Sushi ingredients

Sushi meshi or sumeshi is Japanese short-grain rice with a high gluten content, seasoned with sweet rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and sometimes sake. The main characteristic of sushi rice is its high gluten content. This kind of rice is a little tougher than the rice we are used to, because it is cooked in less water. To achieve the desired consistency, the rice is quickly cooled by stirring sharply in a wooden bowl. Rice seasoning varies depending on the type and filling of the sushi; different areas prefer different ingredients. Sometimes round brown rice or wild rice is used. Before making sushi, the rice is cooled to room temperature and molded into balls or spread flat by hand.

Kombu, a dried brown seaweed known to us as kelp, is usually added to sushi rice. Kombu is very difficult to find in stores outside of Japan, which is why the taste of real Japanese sushi is so different from sushi made in other countries.

Nori is a thin plate of fried seaweed in which rolls, gunkan maki, temaki, and other types of sushi are wrapped. This seaweed used to be scraped off the bottoms of ships, but now it is specially cultivated off the coast of Japan. The seaweed is pressed into rectangular sheets and dried in the sun. Although seaweed is not fried in Japan, well-fried seaweed is usually exported. Fresh nori is bright green, shiny, almost transparent, and void-free. Over time, they change color to green-brown. To roll nori, the sheets are held over steam, although the water in the rice is usually sufficient.

Tamago (thin omelette) is an optional ingredient in sushi and is used in some kinds instead of nori.

Preparation wasabi – a very spicy bright green sauce made from the Wasabi japonica plant.Sushi fillings:
Fish (tuna, salmon, herring, mackerel) usually raw, but can be used salted or slightly fried;
caviar;
seafood (shrimp, oysters, clams, octopus, eel, crabs)
fresh and pickled vegetables and fruits (daikon, mushrooms, cucumbers, avocados, apples, onions, spinach, lettuce, bean pods, pumpkin, corn, peas, beans and even burdock root)
meat raw or lightly cooked (beef, horse meat, ham);
eggs or scrambled eggs;
cheese, tofu.

Soy sauce is served separately with sushi containing fish to enhance its flavor.

Wasabi is a very spicy, bright green sauce made from the plant Wasabi japonica, which grows not only in Japan but also in America and New Zealand. This plant is not related to horseradish, as is mistakenly believed. The Japanese variety of horseradish is used to make an imitation of this sauce. Wasabi is spread on sushi ingredients or served separately. Real wasabi has antimicrobial properties, which is very important when eating raw fish.

Gari (pickled ginger) is served separately with some types of sushi to refresh the taste buds when moving on to another variety. Ginger is not commonly served with fish sushi.

Ocha or agari is a green tea traditionally served with sushi. Such tea is made from unopened buds, has a strong fresh flavor and is of equal quality to sencha.

Sushi equipment

The basic prerequisite for making sushi is a very sharp knife, allowing the ingredients to be sliced into thin strips. The sharpness of the knife is especially important for rolls. An insufficiently sharp knife can crumple the roll and even break the fragile nori shell.

To prepare sushi, you need a cutting board, a saucer of water with lemon juice in which to wash your fingers from the sticky rice, a wet towel or napkins and a bamboo mat (makisu) with which to roll the rolls easily.

Sushi is traditionally served in a minimalist style: on wooden planks or monochrome porcelain plates. Western-style sushi is beautifully arranged on large plates, decorated with ingredients and served with several sauces at once. Some artisans create entire cakes, paintings and sculptures out of sushi.

In Japanese restaurants, sushi is usually served on a conveyor belt that runs through the room, and diners can choose their favorite sushi. Different kinds are arranged on plates of different colors, depending on the price; the plate usually has a pair of sushi on it. The bill is based on which plates and how many times they were taken.