Sushi Rice and Rolls

Foundations Referenced

• → Dashi (for miso soup accompaniment)
• → Knife cuts

Ingredients

Sushi Rice (Shari)

• 2 cups short-grain Japanese rice (Koshihikari)
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Maki Rolls

• 4 sheets nori
• Sushi rice (above)
• Fillings (choose):
• Sushi-grade tuna or salmon, cut into 1/4" × 1/4" × 4" batonnet
• Cucumber, julienne
• Avocado, thinly sliced
• Cream cheese strips
• Tempura shrimp

For Serving

• Soy sauce
• Wasabi
• Pickled ginger (gari)

Method

Rice

1. Rinse rice in cold water 4–5 times until water runs clear (removes excess starch).
2. Cook rice with water in a heavy pot: bring to boil, reduce to lowest heat, cover, cook 15 min. Rest 10 min, lid on.
3. Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat gently to dissolve.
4. Spread rice in a wide bowl (traditionally a hangiri). Pour seasoning over, fold gently with a rice paddle using cutting motions — do not stir or mash. Fan the rice as you fold to cool it and develop a glossy sheen.

Rolling

1. Place nori shiny-side down on bamboo mat. Wet hands, spread rice evenly, leaving 1" strip at the top edge bare.
2. Lay fillings in a line across the center.
3. Lift the mat edge closest to you, roll forward, tucking the filling tightly. Press gently to shape.
4. Seal the bare nori strip with a dab of water.
5. With a very sharp, wet knife, cut roll into 6–8 pieces using a single drawing motion (don't saw).

Miso Soup (quick accompaniment)

• 3 cups dashi (→ foundation)
• 3 tbsp white miso paste
• Cubed silken tofu, sliced scallions, wakame

Heat dashi to just below simmering. Dissolve miso into a ladle of warm dashi, then stir back into pot. Do not boil (kills beneficial cultures). Add tofu and wakame. Garnish with scallions.

What You're Learning

• Rice preparation as a precise, meditative process — sushi lives or dies by its rice
• Knife precision: batonnet cuts for fish, julienne for vegetables
• The rolling technique requires practice — tension without crushing
• Dashi from foundations becomes the base for miso soup
• Japanese cuisine values restraint, freshness, and respect for ingredients