How to make Sushi (originally posted by Babah Sarah)
Here, I would like to share how Babah made sushi. The post was originally written by Babah on 22 April 2006. By the way, you might find this link useful if you are interested to find out more about sushi.
How to make sushi: the rice
I'm back! and thanks to wireless technology I'm blogging straight from the kitchen.
So firstly, I'm preparing the rice. If you look closely at the picture above, you'll notice there are two types of rice. On the left is Japanese rice, which is shorter and rounder and on the right is Basmati rice which is long and thin. For sushi, we'll be using the Japanese variety of rice.
How to prepare the rice for sushi:
1. Wash the rice using lots of cold water to get rid of dust and most of the smell.
2. Here, I'm using a Phillips non-stick rice cooker. I measure 1 cup of rice and add in water up to the number 1 gauge.
Finding the right balance of water and rice is difficult, and I cannot honestly say my balance is 100% perfect. The balance we want is rice that is not too soggy but not too dry. The shape of the rice must also be preserved, too much water will cause "mushy" rice.
3. Cook the rice as you would normally (read: just press the on button on the rice cooker).
4. While waiting for the rice to cook, lets prepare the vinegar.
So firstly, I'm preparing the rice. If you look closely at the picture above, you'll notice there are two types of rice. On the left is Japanese rice, which is shorter and rounder and on the right is Basmati rice which is long and thin. For sushi, we'll be using the Japanese variety of rice.
How to prepare the rice for sushi:
1. Wash the rice using lots of cold water to get rid of dust and most of the smell.
2. Here, I'm using a Phillips non-stick rice cooker. I measure 1 cup of rice and add in water up to the number 1 gauge.
Finding the right balance of water and rice is difficult, and I cannot honestly say my balance is 100% perfect. The balance we want is rice that is not too soggy but not too dry. The shape of the rice must also be preserved, too much water will cause "mushy" rice.
3. Cook the rice as you would normally (read: just press the on button on the rice cooker).
4. While waiting for the rice to cook, lets prepare the vinegar.
How to make sushi: the vinegar
Once the rice is cooked, place in an open plate and add the vinegar mixture (I’ll explain how to make the vinegar later). Mix the rice and the vinegar well, but not vigorously as not to destroy the rice’s texture.
The rice is now let to cool and cooling is aided by fanning over the rice.
Here is how to make the vinegar mixture:
150 mls of rice vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 heaped teaspoon of salt
The ratios of vinegar-to-salt-to-sugar is extremely important, and I’ve read in Japan, whether a restaurant is successful or not depends hugely on the taste of the vinegar mixture.
Above is my personal ratio, although by no means perfect. I’m still constantly micro-tweaking to find the best taste.
Now, heat the vinegar in a saucepan over a medium fire, and reduce the volume to one-third. Once the vinegar is thick and syrupy, put aside to cool.
How to make sushi: rolled egg
Ingredients:
3 eggs
One level teaspoon of salt
One heaped teaspoon of sugar
3 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 teaspoon of soy-sauce
Crack all the eggs into a bowl, then add the soy sauce, salt and sugar. Using a pair of chopsticks “cut” through the mixture back and forth to mix evenly.
Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan.
Spread an extremely thin layer of oil onto the frying pan. To do this, soak a kitchen tissue with oil, then spread onto the pan. A thin layer of around 1-2mm of oil is ideal. Heat the oil over a medium fire.
Now, Starting from one end of the pan, pour the egg mixture to form a thin layer. Tilt the pan 45 degrees to allow the egg mixture to spread thinly over the whole pan surface. Allow the egg to cook.
When the outsides of the egg starts to harden but the insides are still runny, roll the egg from one end to the other.
Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan.
Spread an extremely thin layer of oil onto the frying pan. To do this, soak a kitchen tissue with oil, then spread onto the pan. A thin layer of around 1-2mm of oil is ideal. Heat the oil over a medium fire.
Now, Starting from one end of the pan, pour the egg mixture to form a thin layer. Tilt the pan 45 degrees to allow the egg mixture to spread thinly over the whole pan surface. Allow the egg to cook.
When the outsides of the egg starts to harden but the insides are still runny, roll the egg from one end to the other.
Put the rolled egg to one side, and pour the egg mixture onto the opposite side, again spreading the mixture thinly by tilting the pan.
Repeat until the egg mixture is finished.
Put the rolled egg aside to cool.
Repeat until the egg mixture is finished.
Put the rolled egg aside to cool.
How to make sushi: Assembling / Rolling
This is probably the most difficult step, and it takes lots of practice to get it right.
- Place the nori sheet right towards one edge of the bamboo mat.
- Now, using the bamboo mat, fold the nori and ingredients on top of itself forming a tube. It takes around 2 and a half rolls to form the tube.
- Again using the bamboo mat, squeeze the tube tight. At this point, you can also change the shape of the tube to a triangle or square to make shaped sushi.
- Unroll the bamboo mat from the sushi, and we’re ready for cutting.
How to make sushi: Yukiwa Maki
Uncle and Auntie De called today to say they're coming to pay us a visit. I felt so guilty last time I was practising making sushi as I have forgotten to invite the De's. So I thought their visit this time would be an excellent opportunity for me to make and also blog about making Yukiwa Maki or "inside out rolls".
Please refer to my previous posts on how to make sushi to prepare the following:
Please refer to my previous posts on how to make sushi to prepare the following:
Spread the rice over the nori (seaweed sheet), however unlike last time, spread the rice right to the edges of the nori without leaving any margins.
Sprinkle a generous amount of mustard seed (or sesame seed) on the rice, like the picture. Then, spread enough cling film to cover the whole bamboo mat (makisu).
Flip over all the layers so that the cling film is now right above the bamboo mat. The layers from the top will now be the nori, the rice, the cling film, then the bamboo mat. Arrange the fillings across the nori as pictured. For today's sushi I've used prawns, strips of rolled egg and cucumber.
Sprinkle a generous amount of mustard seed (or sesame seed) on the rice, like the picture. Then, spread enough cling film to cover the whole bamboo mat (makisu).
Flip over all the layers so that the cling film is now right above the bamboo mat. The layers from the top will now be the nori, the rice, the cling film, then the bamboo mat. Arrange the fillings across the nori as pictured. For today's sushi I've used prawns, strips of rolled egg and cucumber.
The rolling process is the same as before, the difference being the upside down layers and the cling film ontop of the bamboo mat. The cling film will prevent the rice from sticking to the mat.
Notice in the picture that I was compressing the sushi using the mat to make a triangular shape. Likewise, you can make any shape you like be it squares, triangular or plain circular.
Notice in the picture that I was compressing the sushi using the mat to make a triangular shape. Likewise, you can make any shape you like be it squares, triangular or plain circular.
(Above) Using the bamboo mat, you're able to make various shapes.
Remember to cut with a very sharp knife. Before cutting, wet the knife with cold water to prevent the rice from sticking.
(Below) The finished product: Yukiwa Maki or inside-out rolls
(Below) The finished product: Yukiwa Maki or inside-out rolls
I hope those who have asked for the step-by-step recipe are happy with this long entry! Don't forget to watch the videoclip for a visual tour of how to make and roll sushi. Good luck!
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