Sushi rice, nigiri & maki
Good sushi starts with properly seasoned rice. Get that right, then learn to slice fish, shape nigiri and roll maki inside and out.
Why it works
Sushi means seasoned rice, and the rice matters more than the fish. Japanese short-grain rice is high in amylopectin, the branched starch that makes cooked grains cling to each other while each one stays distinct. Long-grain rice has more amylose, cooks up fluffy and separate, and will not hold a shape. Look for rice sold as sushi rice or Japanese short-grain; Italian risotto rice is a poor substitute because it turns creamy rather than sticky.
Washing removes loose surface starch. Leave it on and the cooked rice turns gluey and paste-like instead of clingy. Soaking lets water reach the centre of each grain before the heat does, so the grains cook evenly without a hard core. Because the soaked grains already hold water, you cook with slightly less than for everyday rice, about 1.1 times the volume of rice.
The seasoning, sushi-zu, is rice vinegar, sugar and salt. You fold it in while the rice is hot, when the grains absorb it best. Fanning drives off steam and excess moisture, cools the surface quickly and gives the rice its gloss. The acidity also slows bacterial growth a little, which is why sushi rice was historically kept at room temperature. It does not make it safe indefinitely.
Sushi rice is served at roughly body temperature. Warm rice against cool fish is the contrast you are after. Cold rice from the fridge firms up as its starch retrogrades, so the grains turn hard and chalky. That is why you make sushi rice the day you eat it and never refrigerate it.
What you need
- Heavy pan with a tight lid or a rice cooker: Even, gentle heat stops the bottom scorching before the top is cooked.
- Hangiri or wide bowl: A shallow wooden tub absorbs excess moisture; a wide glass or ceramic bowl works, but avoid bare metal with the vinegar.
- Rice paddle (shamoji): A flat paddle lets you cut and fold the rice without crushing the grains; a wide wooden spatula will do.
- Bamboo rolling mat (makisu): Gives even pressure along the whole length of a roll.
- Long, very sharp knife: A yanagiba is ideal, but any long, freshly sharpened knife will slice fish and cut rolls cleanly.
- Cling film: Wrap the mat for inside-out rolls so the rice does not stick in the slats.
- Fan or a stiff piece of card: For cooling the rice while you fold in the vinegar.
Step by step
Wash the rice
Measure the rice by volume. Put it in a bowl, cover with cold water, swirl gently with your fingers and pour off the cloudy water straight away. Repeat four or five times, until the water runs nearly clear. Drain in a sieve.
Tip: Swirl rather than scrub. Rubbing hard breaks the grains.
Soak, then cook
Soak the washed rice in fresh water for about 30 minutes, then drain well. Put it in the pan with 1.1 times its volume of fresh water. Bring to the boil, cover, turn the heat to its lowest and cook for 12 to 13 minutes, until the water has gone. Take it off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes to steam.
Tip: Do not lift the lid while it cooks. You lose the steam that finishes the grains.
Make the sushi-zu
While the rice cooks, stir rice vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small pan over low heat until dissolved. Do not let it boil. For 3 rice cups (about 540 ml raw rice) use 75 ml rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and 1.5 tsp salt. Let it cool a little.
Tip: Use plain rice vinegar. Bottled seasoned sushi vinegar already has sugar and salt in it, so skip both if you use it.
Season and fan the rice
Wipe the hangiri or bowl with a damp cloth. Turn the hot rice into it and pour the sushi-zu evenly over the paddle onto the rice. Use slicing, cutting strokes to separate and turn the grains, never stirring or mashing. Fan the rice as you go, for about 5 minutes, until it is glossy and has cooled to body temperature.
Tip: If you are alone, fan for a few seconds between folds. The gloss is the sign you have done it right.
Keep it warm and covered
Gather the rice into a mound and cover with a clean, damp tea towel. Keep it at room temperature and use it within a few hours. Set out a small bowl of tezu: cold water with a splash of rice vinegar. Dip your fingertips in it before handling rice so the grains do not stick.
Tip: Shake off excess tezu. Too much water on your hands makes the rice soggy and stops it holding together.
Slice fish for nigiri
Start with a trimmed, skinned, boneless block of fish, ideally about 7 cm wide. Find the direction of the grain, the lines of muscle, and cut across it at a slight angle. Use one long pulling stroke from the heel of the blade to the tip, without sawing. Aim for slices about 5 mm thick and roughly 7 by 2.5 cm.
Tip: Wipe the blade with a damp cloth between slices. A clean knife cuts cleanly.
Shape the nigiri
With wet fingertips, take 15 to 20 g of rice and press it lightly into an oblong in your cupped palm. Lay a slice of fish across the fingers of your other hand and dab a little wasabi along its middle. Set the rice on top and press gently with two fingers so the fish wraps over the rice. Turn it fish side up and press once more to set the shape.
