A good sushi dinner is something many of us look forward to over the weekend or after a long day at work. The varieties of rolls, fish, and sides make it a dinner that’s near impossible to pass up. But, just like any good restaurant meal, you don’t want to empty your wallet every night of the week. So it’s time to make due at home and learn how to make sushi from your very own kitchen! Even if you’ve never made your own sushi you don’t need to worry because it gets easier with time and soon you’ll be a sushi master.
How To Make Sushi
Step One: Get Your Rice Prepared
First and foremost you’ll need to prepare your rice, particularly sushi rice if you can get your hands on some. If you’re looking to make six rolls for yourself then you should be using two cups of rice, two cups of water, a bit of rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. You should be cooking your rice for about 6-8 minutes and cooling it to room temperature without ever placing it in the fridge to cool.
Pro Tip:
Sushi rice is sticky and in order to make good sushi without the hassle, you’ll need to have a bowl of water handy. Your hands should always be wet when handling sushi rice, but they’ll need to be dry when you’re dealing with the seaweed; keep a hand towel close by to dry your hands off before arranging the seaweed.
Step Two: Prepare Your Veggies And Fish
The next step is to get your sushi stuffing ready, such as your sauces, vegetables, and fish. If you’re adding vegetables to the sushi roll then you should aim to cut the veggies into long, thin strips. The reason you should be doing this is that you’ll be making one huge roll that you’ll then be cutting into smaller rolls, so it’s easier to have veggies cut into thin strips.
Additionally, homemade sushi newcomers tend to think that you need raw fish for sushi but you really don’t. You can use smoked salmon or canned tuna fish without having to worry about your rolls tasting different or lacking flavor.
Pro Tip:
If you’re going to use raw fish for your sushi then you should keep it chilled before use. You should also be getting raw fish that has specifically said it can be eaten raw. You can always check with the experts at the store as well about which fish can be used.
Step Three: Place Your Nori On A Bamboo Mat
The kind of seaweed you should be using for a sushi roll is nori. This is the tricky part with wet hands because if your nori picks up moisture throughout the process it won’t stick as well. This is why you should have a hand towel next to your bowl of water for dealing with the rice.
You’ll also notice that a sheet of nori will have two different consistencies – one side will be a little rougher and the other side will be shinier. Stick the shiny side on the bamboo mat so the rough side faces up.
Pro Tip:
Sticking a piece of plastic wrap on the bamboo mat and then adding your nori seaweed will make the roll easier to cut.
Step Four: Place A Ball Of Rice On The Nori
Grab a ball of rice (about 1 cup’s worth) and place it in the center of a nori sheet. Wet your hands and spread the rice evenly across the seaweed. Be sure to leave about 2-3 centimeters of space between the rice and the top of the nori sheet. You can press the rice onto the nori sheet, but you shouldn’t be pressing too hard.
Pro Tip:
Leaving that bit of space between the top of the nori sheet and your rice will give you that bit of room you need to seal the sushi roll with ease.
Step Five: Stuff Your Sushi With Desired Filling
Place your strips of vegetables and desired fish onto the rice in the middle of the sheet. Bring up the mat and wrap it around the ingredients; continue to roll the sushi tightly so you get a firm roll; shape the sushi into cylinders throughout, especially if you notice that things are starting to unravel. As soon as you reach the blank margin of the nori, press it gently with your fingers around the roll to close it.
Pro Tip:
Though it may be tempting, don’t overstuff your sushi rolls. Remember that you’re already making yourself anywhere from 3-6, which is more than enough, and overstuffing the roll will just cause it to fall apart.
Step Six: Cut The Rolls
Having a good sushi knife is key to cutting into your sushi rolls without having everything spill out. You also don’t want to have a dull or ineffective blade because then you’ll run into difficulty cutting through the seaweed. Use a sharp, dampened sushi knife to make about 6-8 pieces per sushi roll. You should wet the knife after each cut you make.
Pro Tip:
Keep the knife wet throughout your cutting process. Having a damp knife will allow you to cut through the nori and rice much easier.
Step Seven: Get Creative
Now that you have the sushi rolls ready to be devoured you can drizzle them with soy sauce, make a heap of pickled ginger, or have a small serving of wasabi alongside your dish. Depending on your favorite sauces and accompaniments to use, you can really dress up your sushi rolls to look like they’re restaurant-quality. Of course, there’s no pressure to make things look too fancy when you’re first learning how to make sushi. The key is to get those rolls down perfectly, then you can move into the creative stuff!
Pro Tip:
It’s best not to stick your rolls in the fridge after you make them. Aim to make just enough for you to eat without having any leftovers because the rice hardens in the fridge and diminishes the flavor.
Learning how to make sushi is one of the ways you can bring your favorite rolls to your house. After you master the basic sushi roll, you can move onto more difficult sushi rolls and soon you’ll be making feasts for yourself and any guests lucky enough to come over. It takes time so don’t worry too much if you don’t pick it up right away; mastering the perfect roll takes patience and practice. The good news is that with these tips you’re a few steps closer to becoming an at-home sushi chef!
