Do your makis fall apart when rolled? Don’t you start making sushi because you can’t find the perfect rice? Do you want to cut the makis with your kitchen knife as if it were a ninja sword? All this and much more in this decalogue of tips and tricks that will make your life easier when preparing perfect sushi restaurant near me.
1 / Wet hands
Having wet hands while preparing the sushi rice will help us to make it perfect, since miraculously the rice grains will not stick to our fingers. A trick? Fill a bowl with water, leave it aside while you work the rice and insert your hands when they lose moisture.
2 / Keep the proportions
The proportions are essential when making a good sushi. For example, you will get a delicious “sushizu” if you put 5 parts of vinegar, 2 of sugar and one of salt. And when it comes to mixing it with the rice to obtain the “sumeshi”? Well, five parts of “sushizu” for each one of rice . You are welcome.
3 / Less is more
When preparing the filling for our sushi, we must keep in mind the mythical phrase of Mies van der Rohe: “less is more”. Flee from baroque compositions and let yourself be inspired by Japanese austerity: two, three ingredients at the most, should be enough for a tasty and elegant filling .
4 / Can’t find sushi rice?
Good rice is the secret to making championship sushi, and for this, of course, you have to use the right rice: glutinous, with a round and short grain, and preferably of the japonica variety . Although currently many shops have specific rice for sushi, if you have difficulty finding them you can use rice of the bomba variety , which without being the same, will get you out of trouble.
In any case, and as it is better to be safe, here you can buy special rice for sushi .
5 / Wet the blade
The secret to cutting our makis without destroying them is to slightly wet the blade of the knife that we are using . Which, of course, must be sharp. With the blade wet the knife will glide through the scrolls like a ninja sword.
6 / More wood!
To make sushi with a true master, you should use wooden utensils as much as possible . Do without metal utensils and, in addition to respecting Japanese tradition, you will avoid altering the delicate flavor of the ingredients that make up this dish.
7 / Sealing the roll
We suggest a simple trick so that the “makis” turn out perfect: when arranging the rice and the filling on the nori seaweed, leave a couple of centimeters of seaweed uncovered at the upper end . When we are ready to roll the piece, we will moisten this small strip, which will be slightly sticky, and this will help us to seal the roll well, preserving its shape.
8 / Use the fan
Although the process of fanning the rice may be more picturesque than anything else, the truth is that it is a fundamental step to obtain an optimal result. Sushi rice must be tempered little by little until, according to connoisseurs, it reaches the temperature of the human body, about 36 degrees. That is why in the best restaurants in the world you will see the “itamae” himself fanning his rice.
9 / Shortcut to perfection
If the preparation of the rice resists you, do not hesitate: you are a clear candidate for a « suihanki ». This electric rice cooker is present in practically all oriental homes , as it ensures an optimal result. You only have to enter the corresponding measures of water and rice in the machine, without further stories. Plus, when the rice is done, the rice cooker automatically shuts off, keeping it hot and just right for hours.
10 / The magic mat
The most complicated step the first few times we make sushi is, without a doubt, rolling the pieces using the mat (” makisu ” for friends). Often the result is not as expected because the piece falls apart, remaining partially glued to the bamboo sticks. The solution is very simple: cover the mat with plastic film and the roll will slide off like a charm . It is a trick that has been used since the beginning of time, both in homes and in professional kitchens. Saint’s hand.