05.30.09

Making Sushi At Home…

Posted in Sushi at 11:18 pm by cecilia

Around the world, Sushi has become synonymous with Japanese cuisine in the last couple of decades. Hundreds of years ago, sushi mainly consisted of preserved salted fish in fermented rice. Vinegar was later introduced into the rice to enhance the sourness and extend its shelf life. In today’s modern world, we have come to know sushi as a combination of fresh top grade raw fish with vinegar rice. With a wide variety of toppings, fillings, and the way ingredients are molded and shaped, no wonder an everyday home cook would be intimidated by the idea of making this Japanese bite size “art work”.

Today, I share with you the sushi recipes and techniques that I learned from Chef Margaret Getz of Sur La Table and California Culinary Academy. I hope this will motivate you to give it a try at home.

There are five main categories of ingredients in sushi: rice, nori, toppings, fillings, and condiments.

Rice
This is not just any rice. It’s a short grain Japanese rice that is naturally called Sushi Rice. When cooked properly, it is sticky but not mushy. The sushi rice is then mixed with rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and Kombu (a kind of kelp). After seasoning, it is generally cooled before use. (See recipe below.)

Nori
This is a seaweed wrapper used in sushi rolls and hand rolls. These can be found in the ethnic food section of some grocery stores, as well as most Asian food stores. They are toasted and packaged in rectangular sheets. They can be folded and broken into different shapes and sizes for various sushi types.

Toppings
Fresh raw fish is the most common sushi topping. Tuna, salmon, mackerel, snapper, and yellowtail are some of the most popular fish sushi chefs use. When buying your own fish to make sushi, it is important to visit reputable fish markets with high quality fresh fish. Inspect it carefully to look for discoloration, mushy texture, and strong fishy smells, all of these are undesirable characteristics for sushi. Top quality fish should have vibrant colors, firm to the touch, and a subtle scent of the ocean. When in doubt, consult a trusted fishmonger about “sushi-grade” fish.
A variety of seafood is also used as sushi toppings – sea urchin, clams, eel, shrimp, fish roe, imitation crab sticks, etc. are widely used as well.

Fillings
A number of vegetables can be used in sushi – pickled daikon, cucumbers, avocados, asparagus etc. are all good choices for making sushi rolls. Sometimes chefs also use sweetened layered omelet to make sushi.

Condiments
Wasabi is a paste made from the grated root of a plant, though these days you will most likely find the imitation green wasabi that is made of horseradish and mustard powder with some green colorant. Soy sauce is used to mix the wasabi into a dip for sushi. Note that according to traditional sushi etiquette, we are supposed to dip the fish side of the sushi (versus the rice) into this wasabi dip before eating. To cleanse the palate, sweet pickled ginger is also served along side the sushi.

A few essential sushi gadgets and tricks:

A long sharp knife – this could be a chef’s knife or an actual bento knife. But the most critical thing is that it should be sharp. A dull knife will not achieve the clean cuts that you need for the sushi rolls.

A bamboo mat – this is for rolling the sushi. Wrapping the mat with plastic wrap makes releasing the rolls much easier, especially those inside-out-rolls with rice on the outside.

A wet kitchen towel - this is for wiping the knife clean after each cut into the rolls.

Water with vinegar – you will need a small bowl and a tall glass of water. The bowl is for wetting the hands before and during handling of the sushi rice. The glass of water is for dipping the knife in to keep it from sticking to the rice. A splash of vinegar serves a couple of purposes. First, it is a deterrent for germs; Second, it reduces dilution of the seasoning in the rice.

Recipes – provided by Chef Margaret Getz

Sushi Rice

Makes 8 cups                    (Printable recipe here)

4 cups Short or medium grain sushi rice
6 cups Water (1 part rice to 1½ parts water)

Sushi Vinegar
1½ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
½ cup Sugar
3 Tbsp Salt
3 pieces Kombu or kelp (2″x1″)

