So after last post about making your own sushi, you probably got a desire to run to the store and get the equipment we included to start making your own sushi at home. However, in that introduction, we did not really give you more specific information than the basic tools you will need to make your own sushi. Now that you got the right tools for the trade, we can take a look at the ingredients you will need to pick up to start your sushi venture.
Choose Only Fresh Ingredients
The freshness of your ingredients is the key to great sushi. From the crunchiness of the vegetables to the smell of any fish or seafood, it’s freshness plays a key role. Regarding the quality of your fish, you may have to spend a little bit more from your pocket because sashimi grade fish is normally more expensive. There are a number of factors you may want to consider when picking your fish. How bright the flesh of the fish you pick is important since dull or dark-skinned fish are a sign of oxidation. We already mentioned the smell; fresh fish does not stink. Avoid fish sticks and always choose fillets, they have a better shape for slicing sushi.
The Other Main Ingredient
One of the most important ingredients (if not the most) is the rice. Sushi rice is special for many reasons. Su-meshi or gohan, as it is also known, has specific characteristics that make it ideal for the preparation of sushi rolls. The grain is shorter than most types of rice and being starchy and absorbent it becomes sticky after being cooked. Rice vinegar, as well as mirin, are used in its preparation and they help provide the rice’s particular flavor. Nori, which is the black seaweed wrapper is used in many types of sushi and will help you maintain its form especially on your first attempts. Vegetables may vary depending on your taste but carrots, cucumber, and avocado are safe bets. Let’s not forget another key ingredient which is soy sauce. A big part of the very particular taste of sushi comes from soy sauce which provides that saltiness the roll itself sometimes lacks. We recommend you try your rolls with Unagi Tare the next time. Commonly known as eel sauce, it has no eels in it and its a sweet spin to the regular soy sauce.
Follow us on our final installment where we will go into the art of preparing sushi rice and making the rolls!