The first step in any sushi recipe is preparing the sushi rice. There are many recipes for sushi rice available, but all produce similar results. The goal is for the rice to be light and fluffy, yet sticky. Sushi rice may be prepared by stove top or in an electric rice cooker.
Sushi Recipe
Sushi Rice Ingredients:
3 cups Japanese style Sushi Rice (do not use American style Rice)
3 1/4 cups Water
1/3 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
Sushi Rice Preparation:
Before cooking, rinse rice several times in running water until the water runs clear (this may take several rinsings).
Prepare sushi vinegar (sushi-zu) by mixing rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan. Place pan on low heat and cook until sugar dissolves.
Allow the vinegar mixture to cool.
Spread the cooked hot rice into a large plate (or a traditional wooden bowl, called sushi-oke) by spatula (called shamoji).
Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold into the rice by spatula quickly. Do not smash the rice.
To cool and remove the moisture of the rice well, use a fan as you mix sushi rice. This will give sushi rice a shiny look.
After cooling, use the sushi rice immediately.
Makes 6 cups of sushi rice.
Note: Only use Japanese rice in sushi making. It is a medium-grained rice and gets sticky when it is cooked. Long-grained American rice will not work because it is drier and doesn't stick together.
How to Make Sushi Rolls
Two popular types of sushi are finger rolls (called nigiri-zushi) and nori rolls (called maki-zushi or maki-mono). Finger rolls are bars of sushi rice topped with wasabi and fish. Sushi nori rolls, the most popular type of sushi, consist of rice and various ingredients, such as fish, wrapped in a sheet of seaweed call nori. Below is a short guide to making a basic sushi roll (maki-zushi), such as a California Roll.
Step 1. Rice Layer
Spread Rice over Nori
Place the nori sheet, shiny side down, on the bamboo rolling mat. With water moistened hands (which helps in handling the sticky rice), spread half a cup of sushi rice evenly over the nori sheet, leaving 1" at the top.
Arrange Fillings over Rice
Arrange the sushi roll fillings (see glossary for different types of sushi rolls and ingredients) in a narrow row across the top third of the sushi rice. Leave a space of rice above and below the strip of toppings.
Step 2. Add Fillings
Step 3. Roll Tightly
Fold sushi mat over roll
Moisten the top edge of exposed nori with water. Grasp the rolling mat with both hands, thumbs underneath, and fold the close edge of the nori sheet so it overlaps the sushi rice and ingredients.
Roll Sushi Tightly with Mat
Roll tightly with firm pressure using the rolling mat. Lift the mat slightly and finish rolling until the edge closest to you meets the rice free edge at the far end of the nori. Overlap the moist edge of the nori sheet to create a seal.
Step 4. Seal Edge
Step 5. Remove Roll
Remove Sushi Roll from Mat
Use the rolling mat to shape and square up the sushi roll by pressing gently along the tops and sides of the roll. Remove the sushi roll from the bamboo mat, and place the roll seam side down on a cutting board.
Slice Sushi Roll into pieces
Sushi is best sliced using a carbon steel Japanese style knife. After the knife is moistened in water/vinegar, cut the nori rolls into six or eight equal pieces. (Cut the roll in half, then each half in thirds or forths.) Use a swift back and forth cut for best results.
Finger rolls, also known as nigiri-zushi, are small oblong bars of sushi rice topped with a dab of wasabi and fish such as tuna, shrimp or smoked salmon. Although making nigiri style sushi rolls is not for the beginner, a few basic steps are outlined below.
Form Rice into Block
Nigiri sushi rolls are a rectangular block of sushi rice placed on top of the flat piece of fish topped with wasabi. Using the fingers and palm, the rice is joined with the flat piece of fish.
Press Fish into Rice
Using several rotations, both sides of the sushi are formed together using the fingers and thumb. Through a set of motions with the fingers, the sushi and fish are merged together.
Nigiri-Zushi Pieces
After pressing the fish and rice together several times, a completed well-formed piece of sushi is the result. Many sushi chefs train for years to accomplish the fine art of making nigiri sushi.
For more info on making sushi, visit our store for great sushi books.
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