Rec. Brands of nori, wasabi, ginger for maki-making dinner

I am hosting a make your own sushi roll party, and I need recs for brands of nori (for the roll wrapper), wasabi, ginger, mirin, whatever else you would think I would need to make maki rolls (mostly vegetarian and crab, may try some raw tuna).

Also, where in Chicago do you rec. going to buy this stuff, including the mats I am going to need for rolling.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Well, the following are in my pantry/kitchen.... which most were purchased from Chicago Food Crop off the expressway and Kimball...

NORI - Shirako: Tokyo Sushihane Roasted Seaweed = not sure of price
(see through package w/purple across the top)

GINGER - WelPac Sushi Ginger Gari = $2.89
(11.5 fl. oz. bottle w/pink label)

SESAME SEED - Ju's Bakery Roasted Sesame Seed = $1.99
(8 oz package, found in the flour/spice aisle)

WASABI - Waner Powdered Wasabi = $8.99
(1 kg/2.2 lb package... its a lot but this is what was recommended by from a sushi chef friend of mine)

RICE VINEGAR - Marukan Seasoned Gourmet Rice Vinegar
(varying size bottles, but keep in mind you will need about 1/3 cup for 3 cups of cooked sushi rice)

SUSHI RICE - CALROSE BOTAN Rice - not sure about price
(however I've used other short grained rice that worked okay too)

MAYONNAISE - Kew Pie Mayonnaise from Japan - not sure about price
(great for california maki rolls)

MASAGO - Yamasho Seasoned Capelin Roe "Masago" (frozen) = $3.49
(4.2 oz, found in the freezer aisle near the ice cream)


TAMAGO - Japanese Cake "Atsuyaki Tamago" (Baked Egg Cakes) = $3.99
(17.6 oz package, found in freezer section near cafe, used for tamago nigiri)

UNAGI - West Bay Frozen Roasted Eel Fillets - not sure about price
(found in middle freezer section in front of gyoza freezer case)
** other suggestions include:
- Avocados / imitation crab
- Cream cheese / smoked salmon / cucumbers - for philly maki rolls
- Instant Miso soup
- Mochi Ice Cream Balls or Green Tea ice cream

Another thing is that you can get a platter of sushi ready fish (tuna, salmon, etc) from Chicago Food Corp. Wednesdays, they offer a special of $20 for a large platter.... perfect for a sushi party. You may want to call ahead and reserve just in case.

As for mats, you probably can find them in the housewares section of the store.

Happy Sushi Making!

Chicago Food Corp Asian Market
3333 N. Kimball Ave. Chicago, IL. 60618
Tel: (773)-478-5566 Fax: (773)-478-3130
Open: Mon-Sat 9:00AM-9:00PM
Sun 9:00AM-8:00PM

Thank you so much for the reply. This is exactly what I needed, now if I can only manage to make the rolls . . .

Thanks again!!

Depending on the size of your party, instead of 1kg of powdered wasabi you could try this more conventional item utilized by most Japanese households (avail at all Asian markets including Chicago Foods).



Instead of rice vinegar and sugar, most Japanese households also use sushinoko (add to short-grain and get instant sushi rice):



The popular vote amongst Chicago/Arlington Heights Japanese for short-grain rice goes to:

Tamanishiki


&

Tamaki Gold


Tip on sushi-rice: use a little less water than you would cooking the rice for everyday consumption - you want the grains a little harder (esp if you mix w/ vinegar)

Tip on unagi - take out of the vacuum pack and place on a sheet of alum foil. Heat in the oven to warm and caramelize the sauce a little prior to use (it'll taste much better). Cold unagi is not the way to go.

Chicago Food Corp carries frozen vacuum packed maguro, hamachi, tilapia (many sushi places use the izumidai tilapia vac-pack fillet in place of whitefish these days or snapper - which IMO is a travesty), salmon, unagi, etc as well...

Aside: Ever wonder why your spicy tuna roll tastes so good? It's the MSG in the Japanese mayos... I couldn't find a single Japanese mayo w/o it. This is in line w/ my quest to find vac-packed unagi w/o MSG.

I can't help with specific brands, but I would definitely recommend the trip out to Mitsuwa and Tensuke markets. Search here for more on both.

Mitsuwa
847/956-6699
www.mitsuwachicago.net
100 E. Algonquin Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Tensuke Market
847/806-1200
Elk Grove Woods Plaza
3 S. Arlington Heights Road (at Higgins)
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

WOW . . . you guys are amazing. Really amazing. Thank you for the recs and short-cut tips!