Just because I am a chef doesn’t mean that I am absolutely comfortable preparing every type of food. For instance, I certainly cannot claim to be an expert when it comes to making sushi.
Sushi making is really an art and one that I have the utmost respect for. I don’t teach sushi classes at The Chopping Block as I have never felt like I could do the subject justice; we have plenty of instructors who have lots of experience and who teach the subject masterfully. That said, I can put together a relatively decent sushi roll, one that stays together and tastes good. Recently, I showed my family how to make sushi at home.
Sushi is hard to come by in my home state of Iowa, so on a recent visit, I taught my family the basics of making sushi. We had a blast, and everyone was really pleased with the results. In fact, my nieces and nephews loved it so much, they made it again two days later!
Sushi Rice
We started with a lesson in making sushi rice. I cannot stress how important the rice is. It's ultimately the backbone of the sushi and the better your rice is, the better your sushi will be. Rice can be tricky so work on improving your rice technique. My rice was actually a little overcooked and slightly mushy, but we ate it anyway.
The trick in making sushi rice is to use real Japanese sushi rice; it is a short fat grained rice and it has a higher starch content. The starch content is what holds the rice together and has it stick to the seaweed paper known as nori.
- Rinse the rice three times, so the water goes from milky to mostly clear.
- Soak the rice for 20 minutes.
- Cook by bringing the rice and water to a boil uncovered, reducing the heat to low and covering with a lid and cooking for 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, make the vinegar seasoning for the rice by heating 1 cup of rice wine vinegar and 1/3 cup of sugar until the sugar dissolves and then cool the mixture.
- After the rice is cooked, let it stand for 30 minutes.
- With a rice paddle or flat wooden spoon, pour the rice into a long shallow baking dish. Think of using the rice paddle like a knife by always slicing the rice. Never push it or stir it or you will smash the rice and make it mushy.
- Drizzle the seasoned vinegar over the rice while slicing the rice with the rice paddle so that the rice is evenly coated.
- After combined, cover with a damp clean towel and let rest until needed.
Fish and Fillings
The other big consideration for making sushi is of course the fish. I think this is where most people get stuck around making sushi at home. It is true that most places in the country do not have the quality or freshness of fish required to eat it raw. If you don’t have a local fish person who can order you sushi-grade fish, you can order it frozen online. Catalina has a big selection and the prices are relatively reasonable. I would not go to the local market and pick up fish from the counter, slice it up and eat it unless they can assure you it is sushi-grade fish.
Even if you don’t have the best fish for your sushi, there are tons of great rolls you can make with cooked fish and vegetables. Cooked fish, shrimp, crab or scallops make a great substitute for raw fish. Add avocado, asparagus, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno and scallions. Mix up some spicy mayo, sweet soy sauce, sesame seeds and have some cream cheese on hand to add some zip to the roll. All of these ingredients can be readily found at any grocery store.
Specialty Equipment and Ingredients
You do need some special equipment in order to make sushi at home. You should be able to find tools and ingredients online if you cannot find them at your local grocery store. Of course, we sell these items in our retail stores as well:
- Sushi rice
- Rice wine vinegar
- Nori
- Bamboo rolling mat
It could be arguable that the two following items are mandatory for an authentic sushi experience. But if I couldn’t find them, I certainly wouldn’t let it stop me from making sushi!
- Wasabi
- Pickled ginger
There is much more to say about sushi than can be outlined in just one blog, but I hope you don’t let the fish, technique or specialty equipment stop you. Any cook anywhere can access what they need to put together some decent sushi at home. I would be happy to send anyone interested in trying to make sushi at home more detailed notes and recipes as we have an extensive handout that we use in the sushi classes we teach at The Chopping Block.
