During confinement, many people already had cooking inoculated in their genes, giving free rein to their passion. But there were also many who discovered the pleasure of putting yourself in front of the stove and daring to make those dishes and recipes that are not so frequent to prepare in your own kitchen but we like so much, especially if they are dishes that do not belong to our tradition and we could describe as exotic. If there is one of them that simply drives us crazy -and that we still cook at home today- it is sushi, the quintessential Japanese dish. It is based on rice seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar and salt; and combined with other foods that elevate it to become a delicacy such as fish, shellfish, meat and vegetables restaurant near me.
We don’t need to tell you that sushi has been a culinary trend for a long time. You only have to look around you and you will see the offer that you will find both in restaurants and in other areas, not to mention the amount of sushi that exists, although the best known are maki, uramaki, temaki, futomaki , nigiri and gunkan . And to make it easier for you if you decide to become a sushiwoman or sushiman at home and give a big surprise to your partner, family or friends, we are going to reveal all the keys you need to know to succeed with this delicious thousand-year-old dish in homemade maki format .
Rice
The main ingredient of sushi, the base on which everything else stirs, so it is essential that you choose the one you need, it is not worth the first one you get at home. For example, the round one with which you make the rice dishes is not going to give you a good result, so forget about it. You need a rice that is very starchy and glutinous, round and short grained, and preferably of the japonica variety . If for whatever reason you don’t have easy access to it, the bomb can get you out of trouble, even if you don’t expect miracles.
the washing
One of the most important steps in preparing rice is washing. If you don’t get it right, the war to make decent sushi will be lost. To do this, you must put the rice in a container and wash it under the tap so that it loses excess starch. A visual trick that you can use is to see how the white water from the first few washes becomes clearer as you wash and wash the rice and see that it has become transparent.
cooking
It is very important to control the amounts, which will have to be exact of rice and water. It is important that you start cooking with cold water, and that when it starts to boil, lower the heat to a minimum -always covered- for about 13 minutes. Then you will have to let it rest and temper for another 10 minutes approximately.
the dressing
Another of the most delicate moments when preparing the rice arrives: adding the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Here each cook has his secret recipe, but for the uninitiated it is best to follow the standard measurements. More or less they tell us that the dressing should be one fifth of the amount of rice you have prepared, and within it with a proportion of five parts of rice vinegar, two of sugar and one of salt. When combining the rice with the dressing, it is best to have previously dissolved the salt and sugar in the rice vinegar.
The tempered
Once the rice and the dressing have been mixed, taking care not to crush or break the grains, it is time to make it lose temperature, a matter that is also traditional and very fun because you can use a fan. It is about putting the rice on a wooden or plastic surface and tempering it until it reaches a temperature (the ideal) of about 36 degrees Celsius. And it’s ready to work with it in the shape of sushi you want to make.
Try making your own makis
To make your own sushi, we recommend that you start by making makis, which in Japanese means something like “rolls”. There are several types such as hosomaki, futomaki, chumaki, ehomaki, temaki, uramaki or gunkan depending on their thickness, number of ingredients and shape. But the best thing to do if you are “debuting” is that you limit yourself to a maximum of 2 or 3 ingredients apart from rice.
For them you need the rice that we have already talked about how to prepare, nori seaweed and the rest of the ingredients that you have chosen for the filling. To ride it, you must know the basic technique and tricks so as not to fail.
Cook when you go to eat : sushi is a dish to eat at the same time you prepare it. Therefore, do not even think about cooking the rice hours before going to prepare it. You must do it at the moment.
Wooden utensils – Follow the Japanese tradition and use non-metal spoons and bowls throughout the preparation of sushi because metal alters flavor.
Always moist hands : the rice that has already been prepared will be sticky and to work it well you must have moist hands. In order not to lose moisture, always have a container of water next to it.
Moisten the seaweed : when making the makis, you must place the nori seaweed sheet on the mat that you are going to use. Distribute the rice in a thin layer, leaving a centimeter and a half at one end, which you must moisten so that when closing the roll it adheres well and does not come unstuck.
Use a mat : when making the makis, stop making things up. Use a mat to form the roll. To prevent the rice from sticking to you, cover it with transparent film so that the maki will slide much better.
Wet the blade of the knife : when cutting our sushi rolls, to avoid making a mess you must wet the blade of the knife, so that it slides better and makes clean cuts. Each piece should be about 2 centimeters.