How to cook rolls at home: a step by step recipe

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Japanese cuisine in today's globalized world is gaining more and more popularity. And for some reason, it so happened that it was sushi, an appetizer of rice and fish or seafood, that Europeans liked more than other delights of the culinary art of the Land of the Rising Sun. Going to Japanese restaurants every day is expensive, and probably many people have thought about how to cook sushi (rolls) at home. Think it's impossible? Is it really just because Japanese chefs wrap rolls in a sushi bar? But this is not an innate skill that is inherited, along with genes, but a skill that can be mastered. The Japanese themselves have a different opinion. They even believe that real rolls will not work if they are made by warm and gentle female hands. But we believe that Slavic girls can do anything: if they stop a horse at full gallop and enter a burning hut they can do it, will it really be “weak” to roll some rice rolls?

A bit of theory

Before we start mastering the art of how to cook rolls at home, it would not hurt to get acquainted with the "materiel". The authentic name of this dish is makizushi. And the Europeans called it rolls, because it rolls up. There are many recipes for makizushi. There is also ura-maki - when the rice is not inside the roll, but outside. Not always the packaging of sushi is nori seaweed. Sometimes its function is performed by rice paper or a special Japanese omelet. The process of making sushi can be divided into stages. This cooking of rice is the most critical phase. Then comes the preparation of the filling and dressing. Next comes the artistic part - folding the rolls. Even if you don’t succeed in forming the rolls beautifully for the first time, this will not affect their taste. And finally, cutting the sausage into pieces. If you can make a sandwich, then you can do it too.

Equipment

Many people who are thinking about how to cook rolls at home are stopped by doubts about the high cost of all these bamboo rugs, spatulas and other Japanese paraphernalia. There is no reason to worry. Everything is interchangeable… Except for the makisu bamboo mat. But note that it is purchased once, and you will cook sushi at home more than once. So it will pay off over time. Japanese cuisine is so popular that large supermarkets even have an entire section for sushi lovers. There you can also buy the Sen Soi set, which already contains not only a rug and sticks, but also some products: wasabi, nori sheets, rice, vinegar, soy sauce (although everything is ina small amount). For the first time, such a set will do. And later, having makisa and algae, you can simply buy more products. Then sushi will be a very inexpensive dish for you.

How to cook rolls at home: a step by step recipe. Stage 1: rice cooking

The quality of sushi, like any other dish, depends on the ingredients. And since rice occupies most of the land, the choice of grain type should be approached responsibly. You need to choose short, round grains. Long ones are good for crumbly pilaf, but it is important for us to get sticky viscous porridge. Residents of big cities can not rack their brains, but simply buy a pack of "Sushi Rice" in the supermarket. But what about those who have a small selection in stores? Suitable white rice "Mistral Italica" or Krasnodar. We measure out two cups of cereal. Rinse the grains well until the water runs clear. We put the rice in a pan in which it will be cooked. Pour water in proportions of 1 to 1.5. That is, for two glasses of cereal we need three cups of liquid. Close the pan tightly and put on a large fire. As soon as the water boils, reduce the flame to a minimum. But we do not open the saucepan so as not to release steam. Turn off the fire after a quarter of an hour. We give the cereal, which by that time has absorbed all the water, rest under the lid for another twenty minutes.

Step Two: Rice Mortar

If you have already studied the question of how to cook rolls at home, then you probably know that rice immediately soaks after cookingspecial filling. In it, the main component is Japanese rice vinegar "su". And don't even think about "import substituting" it with our apple or grape product - spoil the whole dish. Japanese vinegar is not spicy, sweetish in taste. Pour five tablespoons of this ingredient into an iron bowl, heat over low heat. Remove from the stove, add three tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of s alt. Stir until completely dissolved. Place the hot rice porridge in a glass or ceramic container. With a wooden stick we make circular movements with one hand, and with the other we pour vinegar dressing over this tool. This technique will help us soak each grain without disturbing the viscosity of the porridge. Therefore, we interfere with rice with cutting movements, rotating the stick clockwise. After distributing all the dressing in this way, cover the porridge with a paper towel and leave to cool completely.

Step three: prepare the stuffing

This step is very simple. The components for the filling are simply cut into thin and, if possible, long bars. What ingredients are needed to make rolls at home? There are a lot of recipes. Let's look at this step using the simplest example. We cut the crab stick lengthwise along its entire length into four parts. And already along this narrow strip we cut a fresh peeled cucumber and cream cheese. It is important that all filling components are more or less the same thickness. This will not only look beautiful on a slice of sushi, but will also affect the balance of taste. If we use soft cheese, it is important to bring it tocreamy consistency. All filling ingredients should wait in the wings in separate containers.

Step Four: Forming a roll

So we have come to the most crucial stage of the technological process, which is called "how to cook rolls at home." With a photo, it will be easier for you to master this phase. But if even for the first time the roll turns out to be clumsy and ugly, do not be discouraged. First, it will not affect the taste of the dish. And secondly, in subsequent times you will get better and better sushi. It just takes skill and experience. We spread the makisa on the table in front of us so that the strings of the rug are away from you. For simplicity, we will make hosomaki - rolls with a thin layer of nori. This dried seaweed is sold in sheet form. It is better to choose dark nori - they have a richer taste. Take a sheet and cut it in half with scissors. Lay the nori with the glossy side down so that the bottom edge of the sheet coincides with the side of the mat closest to you. On the rough side of the algae, place the rice as thinly as possible. We fill the nori space from the edge closest to you and up to three fourths of the sheet. Somewhere in the middle of this rice space lay out the stuffing.

Step five: roll up

This is the most crucial step for those who want to cook rolls at home. Recipe with photo in front of you - repeat our steps. We take the near edge of the makisu, lift it up a little and move it away from us. According to lawattraction, a layer of rice along with a seaweed edge will fall onto the filling. We straighten the rug and fold it so that the edge coincides with the level of the nori. You can just gently move the algae sheet towards you. We repeat the action, making the movement of the rug up and away from you. We continue to do this until we have a neat sausage. We cover with a rug and lightly, without fanaticism, squeeze to fix the edges of the algae and prevent it from unfolding.

Step six: final

Now arm yourself with a very sharp knife. Wet its blade in cold water with vinegar. Then the knife will cut through the seaweed and the solid ingredients of the filling, like lightning, and will not pull the viscous rice grains with it. For those who do not know how to cook rolls at home, we will give advice. First, cut the sausage in half, then both parts in two more, and then chop the pieces to the desired thickness. You can now decorate sushi with masago flying fish caviar, boiled shrimp, pieces of red fish and other similar products. Rolls are served with soy sauce, pickled ginger gari and wasabi. The last ingredient comes in two varieties: sawa (very expensive and rare) and seiyo (sold in all specialized sushi stores). It is better to buy not ready-made wasabi, but in powder. Just mix it with water and the green puree is ready in ten minutes. As for burning, then choose it to your taste. White ginger is softer, while pink ginger is very pungent.

Practice and you will succeed

Now you know how to cook delicious rolls at home. For those new to this businessit is better to limit yourself to a small amount of ingredients for the filling. This will make it easier to roll the sushi. But as you master the skill, you will be able to resort to various roll recipes. And the day will come when it will not be a shame to bring a dish from sushi to the festive table and tell the guests: “Itadakimasu!” (“Bon appetit” in Japanese).