Sushi workshop

In traditional Japanese restaurants, chefs are only allowed to cook sushi after ten years of apprenticeship. It is no coincidence that a Buddhist proverb says: “It takes a thousand years to walk a thousand steps to enlightenment. And just as many more to take the last step.” However, this is not at all a reason to abandon the attempt to cook sushi and rolls on your own. But before moving on to improvisation (Japanese cuisine has it like no other, and you will probably want to invent your own combinations and forms), you need to master the basic rules, stock up on suitable equipment and products.

Inventory

A bamboo mat (which you use to roll rolls), chopsticks and shallow bowls, in which it is convenient to mix soy sauce with spicy wasabi, can be purchased at any supermarket today.

Products

The main thing in sushi is the quality of the products. Therefore, you should not try to save on them: rice, vegetables, fish, and nori – everything should be first-class. Rice is better to buy a special Japanese “for sushi” (it can be replaced with small Italian arborio, and even inexpensive round-grain Krasnodar, but this will inevitably affect the taste). You will need: rice vinegar, Japanese soy sauce, spicy Japanese wasabi horseradish (it is better to buy not a ready-made paste, but a powder and prepare the seasoning yourself – for this, you need to mix a teaspoon of the dry product with a teaspoon of cold water and let it brew for 10-15 minutes), sheets of nori – dried seaweed, smooth on one side and rough (to better hold rice) on the other, as well as pinkish pickled ginger – gari. If you use avocados, remember that this vegetable oxidizes easily: to keep it from browning, sprinkle the slices with lemon juice. As for the fish, it must be chilled, not defrosted and very fresh. If you can’t afford expensive fish, opt for a more modest variety (say, substitute salmon for tuna), but there should be no compromise when it comes to freshness.

rice secrets

Before cooking, rice should be thoroughly washed and poured with water in a ratio of one to one and a half. After the water boils, cover the pot with a lid and cook, without stirring, for 22-23 minutes, gradually increasing the heat from low to medium. When the rice is soft and absorbs all the water (you can add a little more boiling water if necessary), remove from heat, stir with a wooden spatula, add the sushi vinegar and stir again. Sushi vinegar is sold ready-made, but it is easy to prepare it yourself: for this, six tablespoons of rice vinegar must be mixed with two tablespoons of lemon juice, seven tablespoons of sugar and one teaspoon of salt, and then heat the resulting mixture over low heat until the sugar dissolves (the resulting enough for four cups of dry rice). Cool the rice at room temperature and you can start cooking sushi.

Nigiri sushi

This type of sushi, the most common in Europe and Russia, is relatively unusual for Japan. Oblong koloboks of rice, topped with a thin slice of fish fillet, appeared only at the end of the XNUMXth century as fast food for wealthy citizens. They are easy to prepare: form a rice base, sprinkle some wasabi on it, and then simply cover with fish – the only difficulty is to thinly and accurately cut the fillets.

Tirasi-dzusi

In Russia, this type of sushi is not yet very popular, while in Japan this dish is one of the most beloved and relevant. In translation, “chirashi-zushi” means “scattered sushi” or “sushi in a mess”: rice seasoned with vinegar is served in a bowl, and slices of raw or pickled fish, vegetables, shellfish, scrambled eggs, sesame seeds, wasabi, ginger are laid out on top of it etc., and all the elements are arranged in artistic disorder.

Poppies

“Maki” – in Japanese “roll”, “roll”: lay half a sheet of nori on a bamboo mat with the rough side up, put a thin (no more than 10 grains in thickness) layer of rice on it, leaving small indents on the sides, on rice – toppings of your choice. With the help of a mat, the roll is rolled up so that the edges of the nori are connected to each other, the roll is cut straight or obliquely into four pieces. A more complicated option: first comes a layer of rice (you need to lay a cling film on top of the rug), and then nori – then the filling will be wrapped in seaweed. After cutting maki into pieces, roll them in sesame seeds or tobiko flying fish roe.

Te-maki

Te-maki – “horns” – are cooked and eaten directly with the hands (“te” in Japanese “hand”). They are very easy to make at home. All the elements that make up sushi should be put on the table in separate bowls, not forgetting the nori sheets cut in two and slightly warm rice. Each guest will cook te-maki himself, choosing the ingredients to taste. Take half a sheet of nori in one hand, put a spoonful of rice on it, add wasabi and one or more ingredients and roll the nori into a pound.

Tamago

Tamago is a Japanese omelet that is often used in sushi and rolls. Whisk eggs with brown sugar and soy sauce, pour a fifth of the mixture into a preheated skillet greased with oil. When the top of the omelet has set a little, you need to carefully roll it into a tube with a wooden spatula, move the resulting pancake to the middle of the pan, and then pour a little more egg mixture on the side and under it. By repeating the operation several times, you will get a light layered omelette that can be cut into strips for chirashi-zushi and for the very popular tamago sushi in Japan (omelet sushi).

Etiquette

Sushi is taken with chopsticks and put in the mouth as a whole. It is better to dip sushi in soy sauce with the side on which the filling lies, otherwise the rice will absorb too much salt. Passing from one dish to another, be sure to put a plate of ginger-gari in your mouth: it will refresh your perception and allow you to fully experience the taste of sushi – both simple and refined, ancient and relevant.