Sushi Serving Board

[Mark Patoka]

Here is a little scrapwood special I made for my son's birthday. He really loves sushi so for his birthday we got him everything needed to make sushi including a foolproof rice cooker, ingredients, chopsticks (sorry, didn't turn those) and of course a nice little board to serve everything on.

It's made from bird's eye maple and mahogany. Walnut was used for the splines and feet and it is finished with Behlen's Salad Bowl Finish. It measures 14" long x 7-1/2" wide x 2" high with legs.

Tonite was our first attempt at making sushi rolls so they didn't come out picture perfect but they sure did taste good! :) We'll definitely be perfecting our technique in the future.

[Mark Patoka]

Forgot to add a picture of the bottom with the feet.

[Frank Chaffee]

Simply elegant board, Mark!
The contrasting woods go together really well.
Darn, now I’m hungry again.
Frank

[Jim Becker]

Very nice!! And like Frank...I'm now VERY hungry!

[Helen Gee]

Wow Mark! That is an awesome present :) I love the contrasting colors. pretty soon, you will need to make a bigger serving block :D

[Vaughn McMillan]

Real nice board, Mark. Simple, yet classy. I like the brand on the bottom, too.

Unlike the others, looking at bait doesn't make me hungry, but it doesn't diminish your fine work. ;) :p

- Vaughn

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

That is very nice Mark, in fact, a LOT nicer than the boards they actually use to serve the sushi here in Japan.

The Sushi rolls DO need work though ;)

Do you have the bamboo rolling thing? like a bunch of sticks all tied together so you can get the nice roll shape?

Are you using the right rice? It has to be the short grain Japanese style, and don't over cook it, you have to add a bit of sugar and vinegar to the rice, and then using a fan (hand held if you are a Neander, a small electric one if you are lazy like me) to dry the rice a bit.

Once you get the hang of it, you will be making sushi that will compliment the board!

YUM!!

Cheers!

[Mark Patoka]

Thanks for the compliments.

Stu - yes, we do have the bamboo rolling thingy, the special sushi rice and vinegar. I think the problem was not rolling them tight enough. We also found out a very very sharp knife is critical as that seemed to tear them apart while cutting (our knives do need a little work on them). We're also planning on getting together with friends that are more experienced in the art of sushi making and picking up some tips.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Not only does you knife have to be sharp, but a onesided bevel is even better, the flat side goes to the longer part of the roll, the bevel goes to the part being cut off.

Ya, SHARP is right :D

You know that you have to rinse the rice before you cook it, right? You have to rinse is with cool water several times, until the water coming off the rice is not so milky in color (you will never get it clear and in fact do not want to)

With the vineger/sugar/salt combo sprinkled on, in a large wide wooden bowl using a large wooden spoon fold the rice and mixture together, don't make mashed rice, go quickly but carefully. While you are folding it all together, have someone fan the mix, this will cool it and remove a lot of the moisture. When the rice gets shinny, you are ready, use it right away!

If the rice is too wet and or hot, your Nori (the sheets of seaweed) go all soft and droopy, then you are done for!!

I also very much like the non-rolled rice, the Hand made stuff.

How is the raw fish going down :D I used to hate it, now I love it, well most of it :rolleyes:

Enjoy!

[Kyle Kraft]

Take the leftover rice and make rice balls with a Nori wrap and dried fish (the stuff that looks like sawdust) on top! Yummmmmy!

P.S. I used to work for a Japanese Tier 2 automotive supplier, so I got hooked on Sushi.

[Mark Pruitt]

Nicely done! I love the contrast!

[John Timberlake]

Love the sushi board. Always looking for things to do with "scrap" wood. My wife loves sushi, but I only eat it in Japan when it is served. I prefer the Kobe beef. Keep up the good work. And how did you put the mark on the bottom? Do you have a brand?

[Jason Tuinstra]

Mark, that's a great looking board. Your son looks more than happy as well! Good job. Is the "MP" a brand? It adds a real nice touch.

[Mark Patoka]

Yes, the MAP initials is a custom branding iron from Rockler my family gave me a few years ago for Christmas.

[Tim Wirtz]

Mark,
That's a really beautiful sushi board and, like Stu said, a lot nicer than the ones they use in Japan. Those are made out of Cypress, I think. I really like the accent the walnut has with the maple. Come to think of it, I have some small pieces of curly maple and walnut at home. hmmm.... I think I'll have to make some of these, myself.

[Micheal Cobb]

That's a beautiful board:)

I was wondering if the spline will be enough to hold the cross grained woods together?

[John Buzzurro]

Beautiful board, Mark. I like your choice of woods.

[Pete Harbin]

Nicely done Mark! My attempts at sushi are not any better than your son's first go at it.

Stu, thanks for the tips. I haven't tried it some time now, but I may just have to find that rolling mat again.

Pete