Sushi is one of the most popular foods in America, and for good reason. It’s delicious! But sometimes sushi gets a bad rap because it can be difficult to make at home.
A lot of people don’t know how to assemble all the ingredients properly or they are afraid that their creations will fall apart when they try to cut them up. Making a sushi tower is one of those things that you either take the time to do right, or you don’t bother at all.
The end product can be as simple as a stack of rice and seafood, or it could be something much more elaborate. Using the following instructions, we will show how to make an impressive sushi tower recipe that will impress any guests who come over for dinner.
What is a Sushi Tower?
A sushi tower is a unique way of serving the popular Japanese dish. Instead of making rolls, or placing ingredients side-by-side, you take the time to stack the contents in a geometric shape that will be much more interesting to look at when you present it to your guests.
It’s also easy enough that you can do it at home without feeling intimidated! You don’t have to stick with classic sushi fare if you want to make an impressive sushi tower recipe.
You can put just about anything inside, so long as it doesn’t fall apart too easily and it fits on top of your stacking platform. Some good fillings might include:
- Tempura shrimp
- Cooked chicken cutlet
- Bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers
And the list goes on! Once you get started making sushi towers, you will find your own favorite combinations.
Sushi Tower Cooking Instructions
- The first thing you want to do is purchase some molds for your platform. You can buy these online or at most specialty kitchenware shops. We found ours at Sur La Table for around $15 per mold, but they have cheaper ones available if you look in the right place. Just be sure that it divides your cooking surface into 4 equal sections so that every tower has its own level to rest on!
- Get some wooden skewers and cut them down to size with a hacksaw or other suitable device. You are going to use them as makeshift chopsticks to keep everything in place, so the length should be just a little bit longer than your sushi tower is wide.
- Using a thin bamboo mat will prevent your ingredients from sticking to the surface of the mold as you assemble them. Place it over each section on top of the mold and then start on your first layer!
- The base layer consists of thin slices of sushi-grade tuna steak laid out in a square with some wasabi placed inside. In order to help it stay together, we have used a thin strip of nori seaweed as a guide for our cutting board. Without this, it can be very difficult to get your knife to cut all the way through without twisting and mashing everything into oblivion!
- Now that you have your tuna in place, it’s time to start building the tower! Sort of like a game of Jenga, you will be adding layer upon layer until your platform is no longer visible.
- Be sure to use plenty of wasabi between each layer so that everything stays together when you go to cut it up. Wasabi acts the same way as the seaweed does for us; it helps bind everything without making it too difficult to eat.
- You can experiment with different ingredients for each level if you want to make things look really cool when you’re finished, but this recipe includes only two layers because we used four-section molds instead of single-size ones that would require more skewers or sushi rice in order to keep everything sturdy.
- For the top layer, you can do whatever your heart desires! We chose to use thin slices of jalapeno pepper in order to add some spice before we devour it, but you can use anything that will look great when cut up and served in bite-size pieces!
Here is what our finished sushi tower recipe looks like when sliced into smaller sections. The wooden skewers are far too cumbersome to eat with, so they act as disposable chopsticks that simply hold everything together until it reaches the mouth .
It’s easy enough for even kids to make, which means you might want to start practicing now if you hope to give these delicious towers at your next birthday party!
All that’s left to do is enjoy! This tower went especially well with some spicy sriracha sauce and a nice glass of Japanese beer. It would also work great as a party appetizer or a unique lunch treat!
It’s so tasty that you’ll probably be making more than one batch per month, so keep your molds clean and ready for the next time you have a craving for sushi towers !
And there you have it: an impressive recipe that will make all your friends drool with envy at its deliciousness! Now maybe someone else will offer to pay for your dinner the next time you eat out. Bon appétit, everyone!
What Ingredients You Need to Make Sushi Tower Recipe
This article focuses on the easiest ways to make sushi towers. We decided to use tuna steak because it is easier to cut into long, thin pieces for this recipe than it would be using seafood like salmon or yellowtail. You could even experiment with beef if you are not comfortable trying raw fish yet!
1-2 servings of wasabi paste (the amount depends on how spicy you want it) 1/4 lb sushi grade tuna steak 1-2 serving portions of sushi rice 1-2 package(s) of Nori seaweed strips Wooden skewers or bamboo chopsticks Cooking oil Spray bottle filled with water
Optional Ingredients: Thinly sliced jalapeno peppers for spiciness Mayo sauce weed wrapped snacks , such as those which come from the toasted seaweed packages
Step by Step Tutorial on Making Sushi Towers
Step 1: This is not a recipe for people who are squeamish about preparing raw fish, but if you are brave enough to try it, go ahead and make your sushi rice according to the package directions.
Step 2: Next, slice up the tuna steak very thinly with a sharp knife or kitchen shears . We used scissors because they are easier when dealing with smaller pieces that require precision.
Step 3: Place some of the prepared sushi rice into each mold in approximately 1/4-cup portions; be sure not to overcrowd them!
Step 4: Line the inside of each section with a piece of Nori seaweed in order to hold everything together before adding the tuna steak. Leave out this step if you are using plates, so it will be easier to remove the completed sushi tower without spilling everything everywhere!
