|
Nigiri
Sushi Instructions
To make
nigiri sushi, have the rice ready and cooled. Start as always, with an
extremely fresh, sushi quality fish. First, trim any veins and when you cut
the fish, cut it at a slight angle (45 degrees). Sushi fish is generally cut into 1/4 inch thick
and 1 1/2 by 3 inch rectangles. Using a
high quality sharp
knife, cut the fish at a 45 degree angle and trim to create the correct size. Have a small bowl of water next to your preparation area
for keeping your fingers moist so the rice doesn't stick to them while preparing
sushi or rolls. When it comes to the amount of rice used, that is really a
personal preference. Typically, a 1 1/2 tablespoon ball
of rice is used to form the bed of rice the fish or vegetable sits upon, and
you form it into a mounded rectangle.
You can experiment until you can get the fish to overlap the bed of rice at the
ends almost to the plate, and just a little overlap on the sides. A dab of wasabi
on the underside of the fish before putting it on the rice adds a nice flavor.
Serve with wasabi,
gari,
and
shoyu or ponzu.
Gunkan
or Battleship Sushi
Cut or tear the nori
into 1 1/2 by 4 inch strips. Form a
little ball out of 2 tablespoons of rice
and flatten it out a little bit. Wrap
the nori around the rice standing up to
make a "boat" shape using
a bit of water to seal the sides together.
Add the toppings inside and enjoy!
Sashimi
Instructions
Sashimi is cut in different ways to enhance the appearance of the fish. Hira
zukuri is the standard rectangular shape cut - 3/4 inch thick. A thinner cut is called Ito
zukuri, and is often no more than 1/8 inch thick. The thinnest cut, called Kaku
zukuri, is paper-thin and is often presented in a pattern. To prepare sashimi, first
trim any veins and slice
the fish crosswise against the grain into 3/4 inch thick slices that
are about 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 inch square, or 1 by 2 3/4 inch rectangle. The trick to
creating the little "cut lines"
on the side of the fish is to cut with a feathering motion
(cut slightly 1/16 inch, stop; cut slightly 1/16 inch, stop; etc.). Cutting like this
can also prevent
tearing of the fish. The presentation is very important with sashimi since
it is the "Main Attraction," so
play with arrangements... serve it alone on a bed of grated daikon on a plate artfully
arranged; add a shiso leaf as a bed with daikon on the side; If
you serve it on a bed of rice in a bowl with six
more vegetables and/or tempura, tamago, etc.,
you've created chirashi sushi. Shoyu, gari,
and wasabi
are always served, but you may want
to serve ponzu sauce with some finely grated fresh ginger and very thinly sliced
negi (green
onions).
Maki
& Temaki Instructions
The general term for sushi rolls is Maki Sushi which usually means the
seaweed (nori)
is on the outside. Temaki, otherwise known as a Handroll,
has the same ingredients as the maki rolls,
they are just cone shaped.
Here are the specific terms
for rolls:
Chakin Sushi - rice on the inside
wrapped with a thin egg crepe
Futomaki - thick rolls;
use a whole sheet of nori
Hosomaki - thin rolls;
use a half sheet of nori
Uramaki - inside-out rolls
(rice on the inside); use a half sheet or
nori
Tazunamaki
- (Rainbow Roll) Maki roll with strips of
fish and/or avocado across the top
Temaki
- handroll; use quarter sheet of nori
The trick to making Maki sushi is in the rolling. You can
fill it with almost anything, but getting it to look good can take practice.
Prepare the rice and choose the fillings you want. In general, you will want
to cut your fish into strips that are no
larger than 1/2 inch in diameter. Cucumber
or any other firm ingredient should also
be cut into thin strips. The length is not
as important because it makes a nice presentation
when the fillings are overflowing out of
the end pieces of a cut roll. If you're
mixing the fish with a spicy sauce, it should
be cut into nibble-sized pieces before it
is mixed (find out more in Recipes).
You
will also need nori sheets, plastic food wrap, bamboo rolling mat (makisu),
and a sharp, non-serrated knife. Once you decide what type of roll you're making,
choose the correct size of nori based on
the list above.
Have
a bowl of cold water handy to dip your fingers in, rub your hands together and give a little clap to remove the
excess water. This will prevent the rice
from sticking to your fingers. Repeat as
often as necessary. Place the nori with the long side facing you.
Grab some rice and form into a ball just a bit larger than a baseball. Place the
rice ball in the center of the nori and re-moisten hands. Press and push the
rice, spreading it with the thumbs and fingers to cover the nori, but leave
a margin of 1/2 inch on the side nearest
you AND a 3/4 inch margin on the side furthest
from you for a FUTOMAKI and leave a 1/2
inch margin on the side furthest from you
for all other rolls. Don't work
with it too much since it will get sticky. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the
rice if you want.
If
you are making the other types of rolls
except for the URAMAKI and TEMAKI
that have the rice on the outside, you make
a small dent in the center of the rice.
If you are making a URAMAKI, flip the roll
over so the nori is
facing up. Place all ingredients into an
elongated pile in the center, and try not to fill it with too much (I often
have this problem, then I can't properly
close my rolls.... but it's all good!). If
you put the same ingredients
together during placement, this gives the roll a nice uniform look when finished
and cut.
Nori
can be sticky and can become soggy quickly
- When you're making the Uramaki or Temaki
and you're handing the nori to roll or wrap
it, be sure your hands are dry.
Roll the side nearest you over the central ingredients and
finish the roll so the "seam" is on the bottom. It is a Hold, Tuck, Roll
motion - Hold and Tuck the ingredients with your fingers while using your thumbs
to Roll.
Get a sheet of plastic wrap about the same size as your
makisu. Place plastic wrap over the roll so that approximately 1 inch extends
onto the counter and the longer end closest to you. Place the mat over the roll
and plastic wrap. With both hands, press lightly on the sides to firm up the
roll. There is no need to apply pressure to the top of the roll or to slide your
hands along the mat.
The knife must be very sharp to cut the roll. Dribble water
over the length of the blade to insure the rice will not stick. Remove the
makisu and with the plastic wrap still on, cut the roll in half. Cut each of the
halves in half and again and one more time so that you have 8 pieces. Place the
makisu over the roll again and press lightly to reform the roll. Remove the
makisu and the plastic wrap.
Temaki
is made differently only in the way it's
wrapped. As I stated above, you can use
the fish cut into strips or nibble-sized
pieces, whichever you prefer. To wrap a
handroll, be sure your hands are dry first,
then using a quarter sheet of nori,
place it on your palm. Use a spoon to spread
about 3 tablespoons of rice on the nori,
putting less on the bottom part you will
be wrapping the tightest. Place your ingredients
in the center of the rice, then wrap into
a cone allowing for the nori to overlap.
Use a dab of water on the end on the nori
to stick it to the other side.
Arrange artfully! Serve with wasabi,
shoyu and gari.... Enjoy!
|
