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The Art of Making Sushi

futo makiThe most popular dish in Japan and perhaps its greatest contribution to the gastronomic world is the sushi. When you inspect it closely, a sushi is a complete meal packed in perfect bite sizes – there’s specially prepared rice in vinegar along with various ingredients such as fresh seafood and vegetables.

Originally discovered during the process of preserving fish in rice the sushi that people know today can be attributed in Edo during the 18th century when they used fish freshly caught from the Edo Bay, and sushi became an inexpensive meal for the common people. A truly simple dish, it has since then evolved into an artful culinary experience with the variations that have found their way from the kitchens right up to the dining tables.

There are two basic ingredients in a sushi, and each one meticulously requires a specific feature or element for the whole dish to be done just right. There’s the white cooked rice made from short Japonica grains and prepared in a mixture of vinegar, sugar and salt. Occasionally sake, or Japanese rice wine is added to the mixture. For the rice, the objective is to arrive at the right level of stickiness, achieved through the correct portions of liquid mixture and the kind of grains, as well as the cooling time and process. Too sticky and it becomes mushy in texture; not sticky enough and it becomes dry to the touch and taste. Of course, the right level of stickiness would largely depend on the chef or the cook’s preference.

Freshness is the key element in the sushi’s next main ingredient which would be the fish and seafood. After all, it is served in its raw state so for hygiene and health purposes – and also for aesthetic quality – the fish and the seafood must be in its freshest state. Great care is taken in ensuring this quality – from the selection, to the storing down to the handling. Part of the training of sushi chefs is to be able to pick fresh fish just by appearance and the smell alone. Of course getting your oceanwater or saltwater fish and seafood from reputable sources gives you greater assurance than just getting it from the local market. Then there is the manner by which the fillets of fish and pieces of seafood are sliced, cut, shaped so that when they are rolled out, or laid on top of the sushi rice they are then transformed into finger-sized works of art that looks as good as they taste.



The different types of sushi have evolved through the ages, based on availability and seasonality of the other ingredients as well as the creativity of the chefs. Then interplay of other elements such as the nori, or the seaweed wrap, wasabi, or the spicy green root paste, vegetables such as cucumber, onion, mint leaves, mushroom, shoyu or soy sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, spicy sauce, and pickled vegetables all add to the artful display as well as to the combination of delicate flavours that further enhance the freshness of the sushi.

Even the utensils needed to prepare this dish speak of the attention to detail that goes through each step. There’s the hangiri, or the wooden barrel where the sushi rice is cooked together with the shamoji, or the wooden rice paddle for turning the rice over during cooling; the hocho, or the kitchen knives used for precision cutting and slicing; ryoribashi or the cooking chopsticks for picking up those tender morsels for arrangement; and the makisu or the bamboo rolling mat for making those cylindrical shaped sushi. A great deal of practice and training is needed to perfect the art of rolling and in some restaurants the sushi bar is an open area so diners can watch how their sushi is being artistically prepared.

The most basic types would be the Nigirizushi, which would simply be a small oblong-size mound of rice with a dab of wasabi and a piece of topping (usually fish) laid over it. Sometimes it is bound by a thin strip of nori in the middle to hold the pieces together and make eating easier. There is also the Makizushi or small bite-sized cylindrical pieces of sushi rolled with the use of a makisu. Wrapped inside the nori would be the sushi rice and usually fillets of fish or seafood, along with strips of vegetables and fruits and a smear of wasabi for added flavour. A variation of this would be a makizushi rolled inside out – the rice would be on the outside with the nori as part of the filling inside, or uramaki. The uramaki is not typically seen in Japan but is a modern-day innovation for the rest of the world, primarily Western markets like the U.S. which took a liking for the dish and has made different variations for the filling such as cream cheese, bacon, barbecued salmon among others.

temakiThere is also the Temaki, or the hand roll. The nori is shaped into a cone which holds the filling of rice, seafood, fish and other ingredients. This is bigger than the finger-sized morsels and is eaten with the hands instead of the chopsticks. There’s also the Chirashizushi, or scattered sushi – rice is laid out on a wooden bowl and all the other ingredients are mixed in and all over the rice.

Sushi dishes are laid out in small, lacquered or porcelain dishes that are specially designed to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the dish. With the right accompaniment of a cup of cold sake or green tea, the sushi is a delightful enjoyable meal to have.