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United Arab Emirates5091 Posts
I really like sushi. Fresh, uncooked fish has a very distinct, light, oily, full taste to it that cannot be found anywhere else. Together with well made sushi rice and a dash of quality soy sauce is just awesome.
I think there's a lot of mystery around sushi because it's really expensive and chefs train for years to make it and the restaurants in foreign countries generally have poor sushi so it doesn't get the exposure it should.
I have no professional sushi training at all. Everything I know I learned mostly from the internet, a lot from youtube vids and practice. I am no where near a pro but I'm pretty satisfied with what I can make and I can safely say my sushi is better than quite a few sushi joints here in Stockholm I've been to.
I'm posting this detailed and elaborate guide to making sushi cuz I think all guys should have at least 2 or 3 dishes up their sleeves they can whip out and impress a girl with, and this is definitely one of them. I would also like to contribute back to teamliquid but never had any chance so here goes! Good luck to everyone who attempts this and even better post success stories =D
Ingredients
The most important part is the right ingredients.
1) Fish
2) Rice
Let's start with fish. Good fresh fish should not smell of fish, it should smell like nothing. Go to a good local fish market where they get fresh fish every morning. Talk to the guy, say you're making sushi. They should be able to say what can be eaten raw and what can't. Generally salmon is the way to go. It's popular enough so that they have a steady supply of it fresh, and it tastes great so for beginners it's easy to get used to. Other fishes that can work are
tuna - generally more expensive and good tuna is hard to find outside Japan. If it looks dark red and not light pink then it isn't good. Oh and it should be hella expensive. Like a piece the size of your palm would be around 80 to 90 USD.
mackerel - good and cheap and tastes pretty good, I like it.
yellow tail - good if fresh but hard to find
Other stuff you can use would be canned tuna mixed with some mayo, crab sticks and precooked, deshelled shrimps.
Then you have your cucumber and avocado. Thinly shredded lettuce can be used too to add a very nice crunch to your sushi rolls.
Rice
Good rice is really important. A medium to short grain rice is good. There is no such thing as "sushi rice" just like there is no such thing as "sandwich bread". You can use any it's just that there are price differences between the good and the great. The one I use is Calrose but that's because I eat it regularly since I'm Chinese and it's a staple for me, but people that eat basmati rice or uncle ben's shit need to get another rice. Basmati and such long grain rices have less starch and proteins, so they don't taste as good, aren't as chewy and won't stick.
Cooking rice has always been easy for me since I have a rice cooker, which is great so buy one if you can cuz you'll be using it a lot and you get perfect rice everytime. The rice to water ratio is a little tricky cuz it's different with every rice but generally
1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water
If you don't have a rice cooker using a pot is ok too but then you need to bring it to a boil for 2min, then lower heat to simmer for 12-15min, then remove from heat with lid on to steam for 5-10min. Exact times will vary so.... best get a rice cooker lol.
Ok so you cooked your rice, now empty it all into a big bowl, big enough so that you can move the rice around easily because now you mix in the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. For 1 cup raw rice you should get a good two bowls of rice so you add two tablespoons of rice vinegar, two tablespoons of sugar and a small pinch of salt. These measurements can vary greatly according to your taste but making it too sour or sweet will take the taste buds’ focus away from the delicate fish.
Rolling
This step I think is the most important step in making sushi and many restaurants skip this step because it is time consuming but makes such a big difference. The rice has just been cooked, and you let it steam with the lid on for a bit so that the very core of the rice is now totally cooked through. Each grain of rice is now very hot and soft and perhaps a little too moist.
Take a big spoon or wooden paddle – any tool that can mix the rice gently because you do not want to break the rice grains, this will result in a mass of goo that will be more fit for making mochi. You want to mix and fold the rice from the outsides in to the center, cooling the rice down and letting the grains have some room to release the extra water vapor. The rice may seem a little too “wet” now, that is normal. The rice will cool, the moisture will evaporate and it will go hella sticky. This is good =D
Cutting the fish
Just like other meats, fish also have grains along its fibres. The biggest mistake crap sushi restaurants make is that they cut along the grain and not against it. Cutting against the grain will make for both a better texture and will look more appealing.
