It may seem simple, but making sushi is an art, luckily there are several tricks that will help you master this Japanese dish and thus enjoy it whenever you feel like it.
Sushi is one of the 5 most popular and consumed Japanese dishes around the world, its name comes from su , which means vinegar and shimeshi , which means rice, so it could be said that it is literally defined as rice seasoned with vinegar. Basically it is whole grain rice wrapped in nori seaweed, filled with different ingredients, although to make sushi successfully certain steps must be followed sushi restaurant near me.
Infallible tips for making sushi
- Choose the rice correctly: It is the main ingredient of sushi, the base of everything and the first thing we must mention is that it is not conventional rice. You need to opt for one that has a higher amount of starch, with a round and short grain such as koshihikari or Japanese, if you have difficulties finding it, the bomba type will work for you as well.
- Wash the rice well: Place the rice to make sushi in a container and wash it under the tap, rinse as many times as necessary, until you notice that the water no longer comes out whitish.
- Let it rest and cook long enough: After washing the rice, let it rest for about 30 minutes, then start cooking with cold water, cover and when it starts to boil, lower the heat to a minimum and leave it for about 13 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow it to rest for another 10 minutes.
- Prepare at the moment: Sushi is one of those dishes that must be prepared at the moment, never think of cooking the rice hours or days before you are going to eat it and reserve it to later make sushi, because it will not work.
- Avoid undoing the grains when adding the dressing: The mixture of vinegar , sugar and salt is basic to prepare the rice, it is best to follow the measurements indicated in your recipe, experts recommend that the dressing be one fifth of the amount of rice that you have prepared It is best to first dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar and then carefully integrate all the rice.
- Do not forget the tempering: Before making sushi you must make sure that the rice loses temperature, for this it is best to follow the traditional way and fan it until it is about 36ºC.
- Use wood : In addition to following the tradition for making sushi, wooden spoons and bowls don’t alter the flavors of the roll like metal or aluminum tools.
- Take care that your hands are always wet: This will help you handle the rice better and prevent it from sticking. It is best to have a container with water on one side to constantly wet your hands.
- Cover the mat with a piece of kitchen plastic: The bamboo mat is basic to roll and make the perfect sushi, but sometimes the ingredients stick to it, this trick will prevent it.
- Do not overdo it with the ingredients: Follow the rule “less is more” and for the filling of your makis use only two to three components.
- Leave an edge on the nori sheet: The trick so that the rolls do not get destroyed and you can seal them well is to leave a couple of centimeters of seaweed free on both sides when placing the rice and filling. Before rolling up, moisten that free strip and roll up.
- Wet the knife: The last step when making sushi is to cut the makis without them falling apart, for this you just have to wet the blade of the knife and it will be ready to slice cleanly like an expert ninja. Remember that each portion should be about 2 cm thick.