Nori

[Mezzo]

I'd love to try making sushi for my peanut-allergic kid (California rolls).  Do any of you buy nori and know of a company that either labels well or that makes nothing else, perhaps?  I've bought pre-made sushi for myself at Trader Joes and thought maybe they'd have the components, too, but I haven't been back to see. 

I'm in the middle of the North American continent, so I may have fewer sources. 

[GoingNuts]

Try calling Eden.  I seem to remember calling several years ago and if my memory is correct, it was OK for PN & TN, but I passed on it due to sesame.

I'm definitely fuzzy on the details, so don't take my word for it!

[CMdeux]

The brand that we've used is a Japanese brand that only makes Nori and has been in business for about 300 years.  I am not concerned about sesame, but DD has eaten it safely and is PN/TN allergic. 

I'd stay far away from Sun Luck as a brand.

[twinturbo]

Yama Moto Yama (brand name). Keep in mind that most nori, even Japanese brands, will be sourced from China but processed in Japan or USA, therefore being a product of Japan or USA. I've used it for peanut allergic child. If you're going to use mirin (salt and sugar seasoned rice vinegar you add to hot sushi rice) my preferred brand is Marukan if liquid, Tamanoi Sushi no Ko if powdered. Both PA kiddo has eaten. I've also used Mizkan brand mirin and I would use Kikkoman mirin as well.

For soy sauce I always use Kikkoman or Yamasa, usually Kikkoman. I find Yamasa to be a little crazy on the sodium. DS1 has never had wasabi but I use S&B brand and would trust it for PA/TNA. It has milk as an ingredient for anyone MA head's up.

[CMdeux]

That's the same brand that we've used... Yama Moto Yama.

Marukan here on the mirin, too, and for soy sauce (and Teriyaki) exclusively Kikkoman.

[twinturbo]

Mezzo, I was trying to remember the brqnd of surimi (the imitation crab portion of the California roll) I used with DS1. It was probably Trans Ocean, but that most likely had sesame oil in it. The last brand I was buying was Louis Kemp Crab Delights. Simpler ingredient list and very helpful customer service.

If you need an ingredient swap for say the surimi (fake crab) or the nori I can help you on alternatives. There's plenty of ways to make sushi besides norimaki (nori rolled). There's nigiri, chirashizushi or using a sort of egg crepe called usuyaki tamago to make a 'maki' (wrapped roll) sushi. Usuyaki tamago is a really great and versatile addition to cooking when eggs are tolerated AND you like the taste. Some people don't dig the sweet scrambled egg taste.

When it comes time to cut your maki (the wrapped roll sushi) keep a wet paper towel or wet clean kitchen towel on hand. After each cut wipe both sides of your blade on the wet towel. It will produce cleaner cuts. As you are wrapping your roll keep the insides tight by rolling and pressing in increments. Wait for the roll to sit for a minute or two before cutting. To keep your hands freer of the rice as you work with it keep a small bowl of either mirin (seasoned rice vinegar) diluted with water or slightly salted water. Dip your hands as often as you need to to help the rice not stick so you don't get 'mittens'. The integrity of the flavor and consistency of the rice will be preserved that way.

Ganbatte! (Good luck!)

[Mezzo]

I found Yama Moto Yama at Wal-Mart!  Marukan vinegar, too.  I'm excited.

[Jessica]

Is the Yama Moto Yama safe for TNA too?

[twinturbo]

  Right on. Mirin is yummy stuff. I lived on that over rice with nori for the first week after my big reaction.

Looking in to the rice noodles will report more after some more sleuthing but wanted to FYI on some YMY nori *products*. I would consider YMY, almost any nori really, relatively super safe--BUT

nori wrapped rice crackers, not at all. For nut or shellfish allergies I would stay away from any brand of rice cracker even though whole sheets of packages nori should be fine. The #1 place to find peanuts in Japanese food is snacks, bagged in rice cracker mixes or pressed into larger rice crackers. So even if you see YMY brand nori-wrapped rice crackers my alarms go off for serious cross-contamination risk.

Jessica, I would put the YMY nori sheets in sealed package as very low risk for TNA. I don't remember who has to look out for sesame but sesame would be a concern. Probably lesser for straight up nori but there's smaller sheets of snacking nori (you eat like potato chips) those can often be seasoned with sesame. How shared that equipment might be I honestly don't know.

I'm always jazzed when we add something back to our menu. I made some malay style chicken curry last week. Very top 8 friendly.

[CMdeux]

Is the Yama Moto Yama safe for TNA too?

I've not contacted them, but we've used it in our household, so at the very least I feel fairly confident in saying that it's likely fine for pn, and for walnut, pistachio and cashew, and probably for almonds.
(Those are tn that we KNOW elicit reactions at levels common in XC in DH and DD.)


HTH.

[Jessica]

nori wrapped rice crackers, not at all. For nut or shellfish allergies I would stay away from any brand of rice cracker even though whole sheets of packages nori should be fine. The #1 place to find peanuts in Japanese food is snacks, bagged in rice cracker mixes or pressed into larger rice crackers. So even if you see YMY brand nori-wrapped rice crackers my alarms go off for serious cross-contamination risk.

Agree with that. One thing that drives me crazy is when a relative says Japanese food 'doesn't use much peanut' when I know from my childhood that there are plenty of crackers with peanuts either in the cracker or as part of a cracker mix (actually one of our favorite snacks when we were kids-the hot moon-shaped crackers that were mixed in with peanuts). I try to explain that 'not much' doesn't mean 'none' but it didn't really sink in.

[Mezzo]

I made the sushi and was surprised how easy it was!  How often do you make something rolled that's fancy and not have it be entirely frustrating?  Never before for me. 

But I have to say that none of us liked it!    It was partly the taste of the sushi rice and partly the overall fishiness, between the nori and the crab sticks/shrimp.  Although we're big seafood fans, I didn't use good quality shrimp, and imitation crab sticks aren't crab (Kate & I love them on their own, though).  A good sauce might make a difference (we hated the honey-ginger sauce I made, wasabi is overwhelming, and soy sauce was only fine).  Or we might not be sushi fans.  The rice is in all sushi, right, even though everything else can be varied?

[CMdeux]

Yes, the sushi rice is a staple part of all types of sushi.

Our favorite variety is Kappa Maki; basically just cucumber Nori rolls, and you can make a simple dipping sauce for them with ginger, green onions, and soy sauce.

The nori is a bit of an acquired taste.  I think it tastes "green."  Like kale.  Or the way grass smells.

[twinturbo]

Oh yeah. It never occurred to me that it might taste fishy. You know, at home there's really no rules for sushi you could throw some teriyaki chicken in the middle... whatever floats your boat. As for the rice you could replace the vinegar with salt. There's something called onigiri which is kind of like making sushi but no vinegar just "hot salty palms". I lol'd at that description. You mold the rice with salt on your wet hands and either wrap it in nori alone or nori plus mix ins (like ice cream) or mix ins only.

http://justbento.com/handbook/bento-basics/onigiri-on-parade-guide-onigiri-omusubi-rice-ball-shapes-types-and-fun

It is truly awesome for two reasons: 1. portability 2. magical hangover cure

Sounds like you had a fun and adventurous dinner night.

[CMdeux]

ROFL.... I'd never heard of #2....