It is sushi, a delicatessen that has been among us for years, although it is a traditional Japanese dish, it was not always a small bite. It was born in a large format, perhaps due to Thai influence, and the thing went like this: the fish was marinated with rice in a bamboo leaf for days, then the rice was removed and the fish was eaten.
It was in the 19th century when the clever Yohei Anaya had the idea of giving up fermentation and serving raw fish on rice seasoned with vinegar. “He was the creator of the fast sushi that we eat today, he set up a restaurant in 1834 and founded a dynasty of cooks that lasted five generations. He became very famous and was even arrested because he was selling his invention at an excessively high price,” says Pedro Espina, the Madrid chef of the Soy restaurant, who has been teaching authentic Japanese cuisine for 30 years.
With this expert, who studied 8 hard years ("you don't make your first nigiri until you've been 5") to become 'itamae' (a tabla master recognized by the Japanese, which would be a top-class sushiman), we delve into the world of sushi, a mouthful of apparent simplicity, but one that not everyone does correctly. “The essential thing is to be honest and work with cleanliness and order, checking that everything is fine,” says Espina.
But the recent sushi boom has helped us make blunders without even realizing it. For example, do you know that you should not put water on the nori seaweed that covers sushi? And that the ideal bamboo mat is the one with one side rounded and the other flat? Are you aware of the importance of washing rice well? Well we have more secrets. These are the 10 mistakes you make when you make your homemade sushi:
1. Complicating our lives with the sushi we are going to make
The evolution of sushi since Anaya devised the quick format of this snack has meant that today we have different versions and types of sushi. From Osaka hako sushi, traditionally made in a small wooden box, to inari (stuffed in a tofu bag), to temaki, which is sushi inside a nori seaweed cone. Not to mention the creative recipes of the fusion sushi movement.
The original, nigiri, is the rice ball with vinaigrette and fish on top, although in this article we are going to focus on maki sushi, which is wrapped in nori seaweed and then cut into portions. “It is the easiest sushi to make and the most grateful because with the same work you do more. You can also do it with the children. My three-year-old daughter made her first maki sushi and she was excited about the experience,” says Pedro Espina from his Madrid restaurant Soy.
2. Choose the first rice we find
“Even if we have an excellent ham, if the bread we choose to make the sandwich is not good, the result will not look good, right? Well, the same thing happens with sushi rice,” says Pedro Espina, who clearly states that In Spain, this essential ingredient is always given the importance it deserves. “We can't do it and leave it all day, using the same cooking in different meals. We have to make it every time we make sushi and also buy the right one.”
And which one is the right one? Well, if we want to obtain the flavor and texture of Japanese sushi, the rice must be Japanese. "Now it is not difficult to find, although this being a country with good rice we can also choose our own as long as it is not long or whole grain, but rather a bomb type." The most important thing, explains the expert, is that it is high-end, that it is not fragmented into pieces, and above all, that we wash it well.
3. Do not wash the rice or soak it
Pedro Espina washes the rice three times to remove the starch. “I make it in a bowl with tap water and clean it with my fingers open so as not to break it,” says the Soy chef, a former elite athlete, who for years has been the standard bearer of Japanese cuisine in Spain and has been recognized as a master of Japanese cuisine by the experts of that country.
“The washing must be done until you see that the water is becoming clear, that it is no longer cloudy.” That means that it no longer has starch, which is responsible for making it glutinous. But it is important not to go overboard. There are those who wash it more than seven times, “and there is a risk that it will take on too much moisture and break,” explains Espina, who when he was studying to be an 'itamae' spent the first two years washing rice.
It is also very important to soak the rice for half an hour (one hour is better, if possible) in water "so that it hydrates well, we will notice how it changes from grayish to pure white." Then, we strain it and put it in the casserole.
4. Making mistakes in measurements when cooking
Pedro Espina gives us an infallible homemade recipe to properly control the proportion of water and rice and thus achieve a perfect result. For 4 people, 2 cups (about 150 grams) of rice and 2 and a half cups of water of the same size. First we cook it over high heat and when it boils, over low heat. In 20-25 minutes it is done. Espina recommends specific electric cookers for cooking rice.
