EVERYTHIN' YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT JAPANESE SUSHI

There is a special rice for sushi, they call it "shari"

-You gotta clear the rice from all sorts of impurities just lying there waiting for you to cook them in your sushi rice. Wash the rice (1 cup = 3 rolls) with running water for 1-2 minutes until there is no more starch coming out of it. After you are done washing, take the rice and place it gently in a pot, add a little bit more water than rice (the ratio is about 1.25/1 in favor of the water). Don't put too much water, or you'll get dough instead of rice.

-The rice should be cooked on high heat at first, stir every minute or two, until the

water boils. Then, lower the heat to minimum and cover the pot. Stop stirring, the rice will handle itself from now. After 6-8 min, check the water level. If there is no more water, only bigger grains of rice in the pot, that means the rice is ready. If not, check back every minute, making sure not to burn the rice at the bottom.

-Taking out the rice: There are a few important issues to keep in mind while taking the rice out of the pot. You use only a wooden spoon to handle the cooked rice. A metal spoon will damage it severely. Don't scrape the rice out from the bottom of the pot. If it comes out easily, good, if not - leave it be. The rice at the bottom is dry and burned, it won't taste so good. Pour some of the rice vinegar you have prepared in advance, and let the rice cool with it. To accelerate the process you might wanna put it near an open window or a fan, but never in the fridge.

INSIDE OUT SUSHI

The inside out sushi roll, also known as Uramaki, is more common in the U.S.A than in Japan and is very popular in western sushi bars. What makes the inside out roll unique is the fact that rice is in the outside and the nori is on the inside, wrapping the filling.

Instruction:

-Use the "one side round and one side flat" rolling mat, and not the cheap kind with both sides round, wrap the rolling mat with a stretch nylon starting with the round side, and ending with it. Make about 2-3 full rounds of wrapping. After you are done wrapping, roll the mat to squeeze out all the air locked inside the wrapping. If needed - poke it with a toothpick to let the air out.

-Take a nori sheet, and break it down the middle. If it doesn't break easily, it's either old, or not such a good brand of nori to work with. Place the nori sheet on the rolling mat abut 5 cm from the edge, with the rough side of the nori facing upwards.

-Get both your hands wet and make a ball of rice, using about a handful of rice (you can always add more rice later, but drawing out rice is a bit complicated once you've put it on the nori). Place the ball of rice in the middle of the nori and start spreading the rice, pressing it down gently, until it is equally spread along the nori sheet. You should now have a 1cm high, equal layer of rice on top of the nori. If needed, add some more rice - just remember to keep it even. Flip the nori over so that the rice is facing the mat and the smooth side of the nori is facing upwards.

-Place a slice of fish (preferably no more than one) on the edge of the nori, along with 1-3 pre-cut slices of vegetables (carrot, cucumber, green onion, asparagus,…)

-Using the closer edge of the rolling mat, close on the filling with the nori making a rectangular shaped hill and tighten it from above.

-Move forward, continue rolling in the rectangular hill steps, keeping it tight with every move until you reach the end of the nori. Put pressure on the roll from all three sides at all time, especially on stops to allow it to roll tightly.

-Use a wet, sharp knife to cut the roll in to little sushi units.

NIGIRI SUSHI

Nigiri is a kind of sushi made with vinegared sushi rice (shari), and a slices of fish, seafood, or vegetable. Nigiri sushi is easier to make than maki, or uramaki sushi, and some would say even easier to consume.It is customary to present nigiri sushi pieces in couples, as a sign of peace and harmony.

Instructions:

-With your hand wet, grab about 20gr. of shari rice, and shape it to a long, ovalic from. The rice is going to be the base for the fish to lay on, so the bottom should be flat, and the top could be more rounded. The sides should definitely be a bit rounded.

-As already mentioned, nigiri sushi topping can vary, but the basic form is "plain" salmon nigiri. So if it is salmon or tuna fish nigiri sushi you are making, the following measurements should be just fine.

-Take a slice of fish, about 1cm thick and 5cm by 3cm rectangular. If the piece of fish you are cutting form is smaller, and does not allow you to cut such a slice, try slicing it at 45 degrees, it will allow you maximum "fish surface".

-Take a pea-size portion of wasabi, and smear it along the middle of the fish slice. The wasabi will help the slice glue to the piece of rice, to form a steady nigiri sushi.

-Place the slice of fish, with the wasabi side facing down, on the rice. Lay it gently on the rice, and then press it firmly to stick with the rice. You might want to use the other hand to hold the nigiri sushi from the sides while pressing it from above, to avoid "rice loss".

MAKISUSHI-HOSOMAKI

Maki sushi, is a roll of fish/sea food with rice wrapped in nori(seaweed). Two variations of the maki sushi are:

+Futomaki - "fat maki", the bigger form of this type, usually made with two or more different fillings.
+Hosomaki - "thin maki", made with only one filling, usually fish or seafood, but may also be a single vegetable.

In order to make a fine japanese sushi roll (or nigiri) you don't need to go through 5 years of fish cutting studies in Japan, neither you need anyone telling you that your first time ever sushi looks more like a sea cucumber in a rush hour out of the water.

Instructions:

-Feel the nori sheet from both sides and you will find one side to be a bit smooth and the other a little rough. The nori should lay on the rolling mat with the rough side facing upwards.

-Get your hands wet, and make about a handful of rice to a ball of rice. It's important to keep your hands wet while working with sushi rice because it is sticky. When you work with the nori though, you should keep them as dry as you can. Keeping a bowl of water and a dry towel in your rolling zone is pretty necessary.

-Gently put the rice ball in the middle of the nori sheet, and start spreading it equally on the nori, creating a layer of rice covering almost the entire sheet except the upper margin of about 2cm that should be kept uncovered. Later on, that margins are going to be needed empty of rice in order to close to sushi roll properly.

-Place a slice of fish (preferably no more than one) on the edge of the nori, along with 1-3 pre-cut slices of vegetables (carrot, cucumber, green onion, asparagus,…)

-Using the closer edge of the rolling mat, close on the filling with the nori making a rectangular shaped hill and tighten it from above.

-Move forward, continue rolling in the rectangular hill steps, keeping it tight with every move until you reach the end of the nori. Put pressure on the roll from all three sides at all time, especially on stops to allow it to roll tightly.

-Use a wet, sharp knife to cut the roll in to little sushi units.

*Enjoy SUSHI with wasabi and sake.