How to Prepare Sushi

Prepare sushi at home like a Japanese sushi chef.

If someone is interested in preparing sushi to eat, they are in for a delectable treat. Sushi, which is a Japanese delicacy, can be prepared within hours at home. This Japanese delicacy is shaped into small, circular pieces and stuffed with fresh ingredients. From tuna filet to cucumbers, sushi can be filled with varieties of fish, vegetables and fruits. Ginger, soy sauce and additional condiments can be added to enhance flavor. Learn a marvelous method of sushi preparation to get a scrumptious seafood snack at home.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. rice wine
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2-inch piece of kelp
• 3 cups Japanese rice
• Nori
• Cucumber
• Tuna filet
• Cooking pot
• Chopsticks
• Plastic container with lid
• Cooking pan
• Rice paddle
• Wet cloth
• Knife
• Towel
• Bamboo mat
• Mesh strainer

Instructions

Sushi Rice Vinegar

1. Pour 1/2 cup of cold rice vinegar into a cooking pot. Rinse a 2-inch piece of kelp in cold water. Add the kelp into the cooking pot. (See References 1)

2. Put the cooking pot on the stove. Cook on low heat until the rice vinegar starts simmering. Let it simmer for 1 minute.

3. Grasp a pair of chopsticks to remove the kelp from the rice vinegar. Add 2 tsp. of sugar, 1 tsp. of salt and 1 tbsp. of rice wine into the cooking pot. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Pour the sushi rice vinegar into a hard plastic container. Seal the container tightly with a lid, and put it in the refrigerator.

Sushi Rice

1. Put 3 cups of Japanese rice into a cooking pot. Pour in cold water until it covers the top of the rice.

2. Grasp and release the rice until the water becomes cloudy. Pour the rice into a mesh strainer to drain the water. Add cold water into the rice, and repeatedly drain it until the water comes out clear.

3. Put the rice and 3 1/4 cups of water into a cooking pot to soak for 10 minutes. Place it on the stove, and put a lid on top of it.

4. 

   Quickly switch the heat from high to low when the water begins to boil.

   Cook the rice on high heat until it begins boiling. Change the heat to low, and let the rice simmer for at least 20 minutes.

5. Turn off the stove, and keep the rice inside the cooking pot for 10 minutes after it is done. The rice is finished when the water is gone.

6. Turn the pot upside down, and drop the rice into a cooking pan. Pour the sushi rice vinegar over the rice using a rice paddle. Push the rice with the rice paddle to cover the surface of the cooking pan.

7. Move the rice to the left side of the cooking pan using the rice paddle. Do not move the rice in big clumps. Move the rice in small clumps. Flip the rice over, and spread it to cover the surface of the cooking pan.

8. Move small clumps of the rice to the right side of the cooking pan. Cover the cooking pan with a wet cloth.

Sushi Rolls

1. 

   Tuna filet can be substituted with other types of fish.

   Cut 1/8-inch thick slices of tuna filet using a long, sharp knife. Rinse the knife with cold water, and wipe it clean with a towel.

2. Cut a cucumber lengthwise into thin, long slices. Rinse the knife with cold water, and dry it with a towel. (See References 5)

3. 

   The bamboo mat will be covered in plastic to prevent rice from sticking.

   Lay a bamboo mat on a flat surface. Put a piece of nori on the bamboo mat. The shiny side of the nori will be down.

4. Spread rice across the sheet of nori until it is 1/2-inch thick.

5. Spread four slices of tuna filet, two slices of cucumber and desired ingredients on top of the rice. (See References 5)

6. Roll the sheet of nori with the hands. Wrap the bamboo mat around the sushi roll to make a cylinder.

7. 

   The sushi is finished and ready to be served.

   Rinse the knife with cold water. Slice the sushi roll into six to seven pieces.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful when handling sharp knives to prevent cutting the skin.

• Avoid touching the surface of a hot stove to prevent burning the skin.

References

• Sushi Encyclopedia: Sushi Rice Vinegar Recipe
• Sushi Encyclopedia: How to Cook Rice with a Pot
• The Washington Post: Should You Wash Rice?
• Sushi Encyclopedia: Sushi Rice Recipe
• The Des Moines Register; How to Make Sushi at Home; Jess Knight

Resources

• Country Living: Fish and Seafood Recipes