What do I need to make sushi?
Sushi, as you know, is a typical Japanese food made with rice. The preparation of sushi is not a complex recipe, but you need to have the perfect ingredients and better quality to be successful, in addition to having the necessary utensils for the correct elaboration.
1. Rice cooker - Suihanki
As the basis of sushi is rice and it must be in perfect condition, it is best to have an electric rice cooker to cook the rice and maintain its optimum cooking point. When a rice cooker is used, the rice must be stirred with a shovel. The water is evenly distributed between the grains. If the rice is not stirred, the bottom softens while the top dries.
2. Cooking shovel - Shamoji
It is a flat and round spatula to stir and serve the rice. It is often dipped in water to prevent rice from sticking to it. It can be made of different materials: bamboo, wood, lacquer or plastic.
3. Wooden bowl - Hangiri
When the rice is ready, it is passed into a circular wooden bowl, as if it were a barrel, to mix it with vinegar. Traditionally they were made of cypress wood topped with two copper rings. Domestic hangiris are usually about 30 cm in diameter while those used in restoration can reach one meter in diameter.
4. Bamboo mat - Makisu
Bamboo mat attached with cotton string to roll the makis. They are usually square of about 25 x 25cm. Transparent film can be placed between the bamboo mat and the ingredients to keep it clean at all times.
5. Cutting board - Manaita
In Japanese cooking, most of the action takes place on top of the cutting board. They are usually made of wood and are designed to protect the blades of the knives so that they do not deteriorate.
6. Japanese knives - Hocho
And last but not least, to make sushi we will need to have Japanese knives. The 3 basic Japanese knives are the Yanagiba, the Deba and the Usuba. The Yanagiba allows us to make thin slices of fish and clean cuts, the Deba serves to clean and fillet fish, the Usuba is the best to cut vegetables and the Santoku is suitable for fish, meat and vegetables.
