I Love Sushi

Where I grew up in Las Vegas, or to be more specific Henderson, there were two things that were guaranteed to be on every corner - a Starbucks and a sushi restaurant. Most of the sushi restaurants have their pros but the best all-around is in my opinion I Love Sushi. It was right around the corner from my old high school and we used to eat there 3 times a week. Yes 3 times a week, I had a sushi addiction.

Some of my favourites were Baked Green Mussels, Screaming Orgasm, Crunchy Roll, oh the list could go on and on. It doesn't matter what roll or sushi you chose, it was all delicious but there was one thing that remained constant. I would start every meal with a miso soup and boiled rice with spicy ponzu sauce. This became a sort of comfort food for me. Whenever I was feeling ill my mom would be dispatched to I Love Sushi to bring me back some miso soup and boiled rice with spicy ponzu sauce.

Screaming Orgasm from I Love Sushi



facebook.com/YOSushi

Now that I'm an expat in England, sushi restaurants are rather hard to come by. Sure there is a chain of YO! Sushi restaurants that I head to whenever the craving becomes too much. They have this thing called Blue Mondays where they serve their most popular dishes for £2.30 which I enjoy. However they are nothing compared to I Love Sushi and cannot provide me the thing which I crave most - boiled rice with spicy ponzu sauce. Trust me, I've asked.

Therefore it was up to my own devices and some help from my sushi partner in crime, Amy, to create my own version of spicy ponzu sauce. Amy used to live in Las Vegas but has since moved to California, and while she has plenty of sushi restaurants to choose from she still misses the spicy ponzu sauce from I Love Sushi. Between the two of us we have been able to create a version of the sauce we love.

Ponzu is a Japanese citrus sauce served with sashimi, tempura, and rice, among other things.

'I Love Sushi' Ponzu Sauce

• Soy Sauce
• Sesame Seed Oil
• Lemon Juice
• Rice Vinegar
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

Tip: Keep fresh ginger in the freezer, it stays fresh longer and is easy to grate into dishes. It grates so finely that you don't even need to peel it.

Mix the ingredients. For every part soy sauce, have nearly an equal part lemon juice. You will only need a drop of sesame seed oil and one clove of garlic. Add rice vinegar, ginger, and Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce to taste.

The recipe isn't perfect but on nights when I don't feel well or are feeling a little homesick this does the trick.

Q: What do you have when you're not feeling well or homesick?

Erin x