For the nigiri, the most basic way of cutting the fish is to cut the fish into long chunks and then hold your knife at a 45degree angle to the fish and then tilt it another 45degrees for the cut. Please refer to the photo.
The cut should preferably be done in a single stroke for minimal damage to the fish. Start at the base of the blade then run it all the way to the tip. A very sharp knife will help a lot. I have a stone knife sharpener from japan and I use it a lot (cut myself with my knives a lot too >_< but I love sharp knives). If you have the money then I would advise you get one of those long sushi knives. They are made of quality steel and will last a long time. It makes cutting the fish so much easier too.
The bits on the side and the failed nigiri slices can all be used in the rolls =D
Nigiri
For the nigiri just get a little rice in one hand and gently press it into a pillow shape.
With your other hand get a nigiri slice of fish and press the two together. It really is easy but to master it takes a while. Two problems that occur most frequently is
a) too much rice. Just like a sandwich if you get too much bread, a big bunch of rice and little fish doesn’t taste as good.
b) pressed together too hard. The rice should hold together but be light and chewy in the mouth. Same as a bread that is light and raised before it was baked, nigiri sushi rice should not be pressed together too hard.
This is a little variation I like to make. I dont know the name of it but it looks like a rose so i call it the rose roll. slice the fish thinly but in big long slices.
take a little rice and wrap the slice of fish around it
finish it off with a little mayo in the opening, some caviar, a sprig of chives and some sesame =D
Rolls
For me the easiest is the inside out roll. The rice will hold together nicely and you only use half a sheet of nori (nori is not cheap here in Stockholm) for each roll.
Start off by getting a sheet of nori seaweed and folding it in half. It should be crunchy and easily break apart.
Get your bamboo wrapping thing and wrap some cling wrap around it so the rice will not stick to the bamboo.
Place your nori on this and cover in a layer of sushi rice.
Wet your fingers in some water first because the rice will stick like hell.
Again, the most common mistake is to press down way too hard and use too much rice.
Get the rice all the way to the edges since this will help it stick and hold together.
The outer side can be covered with some sprinkles like toasted sesame seeds, crushed chili flakes, caviar, lemon zest etc for appearance and taste. I like to use white and black sesame.
Sprinkle a little onto the rice and flip it over.
![[image loading]](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff313/pyrogenetix/022.jpg)
Add the ingredients of your choice.
Keep them to your side for easy rolling later and for your first few rolls try with less ingredients to make it easier to roll.
Later you will know exactly how much to add to close it just right.
I guess this is the part people find the trickiest. With the help of the bamboo wrapping thing lift your side of the roll and let it roll down onto the other end.
Make sure your side of the rice sticks to the other side of the rice and roll forwards. Let the roll rest on your work surface and using the bamboo thing just straighten and tighten the roll a little and tuck in the sides.
To cut it like a pro take a fuckin sharp knife and dip the tip in water, then point the tip to the ceiling and lightly bang the knife on your table. This will send a small drop of water down the edge of your blade and will keep the rice from sticking to the blade. This is something you should do infront of girls cuz its fuckin pimp =D
cut it in half, then into quarters, then eigths.
Other variations of the roll like caterpillar roll and rainbow roll you just make a roll with the ingredients of your choice, then slice avocado/fish/ really thin and place them on top, cover with cling wrap and press it down with the bamboo thing. Cut it with the cling wrap still on.
Caterpillar roll – grilled eel and cucumber filling with avocado and strawberry outer roll with teriyaki sauce and toasted sesame.
Mango roll – salmon, cucumber and avocado filling with mango outer roll with a light mayo drizzle.
Rainbow roll - slices of any fish really with avocado on the outside. no sauce.
To finish, drizzle and garnish your sushi with teriyaki sauce, pickled ginger, lemon slices, sesame, wasabi etc. I think there is no right or wrong way, just some combinations taste better than others =D
Good luck to everyone! Practice makes it better trust me and when you’ve mastered it to a pretty decent degree, whip this out and the ladies will be impressed for sure =D
party pix
GL HF DD KA MG
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i thought you are Chinese.....
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Canada7170 Posts
For no formal training that looks REALLY good. =[ Making me hungry.
