We arrived at Tatu in downtown Baltimore just a few minutes before the class began. There were long tables set up inside the restaurant for people to sit down in groups. We joined a table of an older couple, a college aged couple, and a group of four friends. On the table there were sushi rollers, rice, and gloves. Luckily the chef had his table set up right next to our table so we could directly see what was going on.
The first roll we made was a crab and avocado roll, and then a cucumber roll. The class was a little slow moving because the chef had to walk around to each table to demonstrate the rolling technique. But it made the class last longer, and gave us a chance to talk with the other couples at the table.
It was really neat seeing how the rolls were made, and the technique involved. The sticky rice was a little hard to control because it literally stuck to everything. There was special water on the table we would stick our gloves into to help roll the rice onto our seaweed paper. You had to get the rice just right on the roll to ensure when your rolled it the two ends sealed, as well as to not over stuff your roll. I always wondered how the sushi roller mats worked, and it was quite easy to do (however getting your roll perfectly round and getting the two sides to connect was another story).
After we were finished making our two sushi rolls they brought out bowls of edamame, and then two different types of sake. We had a champagne sake which was really good, and then a warm sake. The bartender came around to each table and described each type of sake, and why it was served chilled or warm. Afterwards we could all dig into our personally made sushi rolls.
Sushi success!
