Sushi

Nigiri-zushi and Hosomaki (Hand-pressed sushi and thin rolls)

A home-cook method for two foundational sushi forms: nigiri (rice topped with fish) and hosomaki (thin nori rolls). The discipline is in the rice and the fish.

Prep

40 min

Cook

20 min

Total

60 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •450 g (2¼ cups (uncooked)) Japanese short-grain rice, Look for koshihikari or akita komachi; rinse until water runs clear. Do not substitute long-grain rice.
• •500 ml (2 cups + 2 tbsp) cold water, for cooking the rice
• •60 ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar
• •15 g (1 tbsp) caster sugar
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt
• •300 g (10½ oz) sashimi-grade raw fish, yellowtail, salmon, tuna or cooked shrimp; must be sold for raw eating or frozen first (see step 5)
• •4 whole (4 sheets) nori, toasted, half or full sheets
• •1 cucumber (1 small) Japanese cucumber, cut into long matchsticks for hosomaki
• •20 g (¾ oz) wasabi, real grated wasabi or hon-wasabi paste; a thin smear per nigiri
• •soy sauce, pickled ginger (gari), and shiso leaves, to serve

Steps

1. 1 Wash the rice: combine rice and plenty of cold water, swish gently, drain. Repeat 5-7 times until the water is nearly clear. Drain well and rest 15 minutes.
2. 2 Cook the rice: combine rice and 500 ml water in a heavy pot, cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest heat and cook 12 minutes without lifting the lid. Remove from heat and rest, covered, 10 minutes.
3. 3 Make sushi-zu (seasoning): in a small saucepan warm the rice vinegar, sugar and salt just until the sugar and salt dissolve. Do not boil.
4. 4 Season the rice: transfer hot rice to a wide wooden or glass bowl (metal chills it too fast). Pour the seasoning over a fan or flat paddle and fold in with a slicing motion, fanning as you go, until rice is glossy and just warm - close to body temperature, around 36-40°C / 97-104°F. Cover with a damp cloth.
5. 5 Make the fish safe to eat raw (required, not optional): use only fish sold as previously frozen for raw consumption, or freeze it yourself at -20°C / -4°F or colder for at least 7 days (or -35°C / -31°F for at least 15 hours), then thaw it in the refrigerator. Freezing is what kills parasites; vinegar, wasabi and soy sauce do not. If you cannot confirm or do the freezing step, use cooked shrimp or cucumber instead.
6. 6 Prepare the fish: with a long, very sharp knife, slice the fish against the grain into 5 mm / ¼-inch thick slices about 6 × 3 cm / 2½ × 1¼ in. Keep on a plate, covered, in the refrigerator. Discard any part that smells overly fishy.
7. 7 Form nigiri: lightly wet your hands with water, then dip fingertips in a small bowl of water mixed with a pinch of salt. Pick up about 20 g / ¾ oz rice and gently press into a small oblong about 6 × 3 cm / 2½ × 1¼ in. Do not compress - the rice should hold together but still feel airy.
8. 8 Finish nigiri: dab a thin smear of wasabi on the rice, lay a slice of fish over it, and press lightly so the fish adheres. Set on a tray, cover with a barely-damp cloth. Repeat.
9. 9 Assemble hosomaki: place a half-sheet of nori shiny-side down on a bamboo mat. With damp fingers, spread an even layer of rice over the whole sheet, leaving a 1 cm / ½ in strip bare at the top edge. Lay a line of cucumber matchsticks along the bottom edge.
10. 10 Roll hosomaki: lift the mat edge closest to you, roll over the filling once, press to shape, then continue rolling firmly. Seal the bare nori strip with a dab of water. Slice each roll into 6-8 pieces with a wet, sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts.
11. 11 Serve immediately: arrange nigiri and hosomaki on a plate with a small mound of pickled ginger, a dab of wasabi, and a side dish of soy sauce. Keep the raw fish refrigerated until you assemble, and eat within 2 hours of making; discard leftovers rather than keeping them.