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United Arab Emirates5091 Posts
yea im chinese but i like lots of different kinds of food =D
edited the photos to show and not a link
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pyro you are sexy
sexy sexy sexy
i love you
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United States17042 Posts
Now I really really really want sushi. >.>
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WOW this is amazing.
To cut it like a pro take a fuckin sharp knife and dip the tip in water, then point the tip to the ceiling and lightly bang the knife on your table. This will send a small drop of water down the edge of your blade and will keep the rice from sticking to the blade. This is something you should do infront of girls cuz its fuckin pimp =D
ok, i'm following you until after you point the tip to the ceiling... so you bring the knife down and slap the edge against the table?
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i thought there was sushi rice, its normal rice cured in some kinda vinegar.
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okay, so when do i slap the girl with the wet knife again?
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wow the caterpillar roll looks sick and delicious xD
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so.................hungry...............
that looks like sushi straight out of a restaurant or something
looks very professional and delicious ^^
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wow that looks really nice. how much is the salmon usually? when i go to sushi restaurants i always get the nigiri, they taste so good, i wish to make some now haha :D
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United Arab Emirates5091 Posts
On November 26 2008 10:15 VeirenT wrote:WOW this is amazing. Show nested quote +To cut it like a pro take a fuckin sharp knife and dip the tip in water, then point the tip to the ceiling and lightly bang the knife on your table. This will send a small drop of water down the edge of your blade and will keep the rice from sticking to the blade. This is something you should do infront of girls cuz its fuckin pimp =D ok, i'm following you until after you point the tip to the ceiling... so you bring the knife down and slap the edge against the table?
ok sorry let me explain it
the rice is very sticky, so if you cut it with a dry blade the rice will stick and your sushi pieces will not be as clean cut like in restaurants but will look like you cut them with a hacksaw or something. so you want a little bit of water on your blade but not too much or the sushi will get soggy, so what you do is get a clean bowl of water and just dip your blade into the water. The water may go anywhere from a forth up to half the blade length doesnt really matter. what matters is you get some water on the front of the blade and then to remove excess water + evenly wet the whole length of the blade, you hold the knife right up and hit the but of the handle onto the table, so that the water will slide down the edge of the blade.
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infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
Yum. looks delicious 
Nice post ^^"
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ahhhh got it, i just needed to know that you hit the butt of the knife to the table
it reminds me of the chiburi swing of katanas...
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im having my gf get on this asap
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holy shit. ihave found my next cooking adventure
since when is tuna that expensive? is that just for fresh, hours of the boat stuff?
i assume fresh tuna steaks wouldnt cut it eh ._.
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Sick guide. My dad actually trained under some guys for a long while :D Although he's not really doing it right now he can still whip out the skillz etc.
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This is a really nice guide. I've gotta bookmark this or something for later reference. ;o
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Wow, that's one hell of a guide. 5/5 even though I'm not a big fan of sushi.
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United Arab Emirates5091 Posts
On November 26 2008 10:58 Hawk wrote:
holy shit. ihave found my next cooking adventure
since when is tuna that expensive? is that just for fresh, hours of the boat stuff?
i assume fresh tuna steaks wouldnt cut it eh ._.
well yea in japan its off the boat but they also export some frozen ones but those are flash frozen on the fishing boat with special equipment that go really cold like -40 celcius. the colder and faster the fish freezes the less ice crystals will form in the fish and will damage the flesh texture less.
tuna steaks =/ i dont know... it really depends on the taste. if you think its good enough then it is, but generally in western countries that level of freshness just doesn't really exist. I think people treat it as a given that people are going to cook the tuna no matter what, so it's "fresh enough for cooking" but we're looking for "fresh enough for NO-cooking" you know what i mean?
there was this once i asked for sushi grade A tuna and the people at the fish market had to go to the very back into the biggest freezer they had and brought me a little chunk of tuna vacuum packed in plastic. was like 100USD for it but damn the color of it was just totally different from any tuna i've seen in the regular markets. I didn't buy it though it was too expensive and i've never asked for it again cuz it's way out of my price range.
it looked like the picture below
but once i was having sushi at a nice sushi place in stockholm and i ordered like the 25 piece sushi menu and i only got 1 tuna nigiri but that tuna was sushi grade tuna not the ordinary one and the taste was so different.
my advice would be either get the really good stuff for a really special occasion, or just stick to salmon. salmon tastes great anyway and unless you get really good tuna it would be a waste of money and you'll be wondering to yourself where the extra 50 bucks went.
