Special: Have a sushi dinner party! Part One.

If you love potluck-y dinner parties as much as I do, and you love sushi and Japanese food...then this post is just for you!
Having the right ingredients and equipment on hand can feel like a little investment; but hopefully within a year of making your own sushi instead of dining out, your little investment will pay for itself.
There's a couple of Japanese grocers in Victoria: Fujiya at 3624 Shelbourne Street, and Sakura at 1213 Quadra Street. Also, Chinatown tends to have some Japanese groceries as well.
What you'll need:

• pickled ginger
• wasabi powder or wasabi paste
• bamboo rolling mat
• little dishes for dipping
• wheat-free tamari (San-J is my favorite brand, I prefer the reduced-sodium)
• Nori [seaweed! You get what you pay for...the varieties are usually graded A, B, C, or Gold and Silver. My suggestion, pay the extra! Your final product WILL taste better.
• sushi rice ( you can get white, or brown sushi rice. If you can't find specifically "brown sushi rice", go with a short grain brown rice and I'll give you special cooking instructions)
• rice vinegar (plain, unseasoned--check for additives...you don't need those.
• toasted sesame seeds, I like to use a mix of black and white sesame.
• a wood or bamboo rice paddle.

Once you have all these ingredients on hand, having a sushi party will be a lot easier! The next entry will include rice cooking techniques, ingredients for the actual sushi party, and my favorite homemade sushi rolls!