The inhabitants of our country have long fallen in love with Japanese cuisine for their great taste, which is the result of an unusual combination of products. Today, all exotic ingredients can be purchased at any supermarket, and detailed instructions will tell you how to cook homemade sushi and rolls, which in quality will not be inferior to restaurant ones.
Main varieties
We suggest finding out what are the main varieties of this dish.
Nigiri are squeezed pieces of rice over which a thin piece of fish or shrimp is laid. Served with soy sauce, ginger and wasabi.
Maki got its name in honor of the bamboo mat Makisa, which is used for twisting. Otherwise they are called rolls. They consist of rice and filling, can be thin (the number of ingredients in the filling is no more than two) and thick. The most popular varieties: California, Caesar Philadelphia. Sushi turned outward by rice is called "uramaki".
Chirashi are not similar in appearance to the others, they are most common in Japan. Rice is served separately from other foods that, including seaweed, are finely chopped.
Oshi-sushi is cooked under a special press. At the bottom of the container, fish and other components are laid out, then rice. Above installed oppression. After some time, the ingredients are removed from the container and cut.
Major and minor components
The main ingredients for sushi are nori seaweed and rice. Soy sauce and pickled ginger are served along with sushi and give them a spicy flavor. Wasabi - Japanese horseradish, an analogue of mustard. Seasoning can be bought ready-made or made from powder itself, which must be diluted with water in 1: 2 proportions. Rice vinegar is added to boiled rice, but you can do without it.
For cooking rolls, you can use almost any raw or smoked fish: salmon, mackerel, eel, tuna, as well as crab sticks and shrimp. Omelet, cucumber, cream cheese, avocado, onion, lemon are sometimes added to the filling. Rolls inside out are prepared with sesame seeds or flying fish caviar. Red caviar is most often added to gunkan sushi. If you are apprehensive about seafood, the fillet for the rolls may be chicken or pork.
Homemade sushi: recipes with photos, step by step instructions
Dishes of Japanese cuisine are not so difficult to prepare as it seems at first glance. All your favorite sushi and rolls can be made at home, while spending no more than two hours. Our detailed instructions will help you with this.
- Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water becomes clear. Boil it and drain the liquid. Season the cereal with a little rice vinegar, cool. The remaining ingredients for sushi can be arbitrary.
- Place dry nori seaweed on a bamboo mat and spread rice on its surface, slightly departing from each edge.
- The next moment is the most important, since the taste of sushi will depend on the amount of filling. You will be satisfied with no more than three ingredients, which are stacked on top of rice.
- Finely chop the red shallot and lay it in a thin horizontal strip.
- From seafood you can choose red fish, shrimp or crab sticks.
- Next, place the finely chopped avocado.
- So, you have got three layers of products.
- Spin seaweed with rice, fish and vegetables using a bamboo mat.
- Rolls are ready! Slice them and serve with pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi. They should be eaten with wooden sticks.
What should be rice for sushi?
The life of the people of Southeast Asia is unthinkable without this grits. Rice is used to make noodles, tortillas, and, most importantly, it is the main ingredient for making rolls. The right cereal variety is the key to a delicious dish, so when buying, you should consult with the seller, and it is better to purchase ingredients for sushi in Japanese stores.
Rice should have rounded ends and be small in size. Long rice, which is most often used for making pilaf or risotto, will not work, because it is very dry and retains a large amount of moisture. The best varieties are Nishiki, Kahomai, Maruyu, Kokuho, Minori. The process of washing the rice is quite laborious. Pour one or two cups of cereal into a deep glass bowl, fill with cold water. In order to separate small debris from rice, it is necessary to rinse it several times with your hands. In order for all the starch to come out, and the water to become completely transparent, the procedure must be repeated about ten times. Put the washed and dried rice in a pan. The amount of cereal and water should be the same. Rice will be ready as soon as there is absolutely no liquid left on its surface, so it must be boiled over high heat. After that, remove the pan from the heat and let the croup stand for half an hour.
Most popular rolls
The best of its kind are recognized as California, Alaska, Canada, Philadelphia. Sushi is named after settlements on the American continent. They are usually classified as uramaki, since the alga is inside.
Stuffing "California" is prepared from crab meat, avocado, mayonnaise. Top rice is covered with red tobiko caviar. Sushi ingredients can be replaced if desired: cucumber can be used instead of avocado, and crab sticks can be used instead of crab meat
For Canada, you need smoked eel, salted salmon or trout, cream cheese, and cucumber. On top of the rice lay small strips of smoked eel, sprinkled with a handful of sesame seeds.
"Alaska" is prepared with cream cheese, crab meat, avocado, cucumber. Rice is covered with fried sesame seeds on top.
The classic Philadelphia roll is made from salmon or trout, cream cheese, and cucumber. Flying fish roe is laid on top of the rice.
The secrets of making delicious sushi and rolls
The height of the rice layer should not exceed 7 mm, otherwise the rolls will fall apart during eating and will look too bulky.
The taste of sushi depends on the technique of cutting fish , so the knife should be very sharp. Choose fillet without skin and bones. In no case do not buy frozen fish, otherwise the taste will be spoiled.
Before cutting a thin and sharp knife, dip in vinegar water - so the ingredients for rolls and sushi will not get stuck in it.
Rice gets a good taste thanks to a special dressing, which is prepared from rice vinegar, a pinch of sugar and salt. Ready sauce can be warmed up a little.
Kikkoman sauce is the best in every way. It is transparent and has a light reddish brown tint, prepared from water, soybeans, wheat and salt. By the way, it can be consumed not only with sushi and rolls, but also pizza, hamburgers and Japanese soups.