Today was a hectic day figuring out the symmetrical aesthetics of my client's not so perfect wall and how the chosen custom silken drape be made from the manufacturer's point of view. It must have taken hours before the custom rep from the workroom and I came to a solution, after which I told myself I needed a break.
I needed to go somewhere where I could lay my eyes to feast on, so off to the Japanese grocery store in San Mateo I went. I had planned weeks ago to have a Sushi Night Dinner for my family and I have also written down the ingredients for the recipes which I wanted to make.
The drive to San Mateo took me about 25 minutes along El Camino Real (the old highway), the route I prefer to take rather than taking the freeways. I just want to take it easy driving leisurely. Parking was easy as I was able to find parking right in front of the store. But, there was a parking meter with a sign that says 25 minutes of parking only. Oh well, maybe it won't take me that long. I put a quarter in the meter and started my way into the store.
What a gastronomical feast it was! On the left-hand side of the store were ready-to-go bento boxes, sushi plates, sashimis, and other Japanese sweets, seaweeds, and cakes, displayed in clear plastic food wraps, newly made and so fresh. It took a lot of courage to walk away from that aisle, but I told myself if I wanted to get this dinner on time, I should focus on the things I needed.
Aisle after aisle, as I gazed with joy, admiration, and delight, I managed to find my Japanese ingredients by looking and browsing around. Silken Tofu was easy, it had english writing on it. I needed miso and dashi but I found dashi miso. In my cart, it went. I thought I could make can make use of that if I could not find powdered dashi or just plain miso for my Miso Soup. With the help of a very nice accommodating American-Japanese saleslady, I was able to get all the things I needed for my Temaki Sushi Night dinner for my family.
For dinner, we had Miso Soup, Iceberg Salad with red tomatoes, chopped green onions, roasted sesame seeds, with seasoned rice vinegar dressing. We had sushi rice which I cooked in the rice cooker and mixed the rice vinegar with sugar and dashi at the same time fanning the rice. We had Hamachi, Tuna, and Uni which were made into sashimi and sushi. We also had seaweed and pickled ginger. Our light soy sauce with the wasabe was "fantasgormic"(I coined the word). Check out the photo at my other site: http://www.cookingenthusiast.blogspot.com/.
My son made some Temaki Sushi himself and I also helped make some. It was a sticky experience but we had a bowl of water and rice wine vinegar ready on hand to dip our hands in. As usual, there is nothing like sharing a home-cooked meal with the family and enjoying the fun of making it. Arigato!