Sushi E-Book

Ryland Peters & Small

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 129

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

If you thought making sushi was strictly for the professionals, these easy-to-follow recipes will mean you never need to eat ready-made sushi again! Discover how to create delicious sushi in your own kitchen by following simple basic steps. Nigiri, maki, sashimi, temaki – all the different types of sushi are simply explained in this invaluable guide to making sushi at home. This is really easy party food, healthy snack food – and great fun for kids too, to make and to eat.   This book begins by explaining how to cook the rice perfectly and then introduces simple rolled sushi using classic ingredients such as cucumber, tuna or salmon.Once you've mastered these easy ones you can explore more adventurous variations. The recipes use easy-to-source ingredients, including everything from spinach, asparagus and carrots to prawns, crab and smoked salmon.  Also includes recipes for related raw bar dishes such as sashimi and poke, as well as great accompaniments, like fabulous pickles and three ways with wasabi.

Leseprobe

sushi

sushi

MORE THAN 60 SIMPLE-TO-FOLLOW RECIPES

Designer Paul Stradling

Editor Abi Waters

Production Manager Gordana Simakovic

Head of Production Patricia Harrington

Creative Director Leslie Harrington

Editorial Director Julia Charles

Indexer Cathy Heath

First published in 2024

by Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 E 116th St

New York, NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text © Jordan Bourke, Maxine Clark, Amy Ruth Finegold, Nicola Graimes, Dunja Gulin, Tori Haschka, Emi Kazuko, Loretta Liu, Uyen Luu, James Porter, Annie Rig, Fiona Smith, Milli Taylor, Jenna Zoe and Ryland Peters & Small 2024 (Also see page 160 for full credits.)

Design and commissioned photographs

© Ryland Peters & Small 2024.

Cover illustration: Adobe Stock/Billy

The authors’ moral rights have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-78879-582-1

E-ISBN 978-1-7-8879-625-5

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

US Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data has been applied for.

Printed in China

notes

• All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

• Eggs are medium unless otherwise specified. Uncooked or partly cooked eggs should not be served to the very young, the very old, those with compromised immune systems, or to pregnant women.

• Weights and measurements have been rounded up or down slightly to make measuring easier.

• When a recipe calls for the grated zest of a citrus fruit, buy unwaxed fruit and wash well before using.

If you can only find treated fruit, scrub well in warm soapy water before using.

• Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperature. If using a fan-assisted oven, cooking times should be reduced according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

• Japanese ingredients are now widely available in larger supermarkets, natural food stores and Asian markets.

contents

Introduction

ingredients

1 basics

2 maki

3 uramaki

4 nigiri

5 temaki

6 sashimi

7 other small bites

index

credits

introduction

The food of the East has become so popular in recent years – and it’s no surprise. From fresh fish and soft rice that melts in the mouth, to a warming, aromatic bowl of Vietnamese pho or a crisp salad, these are dishes packed full of bold flavours and ingredients that promote well-being. They have become the healthy, convenience food of our time, with more and more restaurants serving Asian-inspired dishes popping up.

But dishes such as sushi and noodle broths are also so simple to make at home and the ingredients are becoming more widely known and available. Even if you aren’t lucky enough to have an Asian supermarket nearby, most of the ingredients are now universally available online.

While noodles are the fast food of Asia – quick, instantly satisfying and wholesome – it is sushi that has really come into it’s own in recent years. For so long there was a mystique surrounding sushi that prevented it being a favourite with home cooks. But the complicated techniques used in making sushi can be simplified for the home and many people are now realizing how fun it can be to prepare – and how versatile too. Sushi is perfect for so many occasions, whether it’s a healthy, convenient packed-lunch box or an elegant platter to serve to dinner guests. One of the most popular styles is rolled sushi (maki-zushi), which is the focus of the second chapter. As soon as the process of rolling the rice has been mastered, a world of filling options becomes available.

sushi-making utensils and ingredients

Special sushi-making utensils and authentic ingredients are beautiful and useful, and sold even in supermarkets. Many brands of nori are available pretoasted and in a variety of grades – use the best you can. Some of the recipes in this book call for only half a sheet. When this is so, cut the sheets in half from the shortest side, so you are left with the most width.

When making rolled sushi, remember that rice is easier to handle with wet hands and it is better to handle nori with dry. Keep a bowl of vinegared water (mix 60 ml/¼ cup rice vinegar into 250 ml/1 cup water) on hand to make the job easier. You can use a dish towel lined with a piece of clingfilm/plastic wrap to help roll sushi, but it is definitely worth investing in a rolling mat (makisu) – they are inexpensive and will make the process far easier.

serving sushi

Traditional accompaniments for sushi are soy sauce, wasabi paste and pickled ginger, and it is often served with miso soup. A smear of wasabi can elevate a piece of sushi from the ordinary to something truly extraordinary.

