Sushi – a traditional Japanese dish – has come to Polish cuisine for good. On culinary maps of cities, restaurants serving rice rolls appear as often as those with fast food. Takeaway sushi or food trucks are also not uncommon. Lovers of rice wrapped in nori can also prepare dishes themselves. How to make sushi at home? What ingredients do you need to make the best sushi?
What do you need to make sushi?
To prepare home-made sushi, you will need a rolling mat (you can find it in many supermarkets) and a sharp knife. What ingredients to choose for making homemade sushi? This is an individual matter, depending on your taste preferences. Sushi stores with rice, nori, rice vinegar and a mat are available in stores. All these products can also be purchased separately.
Rice is the key!
Rinse the rice under running water, stirring constantly until the water is clear (it takes a while). After rinsing, we leave the rice in water for 30 minutes. We rinse for the last time, pour water in a ratio of approximately 1: 1.2 (rice: water) – water quality is important, bottled water will not be an exaggeration. Cook on low heat under the cover 15 minutes to evaporate all the water, often stirring at the beginning. After cooking, leave the rice in a pot under cover for 15 minutes, then translate it best into a wooden bowl, pour the sauce on it and let it cool down.
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Remember about nori
Spread Nori on the mat, shiny side down, and then put a layer of rice in the middle (the rice is sticky, so it’s most convenient to form it with a hand moistened in water), leaving the empty ends along the short sides. Then, on a layer of rice, spread a strip of mayonnaise or cheese in the middle and lay along the strips of fish, avocado, cucumber. How to roll sushi to get nice rolls? Strong movements, a mat and a sharp knife will facilitate the task. It is worth remembering to roll the sushi with a determined move, helping yourself with the mat. The nori bank, uncooked with rice, must be pressed so that it sticks to the other, forming a roll. The last stage is cutting sushi rolls with a sharp knife, into parts about 2 cm thick.
Nigiri – no wrapping required
Nigri sushi, i.e. sushi without wrapping, is much easier to prepare. For one oval sticks formed in the palm of your hand, just put a piece of fish, shrimp or Japanese omelette of the same size. Before laying on one side, it is worth gently spreading wasabi.
Sushi toppings
Soy sauce, in which you gently dip a piece of the roll before eating, wasabi, or green Japanese horseradish, which will give a spicier taste to delicate, rice rolls and pickled ginger, which, eaten between different types of sushi, cleanses the taste buds.
Vegetarian sushi
Crab sticks, shrimp or fish are just optional ingredients that you can replace with your favorite – cucumber, Japanese omelette, avocado, marinated radish, bamboo shoots or shiitake mushrooms. As you can see sushi does not have to mean fish and can be fully vegetarian!