If you've been to a sushi restaurant, you've probably tried the nigiri sushi or the sushi rice topped with seafood. This signature dish is usually made manually by hand and uses only the finest and freshest ingredients on top, such as tuna, eel, haddock, shad, snapper, octopus and squid. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you can also make your own nigiri sushi from thinly sliced vegetables such as bell peppers and onions. Feel free to be creative with toppings or additional ingredients on top of the sushi, and don't forget to make the sushi rice first before preparing this delicious dish.
Ingredients
Preparing Sushi Rice
- 400 grams of rice
- 700 ml of water
- 120 ml rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
- 30 ml vinegar
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) salt
Making Sushi Nigiri
- 6 slices of raw or cooked fish meat
- 120 grams of rice
- 1/2 teaspoon wasabi
- 480 ml of milk
Making Special Vegetarian/Vegan Sushi
- 120 grams of rice
- 1 bell pepper
- 120 ml mirin
- 60 ml rice vinegar
- 1 leek
Step
Method 1 of 3: Preparing Sushi Rice
Step 1. Clean the rice in a sieve until the rinse water looks clear
Put 400 grams of rice in a rice filter and place it in the sink. Wash the rice with cold water until the rinse water looks clear and not cloudy.
By rinsing it, the rice will not feel sticky or scorched at the bottom of the pot/container while cooking
Step 2. Put water and rice in a saucepan
Take a large pot and add the washed rice along with 700 ml of water. The whole rice will be submerged in the water. If not, just add a little water to get a delicious and soft rice.
If you have a constellation cooker, use it instead of cooking rice on the stove
Step 3. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the water can still be heated
Turn the stove to high heat and wait until you see small air bubbles collect and form a water surface. Then, lower the heat to medium-low until you see only small bubbles (this means you're bringing the water to a low simmer and you've reached the ideal temperature for cooking the rice).
If you boil the water too long, the rice will burn. Keep an eye on the pot or pot so the rice doesn't burn
Step 4. Cover the pot or pot and cook the rice for 20 minutes
The steam retained by the pot lid speeds up the rice cooking process so you need to maintain or contain the heat. Set the timer for 20 minutes so the rice can absorb all the water. If there is still water remaining in the bottom of the pot, cook the rice a little longer.
Any water remaining in the pan (and giving the rice a "muddy" texture) indicates that the rice is not fully cooked and so it may have a slightly crunchy texture
Step 5. Remove the pan from the stove and let it sit for 5 minutes to cool
Turn off the heat and move the pot/cook (with the lid still on) to another place or a burnt stove. Let sit for about 5 minutes so that the rice can absorb the remaining water and steam until it is thoroughly cooked.
This step is also important to follow so that the rice does not get too sticky. Therefore, don't let it pass you by
Step 6. Combine rice vinegar, oil, sugar and salt in a small saucepan
Pour 120 ml of rice vinegar, 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of vegetable oil, 30 ml of vinegar and 4 grams of salt into a small saucepan. Stir gently to mix all ingredients.
These ingredients add additional flavor to the rice and make the rice stick together, making it easier to shape
Step 7. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the sugar melts
Usually, this process takes about 5 minutes. Once the sugar has melted and melted, turn off the heat and move the pan to another place to cool the mixture.
If you don't want to bother removing the pan from the stove, you can microwave the ingredients for 30 seconds at a time, until the sugar melts
Step 8. Cool the mixture, then add it to the rice
Set the mixture aside for about 5 minutes until the temperature drops. Place the rice in a glass bowl, then pour the mixture over it. Use a spatula to stir the mixture with the rice until no mixture remains.
- The first time you mix the ingredients with the rice, the rice may look too "wet". However, keep stirring the two. In the end, all the ingredients will be evenly mixed.
- After making the rice, set it aside and start preparing your main ingredient of sushi.
Method 2 of 3: Making Susy Nigiri Seafood
Step 1. Buy high quality raw fish meat
Traditional/classic Susyi nigiri is made from raw fish meat such as salmon, tuna, or yellowtail. If you want to use raw fish in your milk, buy meat from a fish market or supermarket as long as you can make sure that the meat is of good enough quality to be eaten raw. Make sure the fish meat is “displayed” on ice, and don't eat meat if it smells fishy, rotten, or smells like ammonia.
If you're not sure if the quality of the meat is good enough to eat raw, you can grill or grill it before cutting it
Step 2. Cut the meat into small slices from a 45 degree angle
Place the fish on a cutting board and look for thin lines on the flesh (these lines are the connective tissue). Hold the knife at a 45-degree angle and make thin slices about 1.3 centimeters thick. When you reach the bottom of the slice, adjust the angle of the knife so you can make a "bowl" or hollow shape in the slice. Try to make the slices in one knife motion so you don't leave any "trace" or knife marks.
- This may sound difficult to do, but the more you practice, the easier the process will become. If you're only planning to make sushi for friends or family, it doesn't have to be perfect either.
