Recipe Courtesy Kaji Matsuhiro, Sushi Kaji Restaurant.
The most important technique in the preparation of sushi is how to make sushi rice, called ‘shari,’ ‘sushi-meshi’ or ‘su-meshi’ (i.e. vinegared-cooked rice) in the best condition and how to mix it with vinegar deliciously. The taste of the sushi depends on the taste of sushi rice as much as by 60%, according to some sushi chefs. The key factor is the ‘shari’ itself, as well as fish. The most important factor in selecting a short-grain white rice is how much that brand is capable of absorbing the water in nature, which corresponds to how much the vinegar is to be soaked into the cooked rice, because the degree of the penetration of the vinegar into rice governs the greater part of the taste of shari, and sushi itself consequently.
ingredients
Shari (sushi rice)
Assembly
directions
Add all the ingredients rice vinegar, salt, sugar and mirin to a pot and mix well. Do not let the vinegar mixture boil. Just heat the mixture to melt the sugar.
Wash rice and let it soak for 20 minute in the “keep warm” position on your rice cooker.
Cook the rice for 50 minutes. As soon as the rice has been cooked, place it in the Hangiri (the wooden sushi tub). Remove burnt or dry grains with spatula and discard them
Add vinegar mixture to rice and mix in a cutting motion being careful not to smash the rice. Mix well.
Place the shari into a plastic or wooden tub and cover with a damp cloth. Let cool before using them.
Use a sharp knife to cut the toro into roughly 3 by 1½-inch pieces, ¼-inch thick. Slice other fish into rectangular pieces, about 1 ½ by 2-inch.
Wet your hands with the vinegared water and scoop about 1 ½ tbsp. su-meshi into your palm. Gently but firmly grip the su-meshi and make a rectangular block. Do not squash the rice, but ensure that the grains stick together. Note: the size of the blocks must be smaller than the toppings.
Take a piece of toppings in your palm, rub a little wasabi paste in the middle of it. Put the su-meshi block on top of the topping and gently press it. Repeat this process. Serve immediately with a little soy sauce. Makes about 72 individual serving or serves 12.