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wowwwwwww
5/5
should put it in bookmark or something
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Use short grain rice, its stickier when cooked. Long grain rice is drier so it doesnt stick as well. Whoops forgot that he already stated it in his instructions.
Remember let the rice to cool to about room temperature before using it!!
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This is a fantastic guide, thanks very much.
I've only had sushi once before and I didn't like it much, but go figure it was at a buffet in Vegas. Probably not the best quality sushi.
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Physician
United States4146 Posts
5/5 u phuking own; ur a perfectionist ~
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hey, great guide. but one important thing. sushi is overpriced if u order out. as good as it is, it's a a lot of rice, and extras, and even the fish isn't THAT expensive.
where do you find the ingredients cheaply, especially the fish, and the sauces.
rice, sesame seeds, wasabi, giner, seaweed can be pretty easily found in any asian markets. avacado any grocery store. but the FISHES and the extra things... we need good cheap sources for those. thanks.
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Oh man, looks delicious.. Never ate sushi though :O
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
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Korea (South)3086 Posts
This blog has just made me one hungry hungry hippo.
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Awesome guide, maybe I'll put it to use some day.
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Definitely bookmarking this.
Another easy thing I like with sushi is omelette. You can cut it into strips similar size to the cucumber. Cooked prawns are nice too, just slice them in half.
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Hong Kong20321 Posts
RIGAAAAAAA PIMIPPPPPPPPPPP
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On November 26 2008 11:29 pyrogenetix wrote:Show nested quote +On November 26 2008 10:58 Hawk wrote:
holy shit. ihave found my next cooking adventure
since when is tuna that expensive? is that just for fresh, hours of the boat stuff?
i assume fresh tuna steaks wouldnt cut it eh ._. well yea in japan its off the boat but they also export some frozen ones but those are flash frozen on the fishing boat with special equipment that go really cold like -40 celcius. the colder and faster the fish freezes the less ice crystals will form in the fish and will damage the flesh texture less. tuna steaks =/ i dont know... it really depends on the taste. if you think its good enough then it is, but generally in western countries that level of freshness just doesn't really exist. I think people treat it as a given that people are going to cook the tuna no matter what, so it's "fresh enough for cooking" but we're looking for "fresh enough for NO-cooking" you know what i mean? there was this once i asked for sushi grade A tuna and the people at the fish market had to go to the very back into the biggest freezer they had and brought me a little chunk of tuna vacuum packed in plastic. was like 100USD for it but damn the color of it was just totally different from any tuna i've seen in the regular markets. I didn't buy it though it was too expensive and i've never asked for it again cuz it's way out of my price range. it looked like the picture below but once i was having sushi at a nice sushi place in stockholm and i ordered like the 25 piece sushi menu and i only got 1 tuna nigiri but that tuna was sushi grade tuna not the ordinary one and the taste was so different. my advice would be either get the really good stuff for a really special occasion, or just stick to salmon. salmon tastes great anyway and unless you get really good tuna it would be a waste of money and you'll be wondering to yourself where the extra 50 bucks went.
Was that for akami or toro? The picture you gave seems like akami to me, but I didn't think grade A akami would be that expensive 0.o
Though honestly, yeah, in terms of making sushi oneselves with the kind of ingredients easily obtained, salmon is the way to go.
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Kennigit
Canada19447 Posts
Aren't you supposed to rinse the rise over and over until the water is clear before using?
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Hong Kong20321 Posts
On November 26 2008 22:54 Kennigit wrote:
Aren't you supposed to rinse the rise over and over until the water is clear before using?
ya well i do that just rinse a few times but apparently if u do it too much the rice like loses its nutrients or something like that haha
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Netherlands19129 Posts
Hhoollyyy shit amazing good stuff, gonna do this this very weekend!
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yeah im definitely going to be going to a japanese restaurant today...
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How much money did that party cost you? 0.o That's like 200$ worth of Sushi at the place I go.
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Belgium9945 Posts
wow that looks amazing, but a lot of work.
