How to Make Sushi - The Basics

How to Make Sushi
- The Basics

How to make sushi includes the basics. You'll learn how to make the perfect sushi rice and the flavoring agent of sushi rice which is sushi rice vinegar. You'll learn what rice works best for sushi and some tricks as well.

Learning how to make sushi just requires a little know how, a bamboo sushi mat, toasted seaweed, seasoned sushi rice, and high quality fish. Once, you understand the basic maki sushi roll, you can go on to experimenting with the many different types of sushi.

How to Make Sushi Rice - Perfect Sushi Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups Organic Japanese Short Grain White Rice
2 cups of Filtered or Spring Water
Pinch of Sea Salt

Short grain white rice or sushi rice makes the best sticky rice because it has the right balance of starches to create the right amount of stickiness.

This recipe works for 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of rice, 3 cups of rice, or bigger amounts of rice. Just use the equivalent of water and follow the exact cooking instructions.

Flavoring Your Sushi Rice:

Flip the cooked rice onto a large wooden surface or into a wooden bowl.
Gently spread the hot rice with a rice paddle to help cool the rice.
And mix in the sushi rice vinegar to flavor your sushi rice.

Instructions:

Put rice into a thick bottomed medium-sized saucepan. Fill pan with water and gently massage rice to help remove excess starch.
Drain starchy water. Then repeat washing rice at least a couple more times before cooking.
Be sure to drain most of the starchy water before adding in the 2 cups of filtered water. Then bring up to a boil - turn off the burner.
Put a kitchen towel over the top of saucepan to create a seal with the lid. Wrap the towel around the lid to prevent catching on fire.
Put your burner on the lowest heat. Then cook for 10 minutes - no longer.

How to Make Sushi Rice Vinegar

Ingredients for 10 Cups of Sushi Rice:

200 ml of Organic Rice Vinegar
Or just shy of 14 Tbsps.
20 ml of Organic Mirin or Rice Wine
Or about 1 1/2 Tbsps.
50 grams of Kosher Salt or Sea Salt
Or about 2 1/2 Tbsps.
170 grams of Organic White Sugar
Or about 14 Tbsps.
1 piece of Organic Dried Kelp (2 inch square)

Adjust this recipe according to your individual needs. And make the sushi rice vinegar at least one day in advance before making the sushi rice.

I would personally cut down on the amount of sugar and definitely leave most of the salt out. I would probably use more seaweed to increase the sodium content.

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan and heat on a medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
Remove saucepan from heat before contents start to boil and let cool to room temperature.
Then strain and discard the kelp. Store in the refrigerator in a non-reactive airtight container to mature the flavors. And use within 3 weeks.

How to Make Sushi - Maki Tuna Roll

What You Will Need:

Bamboo Sushi Mat
1/2 Sheet of Toasted Dried Seaweed
Racket Ball Size of Sushi Rice
Approximately 2 oz. of Properly Sourced Tuna
*Slice the Tuna into Smaller Pieces (going against the grain of the fish meat fibers)
Smidgen of Wasabi

Nori Seaweed

Nori seaweed is a type of seaweed used to roll sushi. As with anything else, Nori comes in different qualities and grades.

This seaweed contains iodine, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It also contains vitamin K, vitamin C, and important B vitamins.

You will find Nori seaweed available in dried or toasted thin sheets. Look for Nori seaweed at the Asian food section of most grocery stores or at Japanese grocery stores.

Some people prefer raw or low temperature dried Nori. And you will most likely find this type of Nori seaweed at health food stores.

Instructions:

Put 1/2 a sheet of seaweed (rough side facing up) on the sushi mat and slightly wet your hands with water.
Place a racket ball size of rice on the seaweed. Work rice down the middle of the seaweed and gently spread rice to cover most of the seaweed (leave a fingernail space at top of seaweed sheet).
Spread some wasabi on the rice and lay the sliced tuna right down the middle of sushi rice.
Slide your thumbs under the sushi mat. Then lift up the mat and come down in a rolling motion. Gently squeeze the sushi roll so that it lands within the fingernail space of the seaweed sheet.
Then roll sushi to cover the seaweed seam. Slice into 6 pieces with a sharp knife using a sawing motion. Then plate your sushi.

Go to California Roll Recipe

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