1. Place the rice in the saucepan or the insert of a rice cooker and add water to cover generously. Swish the rice in the water to rinse off residual starch. Drain the water and repeat until the water is clear. Do not rub the rice together with your hands because it could break the grains.
2. Drain the rice completely and add the pre-measured wtaer. If using a saucepan, make sure to use a tight-fitted lid. If using a rice-cooker, dry the outside of the insert and place it in the cooker and just turn it on.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, cover and bring to a gentle boil (when you start to see steam escaping, approximately 10 minutes), reduce heat to very low and steam for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and rest for 4 minutes. Do not remove the lid at any time.
4. Meanwhile, make the sushi vinegar in a small non-reactive saucepan.
5. Combine all sushi vinegar ingredients. While stirring, heat the mixture over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
6. After the rice has steamed properly, turn it out to a large stainless steel pan or wooden bowl. Using a wood or rubber spatula, gently fold the vinegar mixture into the rice. Adding vinegar mixture as you go to coat everything. Use a light, lifting motion to avoid mashing the rice. The rice should taste a little bit sweet with an acidic edge. If necessary, fold in more of the vinegar mixture.
7. Keep the rice covered with a clean, lint-free damp cloth. The rice should not be refrigerated and should be used within a couple of hours.

California Inside Out Maki

Makes 4 rolls                      (Printable recipe here)

1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1½ Tbsp Fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp Canola oil
1 lb. Lump crabmeat, picked
¼ cup Cilantro (chopped)
¼ cup Flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
¼ cup Basil (fresh, cut into inch ribbons)
1 Shallot (finely chopped)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Rice vinegar
1 Avocado (seeded, peeled, and sliced)
4 sheets Toasted nori
4 cups Cooked sushi rice
4 Tbsp Furikake (rice seasoning)

1. In a medium bowl, combine the honey, mustard, lemon juice, and oil to whisk to mix.
2. Add crab, cilantro, parsley, basil, and shallot to season.
3. Mix lightly and correct seasonings.
4. Fill a small bowl and a glass with water and add vinegar.
5. Place a nori sheet on a sushi rolling mat with one long edge toward you.
6. Wet your hands and pat a ¼-inch layer of the sushi rice over the nori.
7. Sprinkle with furikake (rice seasoning).
8. Flip over so the nori is on top.
9. Place ¼th of the crab mixture across the middle of the nori, top with avocado slices.
10. Roll and press the mat to seal the roll.
11. Allow maki to rest, seam-side down, for 2 minutes.
12. Repeat with remaining nori and filling.
13. With a sharp knife, slice each maki into 6 pieces, wiping and wetting the knife after each cut.
14. Serve immediately.

Here’s a video that demonstrates how nigiri sushi is made. You can refer to the following recipe or the one in the video.

Assorted Nigiri

Makes about 24 pieces                   (Printable recipe here)

1 cup Water
1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
½ lb. #1 grade Ahi tuna
½ lb Sushi grade wild salmon
½ lb. Sushi grade Hamachi, striped bass, or any white fish
3 cups Cooked sushi rice
3 Tbsp Wasabi

1. Combine water and rice vinegar in a small bowl.
2. Slice the fish into ¼ x 1 x 2½ inch pieces.
3. Wet your hands in the water-vinegar mixture and scoop about 2 Tbsp rice into your left hand.
4. Using your forefinger and middle finger, gently compact the rice into an oblong shape in the palm of your hand, using your thumb to tap the end of it, turn the rice once and repeat.
5. Flip the rice end to end and press once more.
6. Spread a small amount of wasabi on the underside of the fish and press it onto rice.
7. Lay nigiri rice-side down on the platter.
8. Continue forming nigiri until all ingredients are used.

Grilled Shrimp Salad Handroll (Temaki)

Makes 8 cones                          (Printable recipe here)

1 cup Water
1 Tbsp Rice vinegar
½ lb. Grilled shrimp
½ cup Celery ( inch dice)
¼ cup Mayonnaise
1 tsp Soy sauce
¼ cup Scallions (sliced)
4 sheets Toasted nori, halved into 2 triangles
4 cups Cooked sushi rice
1 pkg Daikon sprouts

1. In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar and water.
2. In a large bowl, combine shrimp, celery, mayo, soy sauce, and scallions and mix well.
3. Place a half-sheet of nori on a work surface, shiny-side down, long edge towards you.
4. Spread about ½ cup rice on lower half of nori, patting it down lightly.
5. Top with shrimp salad, placing it diagonally across the rice from the upper left corner to the bottom right.
6. Garnish with a few daikon sprouts.
7. Fold the lower left corner of the nori toward the right side to enclose the filling, and continue to roll toward the nori’s left side to form a cone.
8. Wet a finger in the vinegar water and moisten the top ½ inch of the nori’s edge to seal the cone.
9. Let rest, seam-side down, or place in a cone holder.
10. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

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