How to make sushi at home: sushi ingredients, varieties and step by step instructions

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

The inhabitants of our country have long fallen in love with Japanese cuisine for its great taste, which is the result of an unusual combination of products. Today, all exotic ingredients can be purchased at any supermarket, and detailed instructions will tell you how to cook homemade sushi and rolls that are as good as restaurant ones.

Main varieties

We propose to find out what are the main varieties of this dish.

Nigiri are compressed pieces of rice topped with a thin piece of fish or shrimp. Served with soy sauce, ginger and wasabi.

Maki got its name from the makisu bamboo mat used for twisting. Otherwise they are called rolls. They consist of rice and filling, they can be thin (the number of ingredients in the filling is no more than two) and thick. The most popular varieties are: "California", "Caesar", "Philadelphia". Sushi with rice turned inside out is called uramaki.

Chirashi are not similar in appearancemind the rest, they are most common in Japan. Rice is served separately from other foods, which, including seaweed, are finely chopped.

Oshi-sushi is prepared under a special press. Fish and other ingredients are laid out at the bottom of the container, then rice. From above oppression is established. After a while, the ingredients are removed from the container and cut.

Main and Minor Components

The main ingredients for sushi are nori seaweed and rice. Soy sauce and pickled ginger are served with sushi and give it a savory taste. Wasabi is a Japanese horseradish similar to mustard. Seasoning can be bought ready-made or you can make it yourself from a powder that must be diluted with water in proportions of 1: 2. Rice vinegar is added to cooked rice, but you can do without it.

You can use almost any raw or smoked fish to make rolls: salmon, mackerel, eel, tuna, as well as crab sticks and shrimp. Omelet, cucumber, cream cheese, avocado, onion, lemon are sometimes added to the filling. Inside-out rolls are cooked with sesame seeds or flying fish roe. Red caviar is most often added to gunkan sushi. If you are apprehensive about seafood, the filling for rolls can be chicken fillet or pork.

Homemade sushi: recipes with photos, step by step instructions

Japanese cuisine is not as difficult to prepare as it seems at first glance. Everyone's favorite sushi and rolls can be made at home, while spending no more than two hours. Our detailed instructions will help you with this.

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Boil it and drain the liquid. Season the grits with a small amount of rice vinegar, cool. The rest of the ingredients for sushi can be arbitrary.
2. Place the dry nori seaweed on a bamboo mat and spread the rice over its surface, slightly retreating from each edge.
3. The next moment is the most crucial, because the taste of sushi will depend on the amount of filling. No more than three ingredients will be enough for you, which fit on top of the rice.
4. Chop the red shallots finely and arrange them in a thin horizontal strip.
5. From seafood you can choose red fish, shrimp or crab sticks.
6. Follow with finely chopped avocado.
7. So you have three layers of products.
8. Roll the seaweed with rice, fish and vegetables using a bamboo mat.
9. Rolls are ready! Slice them and serve with pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi. They should be eaten with wooden chopsticks.

What should rice be for sushi?

The life of the people of Southeast Asia is unthinkable without this cereal. Rice is used to make noodles, cakes, and, most importantly, it is the main ingredient for making rolls. The right type of cereal is the key to a delicious dish, so when buying, you should consult with the seller, but it is better to buy sushi ingredients in Japanese stores.

Rice should have rounded ends and besmall size. Long rice, which is most often used for pilaf or risotto, will not work because it is very dry and retains a lot of moisture. The best varieties are Nishiki, Kahomai, Maruyu, Kokuho, Minori. The process of washing rice is quite laborious. Pour one or two cups of cereal into a deep glass container, fill with cold water. In order to separate small debris from rice, you need to wash it with your hands several times. In order for all the starch to come out and the water to become completely transparent, the procedure must be repeated about ten times. Place the washed and dried rice in a bowl. The amount of cereal and water should be the same. Rice will be ready as soon as there is no liquid left on its surface, so it must be boiled over high heat. After that, remove the pan from the heat and let the grits brew for half an hour.

Most popular rolls

California, Alaska, Canada, Philadelphia were recognized as the best of their kind. Sushi is named after localities in the Americas. They are usually classified as uramaki, since the seaweed is inside.

California filling is made from crab meat, avocado, mayonnaise. Topped with red tobiko caviar. If desired, the ingredients for sushi can be replaced: instead of avocado, you can use cucumber, and instead of crab meat, crab sticks

For "Canada" you will need smoked eel, s alted salmon or trout, cream cheese, cucumber. Small strips of smoked eel sprinkled with a handful of sesame seeds are placed on top of the rice.

"Alaska" is cooked with cream cheese, crab meat, avocado, cucumber. Rice is topped with toasted sesame seeds.

Classic roll "Philadelphia" is made from salmon or trout, cream cheese, cucumber. Flying fish roe is laid out on top of the rice.

Secrets of making delicious sushi and rolls

The height of the rice layer should not exceed 7 mm, otherwise the rolls will fall apart during eating and look too bulky.

The taste of sushi depends on the technique of slicing fish, so the knife must be very sharp. Choose skinless and boneless fillets. Never buy frozen fish, otherwise the taste will be spoiled.

Before cutting, dip a thin and sharp knife in vinegar water so that the ingredients for rolls and sushi do not get stuck in it.

Rice tastes good with a special dressing made from rice vinegar, a pinch of sugar and s alt. The finished sauce can be warmed up a little.

Kikkoman sauce is the best in every way. It is clear and has a slight reddish brown tint, and is made from water, soybeans, wheat, and s alt. By the way, it can be used not only with sushi and rolls, but also with pizza, hamburgers and Japanese soups.