I may do this some time for a special occasion.
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All of that looks so delicious.. really nice guide, thanks!
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Corinthos
Canada1842 Posts
!!! Sushi!!! Yummy!!! Salmon!!! Sashmi!!! GREAT!
Thanks!
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Might want to resize the images for people who can't download all 10-20MB in a reasonable amount of time. :p (590px width will fit the layout)
5/5 btw
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omg... this is the first thing ima do once i get out of college
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On November 26 2008 11:25 CDRdude wrote:
Wow, that's one hell of a guide. 5/5 even though I'm not a big fan of sushi.
exactly my stance to this blog
very nice job, i might even start to like sushi more because of you
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good post, just wanted to ask what was wrong with basmati rice, if u buying white rice anyways u not going to get all the minerals/vitamins u could from a brown rice. At this point i wonder if there's a difference besides taste, since it went through "whitening"( stripping the nutrients off)
also, u mention buying fresh fish at the marketplace, but from what i heard it has to be frozen at a special temperature to kill off the parasites. Tuna is like the only fish that is safe to be eaten raw without freezing. Not that it would stop me from eating fresh salmon, ive done it plenty of times, just trying to take precautions since u mention yellow tail etc
also, do japanese originally put salt/sugar into their rice to make it taste better? Or do they serve it natural?
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next time when you gonna set some party up, call me!!
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United Arab Emirates5091 Posts
woa so many replies =D thanks for all the comments and props leme try answer all the questions as best i can. again i gotta say that im no professional sushi chef so dont take my word for it at all! i could be seriously wrong lol.
On November 26 2008 10:38 JinSol wrote:
wow that looks really nice. how much is the salmon usually? when i go to sushi restaurants i always get the nigiri, they taste so good, i wish to make some now haha :D
here in stockholm it's around 138kr/kg so thats around 20USD/kg i guess. but for sure it will be cheaper to make it yourself than to go to a sushi joint =D
On November 26 2008 13:32 babypo0 wrote:
hey, great guide. but one important thing. sushi is overpriced if u order out. as good as it is, it's a a lot of rice, and extras, and even the fish isn't THAT expensive.
where do you find the ingredients cheaply, especially the fish, and the sauces.
rice, sesame seeds, wasabi, giner, seaweed can be pretty easily found in any asian markets. avacado any grocery store. but the FISHES and the extra things... we need good cheap sources for those. thanks.
yea the fish you just gotta get it at a good fish market somewhere in your city, but the money is well worth it and definitely cheaper than going to a sushi restaurant. the sauces, wasabi etc i got from an asian store, you know the one with the guy who thinks to himself "you suspicious looking, browse around but never buy anything whitey". again, get the good stuff cuz it's really worth it.
On November 26 2008 22:54 Kennigit wrote:
Aren't you supposed to rinse the rise over and over until the water is clear before using?
i think that was oldskool times when rice was really roughly packaged with the husk and bits of sand got in and stuff so ppl would "wash" the rice. nowadays the rice is really really clean, i never wash my rice but thats just me im lazy, but washing it doesn't hurt you if you prefer to.
On November 27 2008 00:50 FzeroXx wrote:
How much money did that party cost you? 0.o That's like 200$ worth of Sushi at the place I go.
that party was 10 people including myself. we were 6 guys 4 girls and we ate like a boat load and there was still some left overs enough for two guys that really liked it to split it and take it as packed lunches the next day haha. all that eveything cost me 740kr so around 100USD maybe? of course theres consumables like rice, sauces, pickled ginger etc etc but that cost is just initial fixed cost, after that the next party you don't need to buy that shit so it's much cheaper. and the more people at your party the more cheaper it will be (economies of scale lol)
On November 27 2008 17:14 food wrote:
good post, just wanted to ask what was wrong with basmati rice, if u buying white rice anyways u not going to get all the minerals/vitamins u could from a brown rice. At this point i wonder if there's a difference besides taste, since it went through "whitening"( stripping the nutrients off)
also, u mention buying fresh fish at the marketplace, but from what i heard it has to be frozen at a special temperature to kill off the parasites. Tuna is like the only fish that is safe to be eaten raw without freezing. Not that it would stop me from eating fresh salmon, ive done it plenty of times, just trying to take precautions since u mention yellow tail etc
also, do japanese originally put salt/sugar into their rice to make it taste better? Or do they serve it natural?
basmati rice just isn't sticky enough and the taste is rather bland.
