Quote:
Originally Posted by rusnak
LOL we call the hangiri, "the wooden pan thingy". Be sure to wet if before using.
The ratio of vinegar, salt, and sugar is a personal thing. Try around 3 TBSP white vinegar, 7 TSP sugar, 2 TSP salt and stir together. Adjust to taste. Once that is done, you're ready.
Wet the wooden pan thingey. Dump the entire rice cooker contents in it. You use a chop/ push motion to spread out the rice without smashing the grains. Fan the rice to get it to start cooling. Do not douse it with vinegar while it's hot because you'll just steam off all of the vinegar, leaving a weird sugar salt reduction on the rice. I noticed that Japanese Americans who are 4th and 5th generation prefer a bit more salt and vinegar on their sushi rice. This is super old school. Remember their culture is frozen in time from around 1900 or so. Japanese restaurants here in the USA tend to make their sushi rice much much more dry and sweet, with very little vinegar and very little salt. Traditional sushi rice is salty but not as much as the ocean, and bitter with vinegar. Japan, especially in the north, pickles a lot of their food to last through the winter.
Prepare a bowl of warm water and a bit of vinegar to dip your hands into. You'll quickly realize what this is for.
You don't want to attempt to make roll-sushi "maki" without a makisu, bamboo rolling mat. Always use an odd number of ingredients; Futo-maki has 7 ingredients as filling. Roll firmly, but do NOT make an indentation for the ingredients to sit in. Don't leave any air gaps between the fillings and the rice. Make sure the ingredients are perfectly in the middle. You can make maki ahead of time, then roll them in wax paper like a cigar and refrigerate.
If you make the reverse maki, with the rice on the outside, then be sure you toast the sesame seeds before you sprinkle them on the outside of the roll.
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Thx! I have a makisu, even tho 'the internet' says you can use plastic wrap.
I am in the low sugar camp (tho have zero ancestry from anywhere near Asia)
I didn't realize the rice should be cooled before adding the vinegar - I'll add that one to my list.