New Year's Eve: A Sushi Tradition

Hello! We always like a light snack on New Year's Eve as we relax at home while waiting for the ball to drop at Times Square. For our snack in 2003 I bought a packaged tray of sushi from a local grocery store that had recently started making their own. 

It was tasty, but not exactly inexpensive given the amount I had to buy to satisfy the three of us. So I figured I could save money by making my own. I copied some pages entitled "Basic Sushi" out of a library  book (don't recall which book now)and bought a few things I didn't already have but would need for our sushi - namely sushi rice, nori sheets, wasabi paste and a bamboo rolling mat. 

All these items were found in the international foods aisle of our local Meijer store, but I imagine that those living in an area with a significant Japanese population would have access to more brands. Nevertheless, what was available to me seems to work fine.

I got to work making our sushi after lunch today and before long I had my platterful:

Perhaps not the picture of perfection, but still pretty good when you consider that I only make this once a year! Besides the sushi rice and the wasabi paste, these rolls are filled with combinations of cooked shrimp, cucumber and avocado. They will be served with additional wasabi paste and with soy sauce. (In the past I've used the wasabi paste that comes in a tube, but earlier this year I bought wasabi powder at the Spice House in Milwaukee. The powder is mixed with water and I liked the idea of being able to prepare it as needed).


Homemade sushi is something we look forward to every year, and of course I look forward to saving money by making it myself!