Sushi is a food loved by many and an art form mastered by few. But, with a few quick lessons, you can roll your own sushi right in your own kitchen! We talked to Wilson Wang, Master Chef and Owner of Baba Sushi, to find out some helpful tips on to concoct the perfect roll.
For a first dive into sushi rolling, let’s start with a rainbow roll. Start with your nori, the seaweed wrap in which you’ll roll your sushi. Wilson uses a half cut of a full wrap to make the roll easier to handle. When placing the wrap feel for the rough side – here’s where you’ll place the rice. The shiny side, instructs Wilson, is for the fish.
Next it’s time to add the rice. “How much rice?” you ask? “It depends on the amount of fish you like – more fish, more rice!” Wilson laughs. Practically speaking, you’ll need enough rice to just barely cover the four corners of the nori. Wilson cautions against using too much rice, resulting in a clumpy roll that drops rice, or too little, giving you a roll without enough rice to stay together. To make the perfect consistency for his rice, Wilson uses one part rice and one part water then adds vinegar, sugar, and salt to taste.
Once your rice is applied to the roll, lightly dust the rice with sesame seeds and flip over the nori. Here you’ll put on your materials for the inside of the roll. Wilson encourages creativity here; try a blend of crab leg, cucumber, avocado – whatever you like! “With sushi, you design your food,” Wilson says.
Now comes the first roll. “Rolling,” affirms Wilson, “is the real skill.” Roll too tight and you’ll squish the rice, but roll too loose and you’re roll will fall apart! To help you perfect a roll, pick up bamboo rolling mat. By wrapping the mat in saran wrap you can avoid rice sticking to the mat and ruining the roll. “Roll starting closest to you moving away from your body,” Wilson instructs, “and use the bamboo pads to fix the roll and make it square.” While the thickness of sushi rolls can vary greatly, Wilson states that the traditional style is to keep the rolls thin.
With your roll prepared, move on to the fish. Cut thin slices from your fish on a cutting board. “Keep the knife at a 70-degree angle,” advises Wilson, “and move with a single motion through the fish.” To ensure a smooth cut you’ll need to use a very sharp knife and keep the fish steady with your non-cutting hand. Each slice should be cut about as wide as your finger and as thin as a piece of paper folded four times. If your fish is thicker than your chopsticks, you’ve cut it too thick! A thicker cut can produce a very fishy taste, but Wilson again reassures that sushi is made based on personal tastes. “If you like how the fish tastes, use more fish!” he jokes.
For the rainbow roll try using three different kinds of fish. Once all the fish is cut, lay each slice over the top of the roll at a 45-degree angle to cover the roll. Next, cut up some thin slices of fresh avocado to add to the roll. Overlap the avocado with the fish piece by piece – alternating fish and fruit – until the roll is completely covered.
After the fish and avocado have been applied, squeeze the roll with the bamboo mat again. “The fish won’t stick [to the roll] yet,” Wilson cautions. Then, slice the roll into appropriately sized pieces. You could wind up with six, eight or ten pieces depending on the length of your nori. Once you’ve sliced the roll squeeze the pieces once more taking care to adjust the pieces on the ends – these are the most fragile and may need some fixing.
Finally, you can place your rolls. Wilson describes the many different patterns and arrangements for sushi, from strips to rainbows and other intricate patterns depending on the size of the plate. “Choose a plate based on the amount of fish,” warns Wilson with a smile, “so that your sushi doesn’t look lonely.” Decorate your place setting with bamboo leaves, radish sprouts, and add in some ginger and wasabi for taste. When your sushi is dressed to impress, serve it and enjoy!