Tip: Press firmly enough to hold, lightly enough that the rice stays airy. Good nigiri holds when you pick it up and loosens once it is in your mouth.
Roll hosomaki
Lay half a sheet of nori shiny side down on the mat, long edge towards you. With wet hands spread about 80 g of rice thinly and evenly over it, leaving a 1 cm border at the far edge. Lay a thin line of filling across the middle. Lift the near edge of the mat and roll it over the filling so the rice meets the rice on the other side, press, then roll on to seal. A few grains crushed along the bare border help it stick.
Tip: Keep fillings thin. Overfilled rolls split or will not close.
Roll uramaki inside out
Wrap the mat in cling film. Spread rice right to the edges of half a sheet of nori, scatter with toasted sesame seeds, then flip it over so the rice faces the mat. Lay the filling along the nori, roll up the same way and press gently to firm the shape. Roll it in more sesame or fish roe if you like.
Tip: Press the roll square or round with the mat after rolling, then leave it a minute before cutting.
Cut the rolls
Use a long, sharp knife wiped with a damp cloth. Cut the roll in half, then lay the halves side by side and cut both into thirds or quarters, giving 6 or 8 pieces. Use smooth, sawing-free strokes and wipe the blade after each cut.
Rice to vinegar to yield
| Raw rice | Water | Rice vinegar | Sugar | Salt | Seasoned rice | Makes about |
|---|
| 1 cup (180 ml) | 200 ml | 25 ml | 2 tsp | 0.5 tsp | 350 g | 18 nigiri or 4 hosomaki |
| 2 cups (360 ml) | 400 ml | 50 ml | 4 tsp | 1 tsp | 700 g | Serves 2 to 3 as a main |
| 3 cups (540 ml) | 600 ml | 75 ml | 2 tbsp | 1.5 tsp | 1 kg | Serves 4 to 5 as a main |
Fillings for beginners
| Filling | Prep | Best in |
|---|
| Cucumber | Deseed and cut into 5 mm batons | Hosomaki (kappa maki), uramaki |
| Avocado | Ripe but firm, cut into thin slices | Uramaki |
| Tamagoyaki | Sweet rolled omelette, cut into batons | Nigiri with a nori band, hosomaki |
| Cooked prawn | Peeled, butterflied, tail on for nigiri | Nigiri, uramaki |
| Smoked salmon | Cut into strips or thin slices | Hosomaki, uramaki, nigiri |
| Crab | Picked white crab meat or crab sticks, mixed with a little mayonnaise | Uramaki |
| Raw salmon or tuna | Sashimi grade, cut into 1 cm batons or nigiri slices | Hosomaki, nigiri |
Troubleshooting
My rice is mushy and pasty.
Either it was not washed enough or it had too much water. Wash until the water runs nearly clear, drain well after soaking, and stick to 1.1 times the rice volume. Stirring instead of cutting when you add the vinegar also crushes grains.
The rice is hard in the middle.
It was not soaked long enough or the lid came off during cooking. Soak for about 30 minutes and keep the lid on through the 10-minute rest. If it is already cooked, sprinkle with a spoonful of water, cover and leave on the lowest heat for 5 minutes.
My nigiri fall apart when I pick them up.
The rice was pressed too lightly or has gone cold and dry. Shape with damp, not dripping, hands and give the rice a firmer squeeze. Keep the rice covered with a damp cloth so the surface does not dry out.
The rice sticks to my hands and the mat.
Dip your fingers in tezu before every handful and shake off the excess. For uramaki, always wrap the mat in cling film.
My rolls split or will not close.
Too much rice or too much filling. Spread the rice thinly, leave the 1 cm border bare and keep the filling to a narrow line. Moisten the border slightly if the nori is very dry.
The cut pieces are squashed and ragged.
The knife is dull or dry. Sharpen it, wipe it with a damp cloth before every cut and let the blade do the work with long strokes rather than pressing down.
Raw fish and rice
Raw fish can carry parasites and bacteria, and cooked rice left warm grows bacteria quickly. Buy carefully, keep everything cold except the rice, and eat sushi the day you make it.
- Buy fish from a fishmonger who sells it specifically for eating raw, and say what you are making.
- Wild fish for raw eating must be frozen to kill parasites. EU rules require at least -20 °C for 24 hours or -35 °C for 15 hours. A domestic freezer at -18 °C does not reliably meet this, so buy fish that has already been frozen to that standard.
- Keep fish in the fridge until the moment you slice it, and return it straight away between batches.
- Eat raw fish sushi the same day. Do not keep leftovers.
- Cooked rice left at room temperature can grow Bacillus cereus, whose toxins survive reheating. Serve sushi rice within about 4 hours of cooking and discard what is left.
- Pregnant women, young children, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system should avoid raw fish. Use the cooked and vegetarian fillings instead.