If you do not want to add wasabi in the sushi, serve a small mound on the side, or serve the sushi with a small dish of plain soy and one of wasabi and soy mixed together. Bought wasabi varies immensely; it is possible to find paste with a high percentage of real wasabi, but many are mostly horseradish – once again, buy the best you can or make your own for the best flavour (see page 18).

Sushi is traditionally served immediately, but if you have to keep it for a while, wrap uncut rolls in clingfilm/plastic wrap. Keep in a cool place, but NOT in the refrigerator, which will make the rice hard and unpleasant – the vinegar in the rice will help to preserve it for a short time.

With easy to follow recipes and step-by-step instructions, you can have so much fun experimenting with a whole range of exciting combinations. Just remember, when it comes to sushi, practice really does make perfect!

ingredients

Japanese ingredients are becoming more widely available in supermarkets and specialist food stores, but can certainly be found in Asian markets. This directory will help you identify them.

1

basics

vinegared rice

Sushi is a general term for all food with sumeshi, or vinegared rice. Remember – sushi should never be put in the fridge (it will go hard). The vinegar will help preserve it for a few days if kept, wrapped, in a cool place, such as a shady window sill. To make sushi rice, boil 15 per cent more water than rice. Don’t take the lid off during cooking or you will spoil the rice.

400 ml/1¾ cups Japanese rice*

1 piece of dried kelp (kombu), 5 cm/2 inches square, for flavouring (optional)

3 tablespoons Japanese rice vinegar

2½ tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons sea salt

makes 1 litre/4 cups

*Please note, the rice in this recipe is measured by volume, not weight.

Put the rice in a large bowl and wash it thoroughly, changing the water several times, until the water is clear. Drain and leave in the strainer for 1 hour. If short of time, soak the rice in clear cold water for 10–15 minutes, then drain.

Transfer to a deep, heavy-based saucepan, add 460 ml/2 cups water and a piece of dried kelp (kombu), if using. Cover and bring to the boil over a high heat for about 5 minutes. Discard the kelp.

Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed. Do not lift the lid. Remove from the heat and leave, still covered, for about 10–15 minutes.

Mix the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small jug/pitcher and stir until dissolved.

Transfer the cooked rice to a large, shallow dish or handai (Japanese wooden sumeshi tub). Sprinkle generously with the vinegar dressing.

Using a wooden spatula, fold the vinegar dressing into the rice. Do not stir. While folding, cool the rice quickly using a fan. Let the rice cool to body temperature before using to make sushi.

japanese omelette

This is the basic method for cooking Japanese omelette (tamago yaki). In Japan it is a regular breakfast item as well as being used for sushi.

4 eggs

1 egg yolk

2½ tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)

sea salt

1–2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 Japanese omelette pan or 20-cm/8-inch non-stick frying pan/skillet chopsticks (hashi) or fork

makes 1 omelette

Using a fork, beat the eggs and egg yolk and strain through a sieve into a bowl. Add the sugar, soy sauce and a pinch of salt and stir well until the sugar has dissolved. Do not whisk or make bubbles.

Heat a Japanese omelette pan or frying pan/skillet over moderate heat and add a little oil. Spread evenly over the base by tilting the pan, then wipe off excess oil with kitchen paper, at the same time making sure the surface is absolutely smooth. Keep the oiled paper on a plate.

Lower the heat and pour one-third of the egg mixture evenly over the base by tilting the pan. If large air bubbles pop up immediately, the pan may be too hot – then remove the pan from the heat and put it back on when the egg starts to set.

Prick any air bubbles with a fork and when the egg is about to set, using chopsticks or a fork, roll the egg layer 2–3 times from one side to the other. Oil the empty base of the pan with the oiled paper and push the rolled egg back to the other side.

Again using the oiled paper, brush the base of the pan, then pour half the remaining egg mixture evenly over the base by tilting the pan and lifting the egg roll so the egg mixture flows underneath.

When the egg starts to set, roll again, using the first roll as the core. Repeat this oiling and rolling using up the remaining egg mixture. Remove from the pan and let cool before cutting.

mixed pickles

Other vegetables can be pickled and served with sushi alongside ginger (see below). They look wonderfully colourful, adding a touch of drama to your sushi platter and making it appear very professional.

