Kisume head sushi chef Toaki Kyo shares his masterclass on how to make authentic sushi at home, without the requisite years of training.
Sushi is ubiquitous, and fish, rice, vinegar and seaweed are not too hard to come by. But can we really make decent sushi at home? Even though it takes years to train as a sushi master, the head chef at hatted Melbourne restaurant Kisume, Toaki Kyo, encourages newbies to attempt the venerable Japanese craft.
“A lot of people can make sushi,” he says. “There’s $1 shopping centre sushi using machines, $300 sushi in a great restaurant, and a lot of levels in between. With a few tips and good produce, you can make very enjoyable sushi at home.”
Good Food attended a sushi masterclass to get the lowdown.
The equipment
- a clean chopping board
- a long knife that allows you to cut fish in smooth strokes
- flat-edged tweezers for pin-boning fish
- a bamboo sushi rolling mat
- latex gloves and mayonnaise, optional
Ingredients
- sashimi-quality fish fillets (ask your fishmonger): salmon, tuna and kingfish are ideal
- short-grain sushi rice
- sushi seasoning (pre-made mix of vinegar, sugar and salt)
- wasabi paste
- nori sheets, cut in half with sharp scissors
- soy sauce or tamari, to serve
- pickled ginger, to serve
How to make the rice
Start to prepare your rice two hours before you plan to make and serve sushi. If you need to make rice ahead of time, store it in the fridge, and bring it back to room temperature before using it. You can briefly zap it in a microwave to warm it up, too.
Using equal weights of rice and water, cook with the absorption method. When the rice is just cooked, stir in the sushi seasoning to a ratio of 60g per 150g rice (so if you make 300g rice, use 120g sushi seasoning). Stir the rice, then let it rest for 1½ hours to cool down and absorb the seasoning. Cover the rice with a damp cloth.
Tips on cutting
Check fish for bones by running your fingers over the fillet. Remove any bones with tweezers. Hold fish firmly and use a long knife to smoothly cut against the grain in one movement. Sawing the fish will make the slices rougher. Wipe the knife with a wet cloth between cuts.
For sashimi (without rice), cut the fish on a slight angle so that the slices will stand up nicely when arranged on a plate. The thickness is up to you but generally, sashimi is a little thinner than for nigiri, which is served with rice. You can lightly score the surface of each slice to make it more tender, and give a nice appearance when it gently curls over the rice. Don’t worry about any wonky cuts: these can be used for rolls, where your sins will be hidden.
To make the nigiri
Experts dip their fingers in water so the rice doesn’t stick. Chef Toaki recommends newbies use latex gloves lubricated with a tiny bit of mayonnaise. “It’s not going to make your sushi taste like mayonnaise,” he says. “Mayonnaise has vinegar and fat, and sushi rice has vinegar, and fish has fat. Just don’t use too much.”
Nigiri literally means “grab”. For right-handers, put a piece of fish where your left palm meets your fingers, dab a tiny amount of wasabi on it, and place a small ball of rice on the fish.
Flatten the rice a little with your right index finger and upturn it so the fish is on top. Alternatively, squeeze the morsel with your four left fingers and press the sides of it to keep its shape.
Turn the nigiri 180 degrees, squeeze and press, continuing until you have a neat rectangular shape with the fish draped over the rice. Left-handers can swap the instructions.
To make sushi rolls
Take a half-sheet of nori (seaweed) and place it lengthwise, shiny side down. Cover the whole piece with an even layer of rice, leaving a three-fingers-width area clear at the top of the sheet.
Push the rice to the edges but don’t press it too hard. Dab a little wasabi across the width of the sheet. Arrange fish pieces (scraps are good) across the width of the sheet. Add garnishes such as chives if desired. Roll it up evenly and firmly. The moisture of the rice should be enough to seal it shut.
Place it on your bamboo rolling mat and gently squeeze it to form a neat round or square shape, as you wish. Press in the ends to neaten them up. Cut into segments to serve.
Go freestyle with sashimi
Have fun arranging fish slices with condiments such as wakame, shaved daikon or wasabi leaves. Roll into scrolls to make flower shapes or mound over cut vegetables, trying to get volume into your shapes to make them appealing.
“It’s your sushi,” says Kyo. “You can find your own style and make your own creations. So long as you have nice fish, it will be delicious.”
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