Step 5: Once the tuna steak has been added to each mold, use a spoon or your fingers in order to spread some wasabi paste on top if desired.
Step 6: Slice up your jalapeno peppers into small, bite-sized pieces and add them into one of the molds before skewering with wooden skewers or bamboo chopsticks that have been soaked in water for several hours beforehand.
Step 7: Place all four pieces onto another slice of Nori seaweed and roll together tightly before securing with more soaked bamboo skewers , running them through the center of where the two rolls overlap.
Step 8 Repeat the assembly process with all of your molds, alternating between adding seaweed and rice before finishing with either the wasabi or jalapeno pepper toppings.
Step 9: Your sushi towers are complete! To make serving easier, you could also use one large Nori sheet to roll your completed tower in once it is completely assembled, rather than using four separate pieces that must be carefully handled when moving around.
Step 10: Once this recipe has been completed, be sure to clean out your molds right away so they will be ready for the next time you decide to assemble some sushi towers !
Tips and Tricks of Sushi Tower Recipe
Build your sushi tower in the order of sequence that is listed above.
- To prevent rice from getting stuck inside the mold, spray it with cooking oil before adding anything else to it. You can also use pieces of plastic wrap or foil around the edges if you are concerned about cleanliness .
- If you are preparing wasabi paste by yourself , keep in mind that most brands of prepared wasabi have horseradish mixed into them and the mixture may be too spicy for people who aren’t used to eating spicy foods! A tablespoon or two should work fine, but test out a small amount on one piece of tuna first just to make sure you don’t get any unfortunate surprises later on when enjoying your sushi towers !
- Most grocery stores will have sushi-grade tuna in their fresh fish sections listed along with the other types of seafood.
- The total time for this recipe to be completed is about 45 minutes, although it will vary depending on how well you are able to follow directions when assembling your sushi tower!
- You will need about 1/4 lb or more of uncooked sushi grade tuna steaks in order to make a complete four serving sushi tower . Since parts of the tuna steak may not be visible once assembled, we recommend using at least 1/2 lb within each tower for patrons who aren’t afraid to try new things and want an authentic experience that has been perfected by Japanese culture .
Sushi towers can also be served as appetizers in smaller versions before trying out the real thing, but remember that they are meant to be eaten with your hands! You will need about one full roll of sushi rice per person in order to complete this recipe.
Not only do the molds make the process easier since you don’t have to worry about making them look perfect at the end, they also prevent rice from spilling everywhere if you decide to assemble your sushi tower on a serving platter instead of stacking it up properly.
Sushi towers can easily be completed for large groups of people so feel free to experiment and try out different toppings or variations of shapes that will impress your guests before serving!
Using chopsticks is also very traditional when eating sushi, but if you’re looking for something fun and exciting then give these molds a try instead!
For an extra decoration you could also add some small pieces of wasabi or jalapeno in between each layer before adding the next piece of tuna which will hide them from view when finished.
Three Most Popular Common Types of Sushi
The three most common types of sushi are Nigiri, Sashimi and Nori Maki.
Nori Maki
Sushi Nori Maki is made by rolling cooked rice with seaweed, sesame seeds, chopped carrots/cucumbers/avocados/fruits inside while sushi rice is lightly seasoned with vinegar, sugar, salt and kombu.
It can be eaten raw or grilled on both sides until brown spots appear on the surface. The ingredients for this one are thinly sliced cucumber rolled up inside out, candied ginger, nori (dried seaweed) and roasted sesame seeds.
Sashimi
Sushi Sashimi is usually served as an appetizer or first course of a meal before the soup and other dishes . It consists of very fresh raw fish (or occasionally, other kinds of meat), sliced into thin pieces across the bones once it has been carefully prepared by trained chefs after they have removed the insides.
This one requires soy sauce for dipping, wasabi paste to mix with sushi rice, fish roe (tarako), pickled ginger (gari), dried shredded seaweed (kizami nori), Japanese pepper (shichimi) and cucumber that has been cut into sticks along with smaller slices of avocado that have been peeled, halved and sliced lengthwise.
Nigiri
Nigiri is made by pressing together rice with your hands while the fish or other ingredient is draped over it before being shaped into a small oval . The ingredients are usually very high quality so they taste great on their own without having to add anything else!
This one has a raw tuna steak that has been seasoned by lightly brushing soy sauce over it before grilling for a short time to prevent the meat from drying out too much afterward.
Finally, there’s Sushi Temaki which can also be eaten as an appetizer or first course but is usually larger compared to Nigiri since it contains all of the same familiar flavors rolled up inside out within a large piece of nori (dried seaweed).
Ingredients for this one include sushi rice, cucumber (used as the base), avocado, pickled ginger (gari), roasted sesame seeds and wasabi paste mixed with soy sauce.
Sushi towers are also known to taste great when served with sake or even beer since the distinct flavors of certain types can enhance each other while adding a hint of sweetness to various dishes . It is very likely that you will enjoy any combination depending on what you’re in the mood for at that particular time!
Conclusion
Make your sushi tower recipe even more impressive by adding a few finishing touches. You could sprinkle black sesame seeds on top for an elegant look, or you can slice up thinly-cut cucumbers and jalapenos to create edible garnishes that will accentuate the flavors of each roll. Your friends are sure to love this innovative dish!