I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Millennial Central for Kirin. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
One of our favorite things to do for date night is to go out for sushi, there’s a place near our house that has fantastic maki rolls, sashimi and nigiri. You don’t really overeat and everything is so fresh. Last time we were out for sushi we talked about having never made it at home. I don’t know if we felt intimidated by it or just felt like we couldn’t get the ingredients.
Well that all changed last night! Kirin sent a whole kit for us to try making sushi to pair with their beer. It was like being out on date night but instead of a hefty bill and sometimes slow service we got to hang out in our comfy clothes, spend time in the kitchen together and enjoy freshly made sushi with an ice cold Kirin. I call that a pretty fantastic Sunday evening.
A few interesting facts about Kirin beer:
- A kirin is a mythic beast from ancient Asian mythology, it is considered to bring serenity and prosperity wherever it goes.
- In Japan they always dring Kirin from a glass, never from the bottle.
- To say cheers you say “Kanpai”
Kirin is a beer I often have with sushi and now I know why, beer doesn’t overpower delicate flavors and it cleanses the palate after each bite. Beer and sushi the perfect partners!
The Kirin sushi recipe:
SUSHI SUPPLIES
Bamboo mat
Rice paddle
Paper fan
Sharp knife
Clean, wet towel
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
10–12 sheets toasted nori (seaweed)
1/ ½ cups sushi rice = 3 cups cooked sushi rice
SUSHI-SU (SUSHI VINEGAR)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
OPTIONAL FILLERS
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
Fresh basil, stems removed
1 Cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
Carrots, thinly sliced
Japanese kaiware sprouts
Japanese umeboshi plums, seeds
Daikon Pickles
OPTIONAL PROTEINS
Imitation crabmeat pieces or sticks
Smoked salmon, thinly sliced
Smoked Tofu, thinly sliced
OPTIONAL SEASONINGS
Furikake (Japanese Mrs. Dash)
Toasted sesame seeds
Togarashi
Sriracha hot sauce
Reduced-sodium soy sauce, for dipping
Ponzu sauce, for dipping
DIRECTIONS
1) Make your sushi rice. Prepare and cook the sushi rice as directed on the package. Roughly 2 parts grain, 1 part water ratio. Cool the rice slightly while preparing your
sushi-su (sushi vinegar).
2) In a medium mixing bowl, add the sushi-su (sushi vinegar ingredients) – 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Whisk well to dissolve all the sugar and salt.
3) Transfer your slightly-cooled sushi rice into a large bowl. Using a rice paddle and a small paper fan, fan the sushi rice as you slowly drizzle the sushi vinegar over the rice. Cut the sushi rice with the rice paddle, as you fan the rice to cool at the same
time. Be sure not to mix the rice. Simply cut through the rice until all of the sushi-su is absorbed.
TO ROLL THE SUSHI
1) Roll your sushi while the rice is still warm. Prep a clean work surface, like a clean cutting board or a clean countertop.
2) Lay down your bamboo mat on your work surface. Place the nori, on top of the bamboo mat, shiny side down.
3) Using your rice paddle, spread a layer of approximately ½ cup sushi rice in the middle of the nori sheet. At the bottom of the sushi roll, closest to you, add your choice of fillers, proteins, and seasonings in a horizontal line. Tightly roll from the bottom up into a long maki roll. Gently squeeze the bamboo mat to tighten your roll.
4) To cut, remove your bamboo mat, and cut your roll in half. (Wipe off your knife with your towel in between slicing.) Next, line up your two halves and cut into fourths and sixths. Repeat until all the sushi rice is used. Serve immediately.
5) Dip in your choice of sauces or just enjoy as is!
We used crab meat, cucumbers, shredded carrots and a little bit of sesame seeds for us. I was really proud of how well it turned out since this was the first time we ever made it! And I love the wood plate, chopsticks and soy sauce dishes that they sent. Too cute.
Now that I know how easy it is we will be making sushi at home again!
