# Homemade Sushi - Possible?



## Dhoff (Jul 10, 2019)

Hallo everyone,

I love sushi, however, it is extremely expensive in Denmark and of very... varying quality.

Is it at all possible to make well tasting sushi in a simple way?

I like rolls (Especially Uromaki), but would start with Nigiri.


----------



## Stewart122 (Jul 10, 2019)

Hey mate,

I'm not sure how easy it is to get ingredients in Denmark but I've found it quite easy to learn how to make reasonable sushi at home. I would recommend having a look at JustOneCookBook and have a look at this thread https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/sushi-resources-for-a-total-noob.38455/. You may also find this serious eats series a useful guide https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07...ke-sushi-rice-sumeshi-nigiri-maki-temaki.html.
I would also recommend starting with making Maki with a bamboo rolling mat as it can be difficult to get the technique right to get nicely formed nigiri. 

Hope this helps and let us know how you go!

Cheers,
Stew


----------



## Ochazuke (Jul 10, 2019)

It’s definitely possible! I would actually start with chirashi sushi. It’s fewer steps to worry about and will give you the opportunity to focus on getting the rice right. Here’s the order I would do: chirashizushi, temaki, makizushi, nigirizushi. 

If you plan on doing it with any frequency I would consider buying a hangiri. It really makes a difference.


----------



## Dhoff (Jul 10, 2019)

Thank you very much both of you! Never heard before about chirashizushi. It looks really really delicious.

Now to look for a recipe

I bet I need a lot of knives for this project!


----------



## Michi (Jul 10, 2019)

I have collected 15–20 sushi books over the past 25 years. You only need one:

https://www.amazon.com/Sushi-Delicate-Flavor-Masuo-Yoshino/dp/4051514048

This book is really solid and pragmatic, and it contains all the explanations for how to do things (cook rice, make sushi seasoning, toast Nori, etc.) and it contains recipes for the essential ingredients (pickled daikon, pickled gourd, cooked shiitake, Tamago, and so on). It's the one sushi book to buy, IMO.

It's not hard to make sushi that tastes good. The hardest part is cooking the rice "just so". It will take some trial and error. The second-hardest part is making it look good. But that comes with practice and, while you are practising, you still get to enjoy sushi that tastes good, even if it doesn't look perfect.

Sushi stands and falls with the quality and freshness of the fish. Whatever you do, do not compromise on freshness. Do not go into a fish shop with a plan along the lines of "I want to make some Sake, Tako, Maguro…" Instead, buy whatever fish looks freshest and best. You are infinitely better off with a snapper that is fresh than you are with a tuna that's been in the fridge for several days.

Finally, I recommend to start simple. Normal (not inside out) rolls for starters. Traditional thin rolls (hosomaki) and Nigiri sushi are a good way to start. Inside-out rolls, Temaki (hand rolls), and Gunkan Maki are harder to shape and present right. (For Temaki and Gunkan Maki you need to be quick, otherwise the Nori gets soggy.) Nigiri can be a bit of a challenge because it is easy to compress the rice too much. (Getting the texture of Nigiri right takes practice, but is worth persisting with.)

Don't worry about fancy fusion rolls and heavily decorated or spiced/dressed sushi. In my opinion, those are usually inferior in taste to the simplicity of traditional sushi, and they are harder to make and present well.

And don't be afraid to try and experiment. I started in the early nineties when there was no web and no Google. What it took was a trip to an Asian supermarket (where I found the book I linked to above), buying a sushi mat (makizushi), a bottle of vinegar, dried shiitake and Konbu (kelp), and a packet of Japanese sushi rice. Plus a willingness to experiment and paying attention when I went to a sushi bar and could observe a professional sushi chef at work.

It's not rocket science, and very rewarding. Jump in and do it!


----------



## Ochazuke (Jul 10, 2019)

I agree with 95% of what michi says except the part about temaki. It’s sushi for 主婦 because it’s easy to do...

He’s spot on about the fish part though! Get what’s good, not what you want. 

Don’t start with nigirizushi, too many things for a beginner to focus on. For sure, start with easier sushi and really take time to practice getting rice right. Once you’re comfortably with rice, then move on to more difficult sushi. You’ll never be able to make good nigirizushi if your rice is no good.


----------



## daveb (Jul 10, 2019)

The kkf sushi rice tutorial - add to it at will.

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/sushi-rice-lil-help.9913/


----------



## CoteRotie (Jul 10, 2019)

My local Japanese market makes fresh batches of sushi rice all day long, so sometimes I get lazy and just buy from them. Maybe you can find a market that does the same in order to get started. Making your own rice is a skill that's definitely worth acquiring though. As far as in general, it's definitely possible to learn to make great sushi at home, and even the mistakes are usually good to eat


----------



## JBroida (Jul 10, 2019)

https://www.amazon.com/Sushi-Food-Eye-Body-Soul/dp/1441906177

Danish food scientist... wrote my favorite book on sushi. Should be fun for you.


----------



## Dhoff (Jul 11, 2019)

Thank you everyone, this is wonderful. Now to experiment and learn


----------



## idemhj (Jul 11, 2019)

JBroida said:


> https://www.amazon.com/Sushi-Food-Eye-Body-Soul/dp/1441906177
> 
> Danish food scientist... wrote my favorite book on sushi. Should be fun for you.


Thanks for that suggestion. So here I am, a Danish dude (but not the OP) reading an English translation of a Danish book on a Japanese food (on my iPad Kindle app). Sometimes the world moves in mystrious - and rather wonderful - ways


----------



## Carl Kotte (Jul 11, 2019)

idemhj said:


> Thanks for that suggestion. So here I am, a Danish dude (but not the OP) reading an English translation of a Danish book on a Japanese food (on my iPad Kindle app). Sometimes the world moves in mystrious - and rather wonderful - ways



Great story! [emoji16]


----------



## Qapla' (Jul 11, 2019)

idemhj said:


> Thanks for that suggestion. So here I am, a Danish dude (but not the OP) reading an English translation of a Danish book on a Japanese food (on my iPad Kindle app). Sometimes the world moves in mystrious - and rather wonderful - ways



His writings are out there in the original Danish if you look. (Not that I know anything about shopping in Denmark or know a word of Danish, so I have no idea if this is a valid choice for shopping.)

https://www.saxo.com/dk/sushi_ole-g-mouritsen_indbundet_9788717040755
http://sushibook.net/?page_id=101


----------



## idemhj (Jul 11, 2019)

Qapla' said:


> His writings are out there in the original Danish if you look. (Not that I know anything about shopping in Denmark or know a word of Danish, so I have no idea if this is a valid choice for shopping.)
> 
> https://www.saxo.com/dk/sushi_ole-g-mouritsen_indbundet_9788717040755
> http://sushibook.net/?page_id=101


Yep, you are absolutely right. The thing is, though, that the Danish version is a physical hardcover. There is an option for a download which is what I wanted, but that is actually the English translation and in pdf (which kind of sucks compared to the Kindle-format). Again, the world moves in mysterious ways. I probably ought to support a local Danish bookseller rather than Amazon, it’s just that Amazon is so damned convenient


----------



## Dhoff (Nov 26, 2021)

So, long time since this was posted, but finally made my first Nigiri salmon 

It tasted very good, but about 80% fell apart a little bit, need to apply more squeeze I think.

Thank you once again everyone


----------



## Perzua (Nov 26, 2021)

Hiroyuki Terada on YT and you will know everything.


----------