“They come in all sizes and it greatly shortens the process.” The Soy chef says that this pot will also be used to make rice for garnishes or fried rice. Once the rice is made, we can leave it in the pot to cool a little. Then we carefully take it out, put it on a tray or a bowl and move on to the next phase.
5. Use wine vinegar to make the vinaigrette
Once the rice is cooked and placed in the bowl, we can cover it with a cloth so that it does not dry out. It is important to season the rice when it has not yet cooled and to do so, “we will make a vinaigrette with 8 tablespoons of rice vinegar a little sweetened with sugar (2 tablespoons) and with a pinch of salt (1 or 2 teaspoons) to give it a contrast point,” explains our expert.
We use rice vinegar and not wine vinegar “because it is not so aggressive.” We can also buy vinaigrettes prepared for sushi that already have all the ingredients mixed just right.
6. Not choosing a suitable fish
Maki sushi can be prepared with different ingredients. “Now it is very fashionable to make them with avocado and shrimp,” says Espina, who recommends using whatever vegetables we fancy, especially if they are Japanese. “I also recommend the Dutch cucumber, which is large, very sweet and with a flavor not as dominant as the one here,” she notes. We will cut them as we see fit, adapting to the proportions of the nori seaweed, although strips are the most appropriate way if we do not have much practice.
As for fish, the chef advises avoiding white fish such as hake or monkfish because they do not have enough flavor to make good sushi. “Tuna is the king of fish and salmon is very practical for neophytes.” And, yes, buy it high-end.
7. Not respecting anti-anisakis rules
As we are talking about a preparation with raw fish, it is important to take into account the European regulations against anisakis. Remember that the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN) indicates that whenever raw fish is eaten it must have been previously frozen for 5 days at -20 degrees C.
Rigorous and well-trained experts like Pedro Espina know very well whether the fish is free of parasites and impurities (“in my 30 years as a cook I have never had any problems”), but the rest of us must follow the rules of prevention.
8. Not choosing the best bamboo mat
There are many bamboo mats and they are sold everywhere, even in department stores. We can buy the one that best suits our taste and needs, but Pedro Espina knows what the ideal one is like: “On one side the boards must have a rounded finish and on the other they must have a flat finish,” says the expert, adding that the The rounded part will be the one that the hands will touch. A little secret that few know and that will make us have a perfect form of sushi.
9. Do not crowd the ingredients and add water to the nori seaweed
“Nori seaweed is a large sheet, about 20 centimeters long that we will fold in half, cut it and each of the parts will be used to make a roll,” says the Itamae master, who advises us to buy the Japanese one so that it is of good quality. quality. Once spread on the mat, we have to place the rice, “which we have already cold or warm” carefully, spreading it in the form of a thin layer. “It is important not to put a lump of rice, which is quite common unfortunately.” We will do it with cold, wet hands so that the rice sticks to us.
Then we will place the rest of the ingredients in the middle, and if we like wasabi, a little, without going overboard. We turn the mat over and press a little so that it is in the shape of a little square. There are those who suffer because it doesn't stick well and add water to the nori seaweed as if it were a spring roll. “That is a big mistake, the only thing water does is spoil the texture and flavor of the seaweed. The seaweed in contact with the rice, which has vinaigrette, already sticks well.”
A trick to cut the two rolls that we get with the large wing sheet: cut them in half, join the two halves and cut them at the same time into three portions. There are six perfect bites left.
10. Add a lot of sauces when eating it
Eating sushi well is also important. When it was born, it was held with the fingers, so there is no problem doing it that way. What is important is not to overdo the sauces. Pedro Espina considers it a big mistake to put a lot of wasabi, soy, ginger... "If you do that you lose the essential flavor of sushi, you just have to dip it a little bit in a sauce, very little."
In the case of nigiri, the true professional “takes it with his hand, turns it over and wets it a little on the fish side,” says the chef. All we have to do is say, Itadakimasu.
