Homemade Sushi Demystified
Making Sushi at Home
A Quick Guide by Erin Evans
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Choosing Fresh Fish
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Make sure you always buy SUSHI GRADE fish form a reputable fish seller.
Choose fish that is bright in color and soft to the touch (if you can touch it)
Uncooked shrimp should be gray in color until cooked.
Blood spots can contain parasites or. If you can, avoid purchasing fish with these.
Sometimes this isn’t an option, so you just want to make sure to cut off these
spots. (These are only a problem when eating raw fish. When cooking, the
possible parasites will be cooked out.)
Cutting Fish For Sushi
Use an 8-10 inch very sharp knife
Work against the grain of the fish
Hold the knife at a 45 degree angle
Use one smooth cut,
Slice the fish into rectangular blocks ¼ inch thick for maki.
Slice the fish into rectangular blocks ¼ inch thick and then dice for onigiri or
gunken maki sushi.
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Knife Position
Making Sushi Rice
Not having the proper rice can
mean your sushi tastes less
appetizing or in the worst
case, just falls apart
completely.
A short-grain rice is used to make
sushi, usually referred to as shari in
Japan, it is starchy and can be
purchased at Asian markets or some
grocery stores.
Making Sushi Rice Cont.
• 2mins - Wash the rice in a strainer for 2
minutes or until the water runs clear. The
ratio of water to rice is 1 : 1, so make sure
the proportions are equal.
• 4-6mins - Cook the rice on High heat until
it boils, stirring every minute.
• 6-15mins - Stop stirring, lower the
temperature to a simmer, put a lid on the
pot, and wait 10 minutes.
*If you have a gas range, you will need to
add ½ cup extra water, simmer the rice for
several more minutes, and stir it every
couple of minutes.
Making Sushi Rice Cont.
• Remove the rice from the pot with a wooden or plastic spoon.
• Don’t scrape the bottom of the pot. If the rice is dry and burnt on the
bottom, leave it.
• Let the rice cool, fluffing every once in a while so that it cools evenly.
For every 3cups of rice, add:
• ½ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. Sugar
• 2 Tsp. Salt
Your rice is ready to use!
How to begin
1. Cover your rolling mat with
plastic wrap in order to protect
it and make it easier to
retrieve the roll.
2. Take a sheet of nori and break
it gently in half across the
short width.
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Applying Sushi Rice to Rolls
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1. Your half sheet should lay on the
plastic wrapped rolling mat.
2. Place a hand full of sushi rice on
one side of the nori.
3. Spread the rice into a cylinder
shape that covers the length of
the sheet.
4. Gently press the rice into the
corners, ensuring that the sheet is
covered by the rice.
• Make sure to leave a slight gap on
the top and bottom sides.
Adding Ingredients
• Ingredients need to be cut into strips in
order to lay properly in the roll.
• Sauces may be mixed with a chopped
ingredient or spooned into the roll directly.
• Be careful not to overload the roll or you
will not be able to close it.
• Ingredients should not be more than 1” in
width.
Rolling Traditional Sushi
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1. Lift up the edge of the sushi rolling mat closest to you with your thumbs and hold the ingredients with
your fingertips.
2. Roll the mat over, remove your fingertips, and enclose the ingredients and make a roll.
3. The edges of the nori should meet at this time. Pull the roll tightly back towards yourself.
4. When you have the ingredients enclosed, roll the roll over the remaining strip of nori.
5. Remove the rolling mat and cut.
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Cutting your sushi roll
• Wet your knife
• Cut your roll in
half with one
fluid motion. (Do
not saw.)
• Set your sushi
rolls side by side
and cut in half
again.
• Repeat until you
have 8 pieces.
Onigiri
Everyone loves a good rice ball, whether seasoned or with a little secret inside!
Here’s a guide on how to roll the ball right!
Onigiri Cont.
1. Spoon some
sticky rice into
your palm, and
flatten it until it
condenses.
1 2
3 4
3. Fold the rice
over to enclose
the ingredient.
2. If using a
center
ingredient,
place it into the
center of the
rice.
4. Gently push the
edges of the rice
into corner to form
a triangle.
Onigiri Cont.
1. Fill a metal
cookie cutter
part way with
rice. Set your
ingredients into
the center.
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3. Pick up the
cutter and the
rice will slide
out of the form.