"white rice" vs "brown rice" uhh i dont know ive never tried with brown rice =/ i guess there are less nutrients in white rice lol but i think you might need to remove that outer layer for the starch to come through during cooking ???? i duno you should google this or smthn hahaha
yea what i do is call up the fish joint and tell them i want this and that fish and they will put it into their bigass -40 freezers on say wed and then thaw it before i pick it up on friday. definitely watch out with the health issue, but the fishermen will know what can be eaten raw and what cant. i just take their word for it =D
yes the japanese put salt/sugar/rice vinegar in their sushi rice. i know they even have like extremely reduced fish stock or seaweed stock that they mix into their sushi rice for a better flavor but i have neither the time nor the know how for that haha. other sushi places i know put "secret" ingredients too for a unique sushi rice but they never tell anyone.
On November 27 2008 17:30 emucxg wrote:
next time when you gonna set some party up, call me!!
actually yea i was thinking if anyone's in stockholm and wants to meet up or smthn for like an MSL final i could make sushi and we could hang out or smthn.
aight gl hf =D
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whooooa, awesome blog! if i ever get money, this is definitely on the top of the list of things to make
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Dude, the sushi you made look really good  I totally agree with you that there's hardly any good sushi restaurants in NA unless you pay sky-rocket prices.
Luckily for me, I can just take the train down a couple of stations and have the best sushi on Earth ... for two-three more weeks.
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Don't forget that when doing the maki rolls, you want to put the rice on the textured side, with the shiny side down.
Other than that, you're pretty good. I've always worked in a restaurant making sushi, so we use gloves and a little bit of oil from some tempura to keep the rice off our hands - how do you do it with no gloves? Mad water is all I've ever had success with, but that's unprofessional and annoying.
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Oh yeah and if you got salmon, you should sprinkle it with salt, let it sit, and rinse it off before you use it. It draws out the bacteria that makes your hand itch when you touch it.
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On November 26 2008 22:54 Kennigit wrote:
Aren't you supposed to rinse the rise over and over until the water is clear before using?
If you're really baller, you also let it sit in a strainer for 30 minutes after rinsing till clear so it absorbs moisture and comes out super fluffy when it cooks.
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This should definently be stickied along with Chef's food blog posts
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Sweet. You rule, thanksa lot.
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fuck you made me hungry. That all looks pretty fucking amazing.
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i say it's all about the cheap cost. sushi is freaken good, but theres no need to pay overjacked rates for some simple fish and rice. just eat it all, forget the form. that's where all the labor charge goes. after u eat it, it all comes out the same in the end right? so just get some the ingredients, and stuff ur face. i really never gave a crap about the looks of food.
should it cost a man a day's wages just to have some good fish and rice? NO!
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I love you. I want you to know that i now think of you as a fucking kick ass entertainer, and gentleman. I will aspire to be half of your greatness.
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MURICA15980 Posts
Okay I'm definitely trying this.
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Fantastic blog dude
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Are you SURE there is no vinegar curing step to making sushi rice? I think there is...for some reason
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WOW
so awesome
I'm going to force some people to make this...
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Well after long consideration, gonna try making some sushi tonight as a test. This guide is just so amazing at helping newbies like me take the step in the right direction in creating this awesome dish.
Old bump, since I know there are more people out there that never seen this guide, and it's just filled with awesomeness.
Thanks so much!
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Wow, you are really skilled. I make sushi but I don't have reliable access to safe fish so I stick to vegetable stuff.
The stuff you make has flair. It's better than almost all the stuff here in the US (except the legitimately Japanese sushi places).
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thats looks really really good.
btw BioboyAT ROCKS!
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Wow, was reading through the blog for the first time, and didn't notice the date. Very nice bump, and a 5/5 blog. :D
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It's really easy to make made it like a month ago with and Indian friend.
BTW you have sexy asian hands.
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GIVE THE MAN A BETA KEY!
those pictures look fabulous, i cant believe i missed this guide.
