How to make sushi? It’s easier than you think!
Sushi is a very popular dish all over the planet, and the proof lies in the multitude of restaurants specializing in sushi making. But did you know that you can also make it at home, with good fresh ingredients? Creating your own sushi can become a very interesting culinary activity to do with friends and even children.
10 Tips presents a few tips and accessories for making your sushi a success at home. Good sushi! ?
1. The right ingredients for sushi
To make sushi, you will of course have to buy the right ingredients! Here is a small list of the main ingredients for making good sushi at home:
- round sushi rice
- rice vinegar
- powdered sugar
- sea salt
- filleted fish (skinless and boneless) of sushi quality
- seaweed sheets
- small vegetables
- as well as wasabi.
2. Choose top quality fresh fish!
It is very important to have good fresh fish on hand, in order to really appreciate it but above all, to avoid food poisoning.
It is best to ask your fishmonger to suggest the best fresh fish to make your sushi at home.
- Rinse the rice well before cooking. : It is important to rinse the rice well in order to eliminate the starch that surrounds the grains of rice. If you don’t, your rice may end up sticky. To do this, put the rice in a sieve, and rinse it under tap water until the water running out is clear.
- How to cook sushi rice : For just over a dozen sushi, cook 2 cups of rice in 3 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
- Work with freshly cooked, sticky rice : The sushi pros will tell you, to make good sushi, you need good rice. To do this, you should use sushi rice, steamed if possible, and not quick-cooking instant rice. Your rice will have to be slightly sticky, see a little pasty to stick well.
- Flavor your sushi rice : To flavor your rice, you will need: 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp salt. Heat over low heat, and when the sugar and salt have dissolved, pour this mixture over the cooked rice.
- Gently mix your rice : When mixing seasonings into your rice, it is important to do so slowly, without crushing the grains of rice. Wet your fingers well: It is very important to wet your fingers a little before handling your sushi, because the rice is very likely to stick to your skin, which will make assembling your sushi rather complex.
- Use a Wooden Hangiri : When you season your rice, it is preferable to use a wooden Hangiri in order to properly regulate the humidity of the rice. Although it is not mandatory, you will get a higher result by doing it.
For other tips and tricks on cooking the perfect rice it’s over here: How to properly cook your rice?
For those who want the rice to put in the sushi every time, I suggest this super rice cooker which comes with a sushi kit.
Rice cooker and sushi kit
- Ideal for cooking rice for sushi
- Kit for maki, futomaki and hosomaki
- Cooking basmati, Japanese, white, brown rice, etc.
4. A bamboo or silicone mat to roll your sushi
There are placemats made of bamboo on the market, specifically designed for making sushi. These sushi mats will be very useful for you to roll your sushi so that it is tight and compact.
If you prefer durability and ease of cleaning, prefer a silicone sushi mat. The silicone sushi mat is much easier to clean than the bamboo mat. Here is one at the best price:
Sushi Mat Mat
- Sushi mat made of bamboo
- Set of 4 premium mats
- To easily roll sushi
Not sure how to roll sushi properly? Here are the steps to roll sushi like a sushi pro:
- On your sushi mat, lay a sheet of seaweed, rough side up.
- Completely cover the seaweed sheet with sushi rice.
- Arrange your ingredients, starting with the side closest to you.
- Then start rolling, holding the placemat by the corners closest to you. (Be careful that your ingredients stay in place and that the rice does not come off the seaweed sheet.)
- Remove the doily as you go.
- Once your roll is finished, cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Tutorial to learn how to roll and prepare maki sushi:
If you prefer a video, here is one by Japanese chef Kiyoshi Hayamizu, a sushi specialist, who shows how to roll and prepare maki sushi.
6. Vary the flavors
You can vary the kinds of sushi by choosing various ingredients: different species of fish (raw or cooked), vegetables, sauces and seasonings, etc. By varying the flavors, your sushi buffet will be even more appetizing!
Ah yes, did you know that there are so many different types of sushi you can cook? We know Maki Sushi well, but do you know all the other varieties of sushi?
Here are some popular varieties of sushi:
- Maki Sushi : Small sushi with a single ingredient and cut into 8 pieces (sometimes 6 pieces) of sushi.
- Sumo Maki : Much bigger than maki sushi it consists of several ingredients (also called Futo Maki)
- Temaki Sushi : It is a maki but which is not cut. It is handled like a sandwich but in the shape of a cone or a cone if you prefer.
- Nigiri-Sushi : it is a sushi which consists of a cylinder of rice and a thin slice of fish.
- Uramaki : It is actually an inverted Maki since the seaweed sheet is found inside the sushi and not outside like the traditional Maki.
7. Shrimp and Avocado Sushi Recipe
For this simple sushi recipe, you will need:
- 1/2 pound cooked shrimp, halved lengthwise
- 2 ripe avocados, thinly sliced
- Fine juliennes of carrot and cucumber
- A little wasabi.
Start by cooking the rice according to our recommendations (see above). Then, roll your sushi with your ingredients, according to our advice also mentioned above.
8. Vegetarian and vegan sushi recipe
It’s so easy to make vegetarian or vegan sushi! Cook your sushi rice, then choose the ingredients you want to find in it: vegetables, marinated or fried tofu, mushrooms, young shoots, nuts, seeds, etc.
There are no limits to what you can include in your vegetarian sushi. To give your sushi even more flavor, add spicy mayo, sriracha sauce or something else.