Chicago is a good place to find quality sushi bars and restaurants. I really enjoy going out for a fantastic sushi meal, but only on occasion since it can be quite pricey. Last week, I got really psyched to roll my own sushi, and went out on a quest to find all of the right ingredients. If you have the backbone of what you need to roll your own (sushi mat/roller, sushi rice, rice wine vinegar, wasabi powder, nori sheets, pickled ginger), then making it yourself is fairly inexpensive and a lot of fun. I started my quest of finding ingredients in Uptown, at the intersection of Argyle and Broadway. This is known as Little Vietnam (I know, a far cry from the sushi homeland of Japan, but I swear they have almost everything you need to make sushi). I went to two stores, Hoa My Market on Argyle Street and Tai Nam on Broadway (they’re less than a five minute walk from one another). Both stores carry five to twenty pound bags of sushi rice (I think I paid less than $3 for a five pound bag), a ten pack of nori sheets for less than $2, large bottles of rice wine vinegar for less than $3 and wasabi powder for around $3.50.

The pickled ginger, however, I could only find at Hoa My Market, where they had both the pink pickled ginger and the yellow pickled ginger. The difference between the two is that the pink ginger is slightly younger than the yellow. Some brands use beet juice to dye the ginger, if it is too mature during the pickling process. Hoa My doesn’t carry sushi mats, but Tai Nam had them for super cheap (I had to ask for assistance to find these, as they were hidden somewhere near the back of the store). Between both stores, I spent around $20 for the basic sushi ingredients that I needed. As for the fish, I chose to go to the trusty Whole Foods Market in Lakeview. I’m a little unsure of purchasing fish at either of the markets previously mentioned, especially if I’m eating it raw (I’m pretty sure they don’t carry sushi grade fish at Hoa My or Tai Nam). Here’s the thing with Whole Foods and sushi grade fish - they don’t normally carry sushi grade, but they do take orders and can bring in whatever type you’re looking for, within reason.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware of this until the guy behind the counter told me. By this point though, I was on a mission and wasn’t going to wait a day or two for a fish order. The next step was to sweet talk the employee at the sushi counter in the prepared foods section of the store. At the counter they had pre-packaged sashimi (thin slices of raw fish, not prepared into a sushi roll) priced a little under $10. Instead of buying that, I kindly asked the lady behind the counter if she had any fish that wasn’t sliced into sashimi and that she’d be willing to weigh out for me and sell. This lady was my hero for the day, because she sold me a lovely quarter-pound piece of tuna for a couple dollars less than the sashimi package. Next time I go to buy fish, I probably won’t do this again (I don’t want the people at Whole Foods to catch on), but instead I’ll just order it ahead of time. There are also other local options such as Hooked on Fish and Wixter Market. As for the vegetables, I picked up a small cucumber, daikon radish and an avocado while I was at Whole Foods.

I would’ve liked to buy some asparagus, but it’s not the right season for that.jiro dreams of sushi camera used After several hours of shopping, I was finally home with all of the ingredients I needed to roll sushi (including a couple bottles of sake, because you shouldn’t eat sushi without it). sushi grade tuna arizonaI made a spicy tuna roll (diced tuna fish mixed with a little sesame oil, Sriracha hot sauce, and sliced green onion), a tuna inside out roll (which I topped with a mixture of Sriracha and mayonnaise to add a little heat), and a couple of veggie rolls.genki sushi menu hong kong Rolling sushi at home is a really fun activity and great practice if you want to look like a pro while entertaining in your home. youda sushi chef ds

Now that my kitchen is fully stocked with the backbone ingredients, it will be an affordable option to make more often.sushi grade fish dubai I would go through the process of making sushi, from the rice to the rolling, but The Chopping Block's Owner/Chef Shelley Young covers that in her How to Make Sushi at Home post. comprar comida liofilizada onlinePlus, we offer sushi classes several times a month at both of our locations. jiro dreams of sushi bittorrentA Sushi Workshop is the ultimate hands-on lesson in how to make sushi at home.Chicago's 15 Coolest Poke Bowls, Mapped There could be a new culinary king in town and it goes by the name poke. The Hawaiian staple made by combining sushi-grade raw fish—traditionally ahi tuna—with assorted sauces and toppings is having a moment in Chicago.

From restaurants to stand-along poke shops, here are 15 places to find the freshest bowls in town. 1 Aloha Poke Co. The poke spot that kicked off Chicago's poke craze is still going strong almost four months in. Expect to wait up to an hour for bowls, such as the signature Aloha bowl with pineapple, cucumber, scallion, jalapeno, Maui onions, and sesame vinaigrette with a choice of tuna or salmon. A new brunch menu means new ways to show of this West Town seafood spot’s impressive raw fish. The brunch bowl stars seasonal fish with wakame, sesame, avocado, and rice. Dinner switches things up a bit with the sam fish dressed in wakame, shallot, and white sesame. The eclectic new spot from the Tanta team blends of global flavors on both the food and drink side of the menu. Representing Hawaii is soy sauce marinated ahi tuna poké with ginger and sesame oil, topped with an egg yolk. 4 BIG & little's Part poke bowl, part taco, all delicious. The poke tacos are a sleeper on this menu that mostly features more traditional taco offerings alongside burgers and po' boys.

The original River North, Lakeview, and Wicker Park locations offer three poke tacos filled with ahi tuna, salmon, or steamed blue crab. 5 FireFin Poké Shop Chicago's first freestanding poke shop offers ten different "FireFin Creations," from Classic Hawaiian (ahi tuna, ono sauce, sweet onions, and cucumber over purple rice) to chicken poke, in addition to a build-you-own option. 6 GT Fish and Oyster Big Eye tuna straight from Hawaii is the star of chef Giuseppe Tentori’s signature poke. It is marinated in a soy and ginger vinaigrette and served with cucumber, mango, and black sesame seeds. 7 Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House When looking for quality seafood, look no further than this longstanding Gibson's Group spot. Its house poke is made with yellowfin tuna that is caught daily in the Gulf of Mexico. The tuna poke also tosses in some wild Sea of Cortez shrimp, mango, avocado, and macadamia nuts served. Poke in an ice cream cone, you say? Yes, it’s a thing thanks to chef Matt Wilde, who is serving fresh tuna in a crispy waffle cone with kaiware sprout, cucumber and avocado.

The restaurant also offers more traditional tuna and salmon bowls. Line-caught tuna is the not-so-secret ingredient in chef José Sosa’s tuna poke — a new dish on his summer menu. Shrimp, macadamia nuts and citrus vinaigrette complement this al fresco-friendly dish. Wicker Park’s new Hawaiian hotspot, of course, showcases an impressive poke selection. Three varieties are served, including an octopus with miso chili sauce as well as shrimp with mango sauce, and are also available in a trio. Poke, Poke, Poke is the name of the game as well as the dish that stars three ramekins filled with avocado mixed with tuna dressed in soy, hamachi with a yuzu vinaigrette, as well as salmon with cilantro-chili vinaigrette. Warm up for a feast of seared meat with the tuna poke from the raw bar. This version takes a traditional route with diced tuna tossed with avocado and sweet ginger dressing. This poke has just about everything when it comes to raw seafood selections. It combines an impressive assortment of salmon, escolar, tuna, and octopus with tobiko fish roe, wakame, avocado, shallots, takuan, bonito soy, and sesame chili oil, served with prawn crackers.