- The most important thing to remember when cutting meat is to make bite-sized slices. Slices with a larger size are actually made for style and presentation only.
Step 3. Mix water and milk vinegar in a bowl, then dip your hands in it
Pour 80 ml of milk vinegar in a bowl and add water. Dip your hands into the mixture before working or shaping the rice so your fingers don't stick to your fingers when you print the sushi.
- Traditionally, this mixture of water and vinegar is known as “su water”.
- You can dip your hands in the mixture whenever your fingers start to feel dry or sticky.
Step 4. Roll a small ball of rice into a 5-7.5 centimeter long roll
Take a handful of rice (about palm area). Roll and press the rice until it forms a solid oval or square, about the size of the fish fillet you cut earlier.
At this point, the rice is cool enough to cook, so you don't have to worry about burning your hands
Step 5. Apply wasabi to the back of the fish slices
Take the first slice and a small amount of wasabi (about the size of a pea). Spread wasabi on the center of the fish slices as a "glue" to glue the meat with the rice (and add a little spicy flavor).
- You can get wasabi from most convenience stores.
- If you don't like the taste of wasabi, you can skip this step. If you really like wasabi, feel free to add more pasta.
Step 6. Press the rice on the fish pieces
Hold the fish pieces with the wasabi-coated side facing up. Take the lump of rice with your other hand and carefully place it on the fish slices. Use two fingers to press the rice downwards. Hold the sushi for a few moments to "lock" the shape, then place it on a plate.
Sussy finish printing gives the typical "cup" or curved shape of the sushi so this step is very important to follow
Step 7. Arrange the milk on a serving plate
Place each piece of sushi apart on a large plate or serving plate for easy picking with chopsticks. If you use several types of fish or seafood, you can group the sushi by type of fish or seafood so that they are close together. You can also place each sushi alternately as a variation.
Method 3 of 3: Making Vegetarian/Vegan Sushi Nigiri
Step 1. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds
You can choose red or orange peppers to make vegan milk. Clean the peppers and cut them lengthwise into halves, then remove the seeds with a spoon.
You won't be using the seeds so you can just throw them away
Step 2. Place the peppers on a baking sheet, then place them in the roaster
Turn on the grill in the oven and spread the peppers on the baking sheet. When the oven is hot, put the peppers in and dry or heat the peppers for about 5 minutes before turning them over. Keep the peppers hot for about 5 minutes, then remove them before they become too crunchy or dry.
The peppers will replace the fish meat in the milk so make sure it looks appetizing
Step 3. Cut the peppers into 4-8 equal parts
Use a knife to cut the peppers lengthwise to about 2.5 centimeters thick. Make sure the pieces of pepper are as big as the prepared lumps of soy sauce, so make larger-than-bite-sized pieces of peppers.
The freshly removed peppers may still be hot so be careful
Step 4. Marinade the peppers for 3-4 hours
Mix 120 ml of mirin with 60 ml of rice vinegar in a wide, short bowl. Soak the chopped peppers in the mixture, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate the peppers for 3-4 hours.
For a strong flavor, marinate the peppers overnight (if you have the patience)
Step 5. Shape the rice lumps into rectangular pieces
Dip your hands into the mixture of water and rice vinegar (air su), then take a fistful of rice (about palm size). Gently roll and shape into oval rolls using your fingers and palms, then set aside. Try to make as many rolls of peppers as you make so that no ingredients are wasted!
If your hands start to dry or feel sticky, dip them back into the water
Step 6. Place the paprika pieces on top of the rice
Take a piece of paprika from the bowl and place it carefully on top of the rice piece. Press the rice with two fingers so that it sticks, then prepare the next piece of sushi.
Because they are red (or orange), peppers may look like raw fish
Step 7. Garnish the sushi with the spring onions
Clean the scallions and place them on a cutting board lengthwise. After that, use a sharp knife to slice it from the center. Try to make the cut as thin as possible, then cut to the length of the sushi slice. Add sliced scallions on top of the peppers as a finishing touch. Now, you have a delicious vegan and vegetarian sushi dish that everyone can enjoy!
Tips
- The concept of enjoying susyi nigiri is to eat fish meat and rice at the same time so don't separate the two.
- Additional ingredients or toppings for vegetarian sushi include mushrooms, tofu, seasoned omelet, sliced avocado, pickled radish, and any vegetables that go well with rice.
- Be patient and don't be in a hurry when rolling the sushi rice because it takes effort to get the desired or beautiful shape.
Warning
- Only use high quality fish to make raw nigiri sushi. Buy fish from fish markets that do provide high quality fish or seafood.
- Raw fish should always be kept very frozen (-20 Celsius for a minimum of 24 hours) before being processed into milk. There are many parasites in raw fish meat and some are deadly parasites, and the only way to kill these parasites is to freeze the meat.
