Homemade Sushi

Name: Homemade Sushi
Prep time: 70 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Niskiki rice. 2 ½ cups; Water 2 cups; Rice vinegar 5 tbsp; Fine salt 3 ½ tsp; Sugar 2 ½ tbsp; Kombu seaweed 0.2 oz

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Gluten Free
Lactose Free
Vegetarian
Vegan

Difficulty: Difficult
Prep time: 1 h 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Serving: 4
Cost: High
Note FROM THE EDITORIAL STAFF: for 500 g of raw rice, follow the mixture doses indicated in the recipe sheet

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Sai Fukayama

Making homemade sushi is really an adventure into the delicate world of Japanese cuisine. You know, where perfectly cooked rice meets fresh fish and sharp flavors. This creates a dish often linked with the best Japanese restaurants. And listen, the charm of making sushi at home is in how each component—rice, seaweed, ginger, and wasabi—comes together to create something crisp and bursting with flavor. Using a traditional sushi rice recipe with rice vinegar gives your rice that special sticky and slightly tangy flavor that's essential. It's super super good.

If you are exploring sushi recipes, you'll find all sorts of styles like nigiri (fish on rice), uramaki (with rice on the outside), thin hosomaki rolls, and even temaki cones. These are perfect for eating with your hands. Each type has its own vibe. But, everything starts with choosing the right rice and fish—nail these, and you're halfway there.

In Japan, sushi-making is considered an art. And doing it at home offers a glimpse into this rich tradition. It's not just about slicing fish or rolling rice—it's about paying attention to details, from seasoning the rice to laying out the moist seaweed just right. Some enthusiasts really enjoy creating a full spread—adding pickled ginger for a zippy bite between pieces—or serving sushi with a little dish of soy sauce and wasabi for an extra kick.

With homemade sushi, you can experiment with different sushi ingredients or go all-in with a sushi making kit for some added fun. I gotta say, don't forget sashimi—which is simply thin slices of silky raw fish—simple but packed with flavor. Discovering how to make sushi at home is both exciting and relaxing, especially when shared with friends or family. Plus, each bite allows you to taste the subtle differences—so so good—and maybe even inspire you to create your own easy sushi rolls. It is a rewarding journey that brings a taste of Japan right to your kitchen. Which is great.

How to Prepare Sushi Rice

To prepare the sushi rice at home, first rinse the nishiki rice thoroughly in cold water 1 to remove impurities. You will need to change the water until it becomes clear. Then soak it for an hour. Drain it and let it rest in a colander placed over another bowl for 5 minutes 2. In a high-sided pot, pour 17.6 oz of water 3.

Add the cleaned rice 4. Usually, the rice-water ratio is 1:1, but it may vary depending on the season: less is needed in fall, more in spring. Turn on the heat and cover the pot with a lid: we used a wooden one 5, but alternatively, you can use a regular one. When it starts to boil, stir the rice once with a wooden spoon 6 for even cooking. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat and cook for another 7 minutes on low.

At this point, remove the pot from the heat without removing the lid and let it rest for another 6 minutes. Then return the pot to the heat on medium-high for another 30 seconds 7. The consistency should be slightly al dente. Then turn it off. Prepare the rice vinegar mixture, which will give a slightly tangy taste. In a small saucepan, pour the rice vinegar 8 and add the salt 9. Heat on medium-low to dissolve the salt until it reaches a boil 12.

Then add the sugar 10, stir 11, and turn off the heat. Let cool and add the kombu seaweed 12. A tip is to wash the kombu seaweed before adding it to the mixture to remove the white coating sometimes present on the outside and reduce the salty intake.

Now that the rice is ready, take the hangiri (or alternatively a low and wide wooden container or another material that isn't steel), used to season the rice. Wet it with water 14 and then empty it: this way the wood won't absorb the vinegar. Pour the rice inside 15

and add the filtered vinegar mixture, letting it drip on the spoon to spread it over the rice 16. Stir the rice by moving it gently so as not to crush it 17. It's important to stir until it appears shiny and well-seasoned. To cool it, fan it 18 so the vinegar evaporates quickly.

Once seasoned, transfer the rice to the ohitsu 19, the wooden container to maintain the rice temperature. Cover it with a damp paper towel to keep the heat constant 20. Alternatively, you can use a wooden or steel container covered with a damp cloth. When the rice is at about 97°F, you can use and serve it for your sushi 21.

Uramaki

The Uramaki are made from a single roll of nori seaweed, rice, and filling. Discover how to make California rolls and tips on how to present them!

Hosomaki

Discover the quantities and all the steps to make hosomaki, the sushi variety with nori seaweed on the outside and rice and fish on the inside!

Temaki

The temaki is the famous cone shape that you can fill as you like: we've chosen sushi and a shiso leaf. Simplicity and taste all to discover.

Nigiri

The nigiri are the very essence of sushi: a slice of raw fish and a ball of nishiki rice. Learn how to make them perfectly!

Some Tips for Making Homemade Sushi

The fish must be extremely fresh and frozen. Follow the health guidelines for safe consumption.

Sushi should be made and served immediately. Any form of preservation is not recommended.

The choice of rice is crucial for sushi preparation: we used rice grown in Lombardy using the Japanese method with a grain that undergoes 20% polishing for a rounder taste. At home, you can use nishiki rice.

In autumn, using freshly harvested rice, you can use water at 85% of the rice weight for cooking; in spring, more water is needed (about 90% of the rice weight) because it contains less moisture.

We do not recommend replacing rice vinegar as it gives sushi rice its characteristic flavor.

Sushi rice can be prepared in advance: it can also be reheated in the microwave before use. The important thing is that it maintains a temperature equal to body temperature, about 97°F.

Useful Tools for Making Homemade Sushi

The essential tools for making artful sushi are:

_Special knives with sharp blades to cut the fish and rolls cleanly.

_Makisu, the mat for making sushi.

_Hangiri, the untreated wooden bowl for seasoning the rice once ready. Any low and very wide container made of any material but not steel can be used.

_Shamoji, the flat and rounded spatula for gently stirring and seasoning the rice. Alternatively, a wooden spoon can be used.

_Fan to cool the rice and quickly evaporate the vinegar.

_Ohitsu, the untreated wooden container where the rice is rested and stored for use. Alternatively, a wooden or steel container can be used, always covered with a damp cloth.

Curiosities

Sushi originated as a preservation method: as early as the 5th century BC, fish was fermented wrapped in rice and salt.

Over the centuries, the technique has been refined more and more, thanks also to the introduction of other ingredients such as rice vinegar, which is still part of the preparation today.

The first sushi bar dates back to the early 1800s when Yohei Hanaya began serving nigiri sushi at his stand, a bite of rice flavored with vinegar topped with a slice of raw fish. Hanaya's merit was drastically reducing the preparation times of traditional sushi, and for this reason, his sushi quickly spread throughout Japan.

Making sushi is an art taught by an elder shokunin, a sushi master, to an aspiring shokunin, who with great sacrifice learns all the techniques.+

Discover also: Futomaki and Gunkanmaki

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.