Nigiri Sushi (continued)

What You Need

Ingredients
1. 2 cups of short-grain rice (it MUST be short-grain; traditional Japanese short-grain rice isn’t exported as I have been told, but California grows some good equivalents that will work just fine)
2. 2 cups of water
3. 2 Tbsp of Rice Vinegar (also referred to as Rice Wine Vinegar or Sushi Seasoning)
4. 2 Tbsp of Sugar (what kind doesn’t really matter, just not brown sugar)
5. 1 Tbsp of Salt (you can use less, depending on how “sour” you want your rice)
6. Topping(s)
7. Wasabi (optional)


Equipment
1. Rice Cooker (I refuse to cook rice any other way; preferably a device with “Fuzzy” logic)
2. Measuring cup
3. Measuring Spoons
4. Cutting Board
5. Sharp Knife
6. Large wooden bowl (un-lacquered is preferable; if you can’t do wood, then glass is your next best choice, followed by thick plastic, then ceramic/earthenware, then thin plastic, then metal. You want to reduce the dissipation of heat as much as possible)
7. Paper Plate
8. Rubber Spatula
9. Kitchen Cloth (a hand towel)
10. Small Bowl


A Few Questions Before We Begin…

What topping do you want? There are many topping possibilities for sushi; the most common are raw fish and other seafood, but many other options are available. Traditionally, even cooked eggs (in a sort of mini-omelets) are used, but you can use cooked food if you like, or fruits and vegetables even. You could even just slap on a glob of some kind of paste, but whatever you pick, just keep in mind how it will work with the rice. Also note that traditionally sushi is eaten with soy sauce for dipping, but if you your particular topping would not benefit from such a salty dip, then by all means skip the soy.

Wasabi? As I understand it, wasabi was traditionally part of the sushi recipe, but traditional wasabi is very different from the spicy green paste many of us are familiar with today. Accordingly, real wasabi, which comes from a specific root that has rather picky growing requirements, is more on the sweet end, just a little kick to it. Thus, the reason I question the use of “modern” wasabi is that I find its blaring flavor to be in serious contradiction with the other subtleties that make much of sushi. If you are a fan of spicy wasabi, then by all means go for it, but if you aim for the more subtle, smooth textures and flavors of sushi, then I recommend that you use it in very light amounts, or not at all. While wasabi can be used as a useful bonding agent between a wet topping and wet rice (wet and wet don’t stick so well), use too much and you may very well ruin the sushi. I haven’t explored alternate means for improving the bond, but I will let you know if I come up with anything useful.