Traditional assorted sushi
Traditional assorted sushi
The first thing to keep in mind is that the word sushi refers only to rice, which has to be cooked following the steps you will see below, and which can be presented in many ways. The most traditional is the one you see here, with the rice in the form of nigiris: rice "croquettes" with fish, seafood or fruits and vegetables on top; or makis: the classic rolls rolled with nori seaweed; Although to roll them you can use other ingredients, a thin omelette, smoked salmon …
Remove the starch
Remove the starch
The first step in making sushi is to put the rice in a bowl and wash it several times, rubbing, until the water runs clear and the cereal has lost its starch. Then drain it well and let it rest for about 30 min.
Cook the rice
Cook the rice
Once cleaned and rested, you can cook it. Transfer it to a pot and add 450 ml of water. Cover and bring to a boil. When it comes to a boil, cook 2 minutes. Then lower the heat to a minimum and cook for an additional 13 minutes, always covered.
Add vinegar
Add the vinegar
After cooking, let it rest for about 10 minutes without removing the lid. Then transfer it to a tray. Heat the rice vinegar with the sugar and salt. Stir until they dissolve and pour over the rice.
Stir and cool
Stir and cool
Then carefully stir it with a wooden spatula, without moving it in circles or squashing it. Then, fan it until it cools, and finally, cover it with a wet cloth until you are going to use it to make your sushi recipe. The classic way of presenting it, as you will see below, are the nigiris and the makis. But then we propose three more recipes without raw fish or nori seaweed so that you can make sushi in many ways.
Do the nigiris
Do the nigiris
Nigiris are the presentation of sushi rice shaped like a "croquette" on which pieces of fish (raw or smoked), shrimp, vegetables, fruit are placed … It's super simple. Take a tablespoon of rice. Shape it into a croquette with your hands. And put on top the sheet of the ingredient that you have chosen for the coverage.
See recipe for traditional assorted sushi.
Make the makis
Make the makis
Makis are the classic rice rolls wrapped with nori seaweed, but to roll you can use whatever you want (a thin omelette, salmon slices as in this image, or even ham as you will see in one of our recipes …). To do this, spread the nori seaweed or the ingredient you are going to use to wrap on a bamboo mat. Then a thin layer of rice. Finally, the fish and cut vegetables. And with the help of the mat, you form the roll.
Dare to prepare your own sushi.
Salmon sushi burger
Salmon sushi burger
It is an alternative to traditional sushi in which there is neither raw fish nor seaweed. It only has sushi rice, smoked salmon and avocado. An ultra-easy plate with an irresistible look.
See recipe for salmon burger sushi.
Tuna lasagna sushi
Tuna lasagna sushi
In this case, we also do without raw fish and nori seaweed, and instead, we put tuna and cucumber, and we present it as a lasagna. Easy, super simple and with an irresistible look.
See recipe for suhi lasagna.
Melon makis with ham
Melon makis with ham
And to curl the curl, it occurred to us to make some melon and ham maki; with sushi rice, melon instead of fish, and Iberian ham playing the role of nori seaweed. A super modern and original way to present a traditional party plate.
Dare with this recipe for melon makis with ham.
With this step by step and the recipes that we propose, you will see how making sushi has no secret, and that you can even prepare sushi dishes without raw fish or algae. There are versions for all tastes!
It is one of the most international dishes of Japanese cuisine, and it is worth incorporating it into the diet because it is very complete and balanced.
Rice, on the one hand, provides complex carbohydrates. Fish, on the other, high quality proteins. And in the case of salmon and tuna, two blue fish, provide omega 3 fatty acids, which are very beneficial for the body.
Sushi rice ingredients:
- 200 g round rice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 5 teaspoons of rice vinegar
All your secrets uncovered
The first thing to keep in mind is that, in reality, the word sushi refers only to rice, so if you want to do without seaweed and fish, as you will see in some of the recipes that we propose in the gallery, there is no problem.
However, what cannot be lacking in any preparation is rice vinegar, its main dressing and responsible for its characteristic flavor.
Traditional presentation types:
- Nigiris are the presentation of rice in the form of a "croquette" on which a piece of fish (raw or smoked), shrimp, vegetables, fruit is placed …
- Makis are the classic rice rolls wrapped with seaweed. The traditional ones are made with nori seaweed, but to roll you can use whatever you want (a thin omelette, slices of salmon …).
- The uramakis (or inverted makis) are makis in which the nori seaweed does not cover the roll but remains inside.
- Sashimi is just raw fish. Normally, it is made with tuna and salmon belly fillets, a part of blue fish that is highly valued because it is soft and juicy. And one of the fattest parts and, therefore, where more of the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids is concentrated.
