha yeah, they’re not quite even are they?
Don’t worry, if we ever do one – you’re invited! Then I can tease you about your sushi rolls
hehhe
I love making sushi. You guys did a great job, I have no idea how to fillet fish so I cheat and buy the fish already in fillets. the class looked like lots of fun
Thanks! ^_^ It was indeed a lot of fun and I think if we have this sushi-making party, we’d use fillets too hehe
Good on you for trying, I have to admit, I’m an eater not a cooker, so always very envious of the other food bloggers who can cook so well.
Haha thanks! F and I are totally both eaters, though he’s also a cooker – hence the better looking sushi ^_^
I’d love to be able to cook well, but I’m quite attached to the non-stress an eater has
hahah
I used to love making sushi but with all the sushi joints and restaurants sprouting everywhere, I lost the interest. Thanks for this lovely post. I feel like making sushi again
Ellie (Almost Bourdain)´s last [type] ..Lime and Coconut Madeleines
I think it’s hard to make sushi when we can pop out and eat delicious sushi with minimal effort.
Honestly, I didn’t realise just how much work really goes into making it! But it’s a heck of a lot of fun when it’s one-off ^_^
What a great class and your shots are very lovely – not easy given you were so busy making sushi!! Well done.
Aww thanks =D Haha I won’t deny that I managed to get rice on my camera despite my best efforts. Good thing it’s easy to clean off!
Beautiful restaurant and beautiful food!