Posts Tagged ‘sushi’

Over a year ago I experimented with laser-cutting nori, the dried seaweed paper used commonly in making rolled sushi.  Because nori is flat, thin and dry, it cuts extremely well with a laser and I was able to get extraordinarily high-resolution cutouts.  Because I didn’t always have access to the laser, I wanted to find a way to keep producing cut nori at home – and I found one.  The QuicKutz Silhouette SD Digital Craft Cutting Tool ($199) is a computer-controlled craft cutter designed for cutting paper and light cardstock.  It works by moving the material backwards and forwards while moving a very sharp blade side to side (and up and down).  Although the nori was too brittle to handle intricate cutting on the Silhouette, I was still able to successfully cut a few dozen different patterns.  If you want to experiment with this technique at home, a craft cutter is the way to go.

The picture at the top is (what I’m calling) Butterfly Shrimp.  It’s wholly impractical, a little ridiculous, and really funny.  I’ve also created an edible butterfly using wasabi as the body, with two wings skewered in. 

The next images are of the most intricate pattern I attempted to laser-cut.  It’s an amalgamation of traditional Japanese stencil designs.  I think of this nori sheet as a kind of edible doily… a garnish that is ornate to the highest degree.  It casts cool shadows, too.

The same sheet, folded on itself.  Wouldn’t that make beautiful sushi? (click for many more photos…)

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I had high hopes for Genki Sushi, the new conveyor belt sushi joint that opened above QFC in lower Queen Anne.  Unfortunately, the conveyor never brought me what I was looking for: really good sushi.  The staff was very friendly and attentive, though I blushed with sympathy as I was greeted with a clearly rehearsed-in-front-of-the-mirror Japanese greeting forced out of the poor ex-barista (I’m guessing) who seated us.  Like the outside of the Lumen building, there was an unfinished je ne sais quoi about Genki that made it feel more like an airport terminal and less like a sushi bar.  But I wasn’t there for the architecture; I was there to snipe sushi off of a moving belt and stack my plates into a tower of phallic proportions. 

Alas, as the lidded plates rode by, I realized I would have no such fishy conquest that night.  There’s a saying that you eat with your eyes first.  That, I would argue, is never more true than with sushi: it is an inescapably artistic cuisine, normally planned and executed with a meticulous eye towards form, balance and beauty.  But the cross sections of room-temperature maki that passed before me had no such vitality.  The muted colors and careless arrangement of each plate foreshadowed the mostly mediocre food that followed. 

To be fair, I will say that the salmon and cream cheese roll (I know, real sushi snobs will tell you this is not sushi) was OK.  But the rest was far below par, particularly  in a city like Seattle with its blossoming, progressive Japanese cuisine. 

I do wish the best for Genki Sushi, but for now, I’ll have to do my raw fish sniping elsewhere.

Maria said me about mind map program

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My expectations were set high for Moshi Moshi (yet another) sushi bar on Ballard Avenue’s busy block of boutiques and bars.  Needless to say, Moshi Moshi delivered on its promise of traditional Japanese cuisine mixed in with Pacific Northwest-inspired creations.  If you’re planning on visiting, don’t bother looking for a sign outside – it doesn’t exist, at least not yet.  Instead, look for the diffuse, cool glow of the restaurant’s imposing metal and LED cherry blossom tree, a central feature of the restaurant’s design.  At its base, a wrap-around bar (sushi on one side, drinks on the other) welcomes walk-ins.  The constant dance of sushi chefs and bartenders moving between their ingredients and eager customers stirs up a constant swirl energy that permeates the atmosphere.  This place is definitely buzzing.

With good reason, too.  Although sushi is their staple, the formidable page of starters and small bites simply cannot be overlooked.  My personal favorite was a grilled oyster with spicy miso cream ($2/each, pictured top left).  Also impressive was their selection of shioyaki: salt grilled fish and meat.  I tried the waygu beef loin with soy salt ($14.50, pictured middle left), which was just the type of pungent flavorful dish I had been hoping to find.

Moshi Moshi’s fish selection is extremely fresh, and as diverse as its menu.  I could only identify about 60% of the fish in my Omakase (chef’s discretion, prices vary, pictured top right), and I consider myself to be a bit of a sushi snob.  

An unfortunate disappointment was a lack of creativity in Moshi Moshi’s “new style” maki sushi rolls.  I’m a fan of the type of inventive interpretation you’ll see at places like Mashiko and Umi Sake House, and I had high hopes for clever suprises at Moshi Moshi.  With the exception of a self-titled roll, the rest were predictable and even a bit pedestrian, especially when compared to the diversity found elsewhere on the menu. 

All told, I believe Moshi Moshi has a bright future in Ballard.  I look forward to eating my way through the rest of their menu, and perhaps claiming a new happy hour hangout.  $4 maki and $1 edamame?  Count me in!

You might be asking yourself, “Self, what is farmhouse nigiri?”.  That’s great, I appreciate your  inquisitive nature.  This dish combines all of the best qualities of savory, country cooking (roasted lamb, risotto, chevre and red beets) with the presentation quality and finger-foodiness of sushi.  It may sound strange, but one bite and anyone will be convinced: this is excellent. 

Makes:  2 people eat lamb with chopsticks
Total kitchen time: 45 mins

Shopping list:

• 1/2-lb butterflied leg of lamb, trimmed
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
• 12 slices of proscuitto (yes, as you can see, this recipe also works with bacon.  Yum!)
• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 1 pat butter
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 red beet, steamed and julienned
• 2 tbsp sharp goat cheese
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• aged balsamic vinegar (for dipping)
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 450F.  Heat a very heavy skillet (large enough for the lamb) with a lid over high heat.
2. In a small pot, melt the butter into 1 tbsp of olive oil over high heat.  Add the rice and stir until you can smell a nutty aroma, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the white wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and add half of the chicken broth.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth has been absorbed.  Then, add the rest and repeat.
4. Meanwhile, salt and pepper the lamb and rub with garlic and olive oil to coat.  Sear the meat on all sides in the skillet.  Reduce heat to medium and cover.  Cook, turning once, until the lamb registers 130F, about 10 minutes.  Let the lamb rest 5 minutes, then slice into thin, bite-sized pieces.
5. Add a spoon full or two of pan drippings from the lamb into the risotto.  Take a taste, if you like. 
6. Lay out a slice of proscuitto.  Spread a thin, even layer of risotto on the proscuitto, not quite to the edge.  Next, sprinkle on a little bit of goat cheese and a few stick of steamed beet.  Then, add a few pieces of lamb and roll the whole thing up.  Be careful not to overstuff your rolls or they won’t hold together.
7. Place the rolls, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet and bake until the proscuitto is slightly crispy (about 5 minutes, depending on your oven).

Serve with balsamic vinegar dipping sauce and a spoonful of risotto on the side.  These will also make great hors d’oeuvres, even without the lamb!  For kicks, insist on eating them with chopsticks.