On May 29 2009 04:26 BuGzlToOnl wrote:It's really easy to make made it like a month ago with and Indian friend. BTW you have sexy asian hands.
im sure his sexy hands are put to good use outside of the kitchen too 
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wow that looks amazing :o
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United States22883 Posts
On November 27 2008 19:10 pyrogenetix wrote:
i think that was oldskool times when rice was really roughly packaged with the husk and bits of sand got in and stuff so ppl would "wash" the rice. nowadays the rice is really really clean, i never wash my rice but thats just me im lazy, but washing it doesn't hurt you if you prefer to.
You're still supposed to, but I think that's something only Japanese people do. It removes a lot of the starch and is part of reducing the stickiness. The sushi rice itself is usually short grain just for the textural properties (again, stickiness) and there's some special techniques for letting the vinegar soak in, but I'm not sure it makes much of a difference. I don't know if you can do 100% brown rice, but you can do a mixture of 50/50, and just cook them together.
Those pictures do look pretty great. I'm sure a real sushi chef would scoff at everything but 90% of Japanese restaurants don't have real sushi chefs so fuck it.
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Im about to buy fresh fish next Thursday to make sushi and temaki.
I am still concerned about the salmon, because there are risks of eating it raw.
I live in a landlocked city in Brasil and I dont know how concerned they really are about the quality of the fish they bring in (Im buying from the best reputed market though).
What can I do/ask the salesman to make sure the salmon will be good to eat raw?
Should I just take his word too?
Spending time inside the freezer will do it good?
Should I let it soak on a mixture of water/salt to "clean it"?
Thanks in advance =)
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Saw this linked from the New Year's Resolution thread and just wanted to say thank you for making this OP and I'm bumping this so others can get that craving for sushi like I just did after reading this. :D
Your sushi rolls look beautiful OP and I'm def gonna try to make some of my own using your directions this weekend.
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The whole washing the rice ... I think most Chinese ppl say that it washes away the nutrients if you wash it too many times. I typically wash it once or twice and the water is usually still a little white.
Too much washing supposedly means less nutritious rice.
And I think rice vinegar and sugar and added to the sushi rice. My parents make sushi rolls similar to the OP.
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On November 26 2008 09:59 pyrogenetix wrote:
Rice
Good rice is really important. A medium to short grain rice is good. There is no such thing as "sushi rice" just like there is no such thing as "sandwich bread".
Actually after working in a Japanese-owned sushi/teppanyaki restaurant in Waikiki with chefs that had been rolling for like 40+ years I can honestly tell you that the amount of preparation and quality of rice that goes into real "sushi rice" makes more of a difference than you think.
Here's the method we used:
Take high quality Japanese rice--calrose is fine if you can't find anything else, but the important part is that you don't break ANY of the grains. If you cook rice for sushi with broken or cracked grains the inside leaks out and makes it all sticky. Each grain should be a separate entity from the rest.
Wash it LIGHTLY in water until the water runs clear using a strainer and a large metal bowl. Put the rice into the strainer and put the strainer into the bowl, then run water into the bowl and move the strainer up and down so the rice agitates in the water. Drain the water, repeat 3 times. Drain the water again and pour the rice into the bowl. Using the palm of your hand, LIGHTLY scrub the rice, making sure no kernels break. Put it back into the strainer and do the water thing again. Repeat until the water runs clear or until you see a broken kernel.
Drain the water and put the rice back into the strainer. Put the strainer in the bowl and leave it for 30 minutes to an hour. We left ours overnight because we used like 50+ cups of rice a day.
Use one of those sushi rice-making nets that resembles reusable cheesecloth and put it on the bottom of the rice cooker. Cook your rice with less water than you usually do. We put our finger in touching the top of the rice and put water up to the first joint. Some places add some potato starch here.
After you have your rice cooked, take it out and flip it into a large wooden rice barrel. Add your vinegar mix by pouring it over the wooden rice paddle and spread it gently, making sure not to mash anything but still breaking up all the large clusters. Each grain should be an individual grain, not stuck to anything else.
Flip, cut, and cool the rice for 10 minutes. Leave it for 5 minutes. Flip, cut, and cool the rice again.
Put it into a plastic cooler or a warm rice cooker to keep it warm. If the rice cools too much it sticks together and is not very easy to work with.
