About Nigiri sushi
Nigiri is a kind of sushi made with vinegared sushi rice (shari), and a slices of fish, seafood, or vegetable. Nigiri sushi is easier to make than maki, or uramaki sushi, and some would say even easier to consume.
It is customary to present nigiri sushi pieces in couples, as a sign of peace and harmony.
How to Make nigiri sushi
1."Shape the rice"
With your hand wet, grab about 20 grams of shari rice, and shape it to a long, oval from. The rice is going to be the base for the fish to lay on, so the bottom should be flat, and the top could be more rounded. The sides should definitely be a bit rounded.
2. "Cut a Slice"
As already mentioned, nigiri sushi topping can vary, but the basic form is "plain" salmon nigiri. So if it is salmon or tuna fish nigiri sushi you are making, the following measurements should be just fine.
Take a slice of fish, about 1 cm thick, 5 cm long and 3 cm wide. If the piece of fish you are cutting from is smaller, and does not allow you to cut such a slice, try slicing it at 45 degrees, it will allow you maximum "fish surface".
Take a pea-sized portion of wasabi, and smear it along the middle of the fish slice. The wasabi will help the slice glue to the piece of rice, to form a steady nigiri sushi.
3. "Sushitrons - form a nigiri sushi!"
Now it's time to place the slice of fish, with the wasabi side facing down, on the rice. Lay it gently on the rice, and then press it firmly to stick with the rice. You might want to use the other hand to hold the nigiri sushi from the sides while pressing it from above, to avoid "rice loss".
"So, how can I start...?"
Well, the best thing is to get sushi equipment and ingredients to start with. Check out our sushi e-Store, for sushi kits and more. You might also want to know how to prepare sushi rice, or to read more about sushi grade fish for your sushi roll.
Enjoy!
Comments
if you get a chance EAT IT
I have used hot/sweet Chinese mustard in place of wasabi. There are also different kinds of wasabi available, in a small tube or more often seen as powder that is mixed with equal amounts of water to make the wasabi paste.
Easy, just put it in a fridge and it will defrost like anything that is put under 0C/32F.
Do not try to defrost it with anything crazy like a Bunsen Burner or try to heat it up to melt it quickly, because that would ruin it
Check your local grocery store, look in the Asian or the international isle. Look for sushi rice. It's a bit expensive but a little goes a long way. Wasabi is a bit overrated. Most wasabi is actually just horseradish with green food coloring. MOst grocery stores now a days have a sushi counter you can find small containers of ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. why get large quantities how often do you really plan on making sushi.
Finding fresh fish to use, just ask your local grocery store most grocery stores have a fish department. Ask what is fresh let them know you are going to eat it raw. They will make sure it's fresh enough to eat that way. If you plan on eating Salmon, wild is always better than farm raised.
An extra precaution I take is using rice wine (roughly 70% alcohol) mixed with wasabi. I'll marinate thinly sliced cuts of salmon in the solution for roughly 10 seconds -> dip them in soy sauce to rinse that alcohol and wasabi taste off -> rinse with water. This should leave your fish with an extremely mild sensation of rice wine (which can be quite pleasant), almost no trace of wasabi and some remnants of soy sauce.
you can get it at a Japanese or health food market
All fish has parasites which is why you need to not eat it raw...unless it's labeled "sushi grade". With sushi grade fish, it is placed on a backlighted table where the visible parasites are manually pulled out. Sick, I know, but the process is very precise and the fish has to be approved to be sushi grade so we don't get sick.
However, you are more than welcome to use cooked fish. Sushi is entirely customizable to the consumer.
Roundworms are the most "common" risk with raw fish, although that is still rare. Freezing fish overnight will kill these parasites and if quickly frozen, will retain its fresh flavor. The freezing process does NOT kill bacteria as a previous poster said. Most bacteria doesn't care how cold it is and some bacteria, such as psychrotrophic bacteria, actually love the cold.
LOL, go to a reputable fishmonger buy the fish raw, if you have any concerns about hygeine freeze it thaw it then eat it. This kills bacteria as an alternative to cooking. DO NOT COOK it though for this type of sushi. Enjoy.
I love sushi!!
I will try!!!! ^^.
I love sushi!!!!
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