½ cucumber, about 10 cm/4 inches long

1 carrot, about 100 g/4 oz.

100 g/4 oz. daikon radish, peeled, or 6 red radishes

¼ small green cabbage, about 150 g/5 oz.

6 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 tablespoon salt

½ lemon, sliced

250 ml/1 cup rice vinegar

175 g/1 cup sugar

makes about 500 ml/2 cups

Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Slice the cucumber, carrot and radish into very thin strips.

Slice the cabbage into 1-cm/½-inch strips. Put all the vegetables and garlic in a colander, sprinkle with salt and toss well. Set aside for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and top with the sliced lemon.

Put the rice vinegar and sugar in a saucepan with 60 ml/¼ cup water. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes. Let cool, then pour over the vegetables and lemon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or until needed. Keeps for 1 month in the refrigerator.

pickled ginger

The subtle flavouring of raw fish, delicate rice and fresh vegetables can easily be overpowered by the lingering flavours of previous morsels, and so ginger helps cleanse the palate.

150 g/5 oz. piece fresh ginger

1 tablespoon salt

125 ml/½ cup rice vinegar

115 g/½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 slice fresh beetroot/beet, 1 red radish, sliced, or a drop of red food colouring (optional)

makes about 250 ml/1 cup

Peel the ginger and slice it very finely with a mandoline or vegetable peeler. Put it in a large sieve or colander and sprinkle over the salt. Set aside for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

Put the rice vinegar and sugar in a saucepan, add 60 ml/¼ cup water and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes. Let cool, then pour over the ginger. If you would like it to be pink, like shop-bought ginger, add the beetroot, radish or food colouring. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or until needed.

wasabi paste

Most of the wasabi we buy in tubes is a mixture of horseradish and wasabi – or it can be just horseradish dyed green. If you buy wasabi paste from a Japanese market, you will have a selection of various qualities, and it is always preferable to buy the best. Many Japanese cooks prefer to mix their own wasabi paste from silver-grey wasabi powder, sold in small cans, believing that the flavour is stronger and sharper. The fresh roots are not widely available, even in Japan, but if you see them in a specialist greengrocer, sold on a bed of ice, do try them. To experience the real flavour and rush of wasabi you can make your own paste from them. Traditionally grated using a sharkskin grater, a porcelain ginger grater or a very fine abrasive zester will also work. After grating, the heat in wasabi lasts for only about 10 minutes, so you must use it straight away.

wasabi from powder

1 teaspoon wasabi powder

serves 1

fresh wasabi paste

1 fresh wasabi root

a wasabi grater or ginger grater

serves 6–8

wasabi from powder

Put the wasabi powder in a small bowl, such as an eggcup. Add 1 teaspoon water and mix with the end of a chopstick. Serve immediately.

fresh wasabi paste

Scrape or peel off the rough skin from the root. Using a circular motion, rub the wasabi gently against an abrasive grater onto a chopping board. Pound and chop the grated wasabi to a fine paste with a large knife or cleaver. Consume within 10 minutes.

Note To keep the wasabi from discolouring for as long as possible, turn the little bowl upside down until serving – this will stop the air getting at it.

2

maki

simple rolled sushi

Wonderful party food, nori rolls (norimaki) are probably the best-known sushi of all. A sheet of nori seaweed is spread with sushi rice, a line of filling put down the middle, then the sheet is rolled up into a cylinder. The cylinder is cut into sections before serving. All ingredients are available in Asian shops or larger supermarkets, as well as from online retailers.

18-cm/7-inch piece unwaxed cucumber, unpeeled

3 sheets of nori seaweed

¾ recipe vinegared rice (see page 13)

wasabi paste or powder

to serve

pickled ginger (see page 17)

extra wasabi paste

Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)

a sushi rolling mat

makes 36 pieces

To prepare the cucumber, cut into quarters lengthways, then cut out the seeds and cut the remainder, lengthways, into 1-cm/½-inch square matchstick lengths. You need 6 strips, each with some green skin.

Just before assembling, pass the nori over a very low gas flame or hotplate, just for a few seconds to make it crisp and bring out the flavour. Cut each sheet in half crossways.

Assemble the sushi according to the method on the following pages.

Cut each roll into 6 pieces, as shown on page 25.

Arrange on a serving plate and serve with pickled ginger, a little pile of wasabi paste and a dish of Japanese soy sauce.

step-by-step making simple rolls

Following on from the instructions on pages 22–23, make the vinegared rice (sumeshi