sushi how to

pyrogenetix

China5094 Posts

November 26 2008 00:59 GMT

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.

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

ilovehnk

475 Posts

November 26 2008 01:03 GMT

i thought you are Chinese.....

A3iL3r0n

United States2196 Posts

November 26 2008 01:04 GMT

Wow, thx.

mikeymoo

Canada7170 Posts

November 26 2008 01:07 GMT

For no formal training that looks REALLY good. =[ Making me hungry.

pyrogenetix

China5094 Posts

November 26 2008 01:08 GMT

yea im chinese but i like lots of different kinds of food =D

edited the photos to show and not a link

SpiritoftheTunA

United States20903 Posts

November 26 2008 01:12 GMT

pyro you are sexy

sexy sexy sexy

i love you

GHOSTCLAW

United States17042 Posts

November 26 2008 01:14 GMT

Now I really really really want sushi. >.>

VeirenT

United States181 Posts

November 26 2008 01:15 GMT

WOW this is amazing.

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?

DamageControL

United States4222 Posts

November 26 2008 01:22 GMT

i thought there was sushi rice, its normal rice cured in some kinda vinegar.

A3iL3r0n

United States2196 Posts

November 26 2008 01:22 GMT

#10

okay, so when do i slap the girl with the wet knife again?

ilovejonn

Canada2548 Posts

November 26 2008 01:26 GMT

#11

wow the caterpillar roll looks sick and delicious xD

DJEtterStyle

United States2766 Posts

November 26 2008 01:29 GMT

#12

Good post. Thanks.

allowicious

United States972 Posts

November 26 2008 01:37 GMT

#13

so.................hungry...............

that looks like sushi straight out of a restaurant or something
looks very professional and delicious ^^

pinenamu

United States770 Posts

November 26 2008 01:38 GMT

#14

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

pyrogenetix

China5094 Posts

November 26 2008 01:41 GMT

#15

On November 26 2008 10:15 VeirenT wrote:
WOW this is amazing.

Show nested quote +

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.

infinity21

Canada6683 Posts

November 26 2008 01:41 GMT

#16

Yum. looks delicious

Nice post ^^"

VeirenT

United States181 Posts

November 26 2008 01:47 GMT

#17

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...

statix

United States1760 Posts

November 26 2008 01:47 GMT

#18

im having my gf get on this asap

QuanticHawk

United States32044 Posts

November 26 2008 01:58 GMT

#19

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 ._.

SayaSP

Laos5494 Posts

November 26 2008 02:01 GMT

#20

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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