Honestly, I didn't think any of this was important at all until I had it explained and demonstrated by a Japanese chef. He gave me a tekka-maki that he made fresh and it was like I FINALLY understood what sushi was supposed to taste like. The roll looked like shit but my god, it was something else.
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France1919 Posts
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Nice bump, now I'm freaking hungry ...
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Hong Kong20321 Posts
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wow... I do so many of those "don't"s... What's wrong with:
1. rubbing chopsticks together to remove splinters
2. dunking rice in the soy sauce
3. dumping wasabi into soy sauce
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Hong Kong20321 Posts
On April 25 2010 17:03 stalife wrote:
wow... I do so many of those "don't"s... What's wrong with:
1. rubbing chopsticks together to remove splinters
2. dunking rice in the soy sauce
3. dumping wasabi into soy sauce
2. u only taste soy sauce after, nothing else lol
3. 41212 wasabi in soy sauce... u only taste soy sauce with the wasabi removing all sense of taste and smell after
1. well if the chopsticks do have splinters i say who gives a shit. if it was a nice place the chopsticks wouldn't have splinters in the first place anyway
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On April 25 2010 17:28 alffla wrote:Show nested quote +On April 25 2010 17:03 stalife wrote:
wow... I do so many of those "don't"s... What's wrong with:
1. rubbing chopsticks together to remove splinters
2. dunking rice in the soy sauce
3. dumping wasabi into soy sauce
2. u only taste soy sauce after, nothing else lol 3. 41212 wasabi in soy sauce... u only taste soy sauce with the wasabi removing all sense of taste and smell after 1. well if the chopsticks do have splinters i say who gives a shit. if it was a nice place the chopsticks wouldn't have splinters in the first place anyway
I read this blog at least once every month. Now is the 1 year anniversary of the last bump.
I eat sushi as we speak. Everybody who hasn't read this blog, take a second to bask in it.
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On December 27 2009 14:25 ZERG_RUSSIAN wrote:Show nested quote +On November 26 2008 09:59 pyrogenetix wrote:
Rice
Good rice is really important. A medium to short grain rice is good. There is no such thing as "sushi rice" just like there is no such thing as "sandwich bread". Actually after working in a Japanese-owned sushi/teppanyaki restaurant in Waikiki with chefs that had been rolling for like 40+ years I can honestly tell you that the amount of preparation and quality of rice that goes into real "sushi rice" makes more of a difference than you think. ... Honestly, I didn't think any of this was important at all until I had it explained and demonstrated by a Japanese chef. He gave me a tekka-maki that he made fresh and it was like I FINALLY understood what sushi was supposed to taste like. The roll looked like shit but my god, it was something else.
As someone who has eaten a lot of sushi (some by people who were in the business for decades and learned their stuff apprenticing in sushi bars in Japan), I can vouch for how each of the elements of sushi, from the rice to the quality and cut of the sushi, is really freakin' important to its taste. The art of making sushi is one of those things that seems simple enough at first glance, but it takes a lot of work to get right. It's been said that the art of making sushi can take as long as several years to get just right...
...but when it's just right, it's downright amazing. You actually appreciate the fish more in a well-made nigiri sushi than you would have if you had it in sashimi form (i.e., just the fish itself).
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Your holding your knife wrong !
Gotta be careful with those things I've had more then enough emergency visits and shaved finger tips !
I can make a hell of a pressure bandage though. !
This is how you hold a knife:
+ Show Spoiler +Take your index and thumb fingers and pinch them together with the top of the blade held in between. The pressure here should be firm. ![[image loading]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gDH8azZVJPM/TV2IuP9WerI/AAAAAAAAAA8/bYGM2VoAmh0/s200/IMG_1619.JPG) With the other three fingers, hold the handle. Do not grip too tight, a looser grip will actually allow for more stability and control. Your index and thumb fingers should be doing most of the work. Keep those fingers tucked in ! ![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--XLVptUR4ho/TV2J8C_z3sI/AAAAAAAAABA/vgCmFA_jblg/s200/IMG_1620.JPG) Also just as important, keep your guiding hand's fingers and thumb tucked in at all times ! Once you cut an item in half and have a flat surface to work with its hard not to go wrong.
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