Sushi at home: rice, nori and everything you need

Making sushi at your own kitchen table is less complicated than it seems, as long as you know which rice to buy and what else needs to be on the counter. A question that is often asked: isn't a bag of regular white rice enough at home? The answer is no, and in this guide you will read why, and what vinegar, nori, wasabi and ginger you need in addition. If you want to know first which bottles and jars belong in a Japanese pantry, start with Japanese kitchen 101.

What do you need to make sushi?

For sushi at home you need Japanese sushi rice, sushi vinegar, nori, a bamboo mat and a filling, with wasabi, gari and soy sauce to eat with it. Below you see the basics side by side; further on you will read what to pay attention to for each component. The vinegar, soy sauce and wasabi in our toko are the same bottles and tubes that you see in the supermarket in Japan, from brands like Mizkan, Kikkoman and S&B.

Sushi rice Japanese short-grainJust sticky enough to hold a roll or nigiri togetherSushi vinegar すし酢 · sushi-zuRice vinegar with sugar and salt, ready to pour over the riceNori 海苔 · roasted seaweedThe sheets you roll maki and uramaki inWasabi 山葵Spicy green paste, a little bit is enoughGari ガリ · pickled gingerSweet and sour ginger to refresh your mouth in betweenSoy sauce 醤油 · shoyuTo dip, with the fish side downSesame seeds 胡麻 · gomaRoasted, for the outside of uramakiBamboo mat 巻きす · makisuWith this you roll the rice tightly around the filling

Which rice do you use for sushi?

Shinzu Sushi Rice and the other sushi rice in our shelf are Japanese short-grain rice: short, round grains that stick together slightly after cooking. This way a roll stays whole when you cut it and nigiri does not fall apart in your hand. Long-grain rice like pandan or basmati contains less of the sticky starch amylopectin, stays dry and loose and thus falls off the nori sheet. Sushi rice is therefore not a separate plant, but Japanese short-grain rice that you season with vinegar after cooking.

Koshihikari is a well-known Japanese rice variety with a soft, full grain, for example Akafuji Koshihikari Sushi Rice. We also have Kotobuki Sushi Rice and JFC Yume Nishiki Rice, and for those who make sushi often there is a large bag Golden Lily Premium Sushi Rice. All varieties are under Japanese rice.

How do you make sushi rice?

You make sushi rice by washing Japanese short-grain rice well, cooking it, letting it steam briefly and then mixing it while still warm with sushi vinegar. Rinse the rice a few times until the water remains clear, so that the loose starch is gone and the grains do not become mushy later. Cook it in a rice cooker or a pan with a thick bottom, follow the water and cooking time on the packaging, because that differs per brand, and then let the rice stand for about ten minutes with the lid on.

Scoop the warm rice into a wide bowl and cut the vinegar through it with cutting motions, so that every grain gets a layer without you mashing the rice. Let it cool until it is about hand warm, but preferably do not put it in the refrigerator, because then the rice becomes hard. A piece of Hidaka Kombu in the pan gives extra depth. The precise amounts and steps are in our recipe for sushi rice.

Sushi vinegar: ready-made or make it yourself?

Mizkan Sushi Seasoning is sushi vinegar that has already been seasoned with sugar and salt, so you only need to pour it over the rice. That is the easiest way if you make sushi for the first time. Also Otafuku Sushi Vinegar is ready-made, and Tamanoi Sushi Rice Vinegar Powder you sprinkle as powder over the warm rice.

If you want to determine yourself how sweet or sour your rice becomes, gently heat Japanese rice vinegar with sugar and salt until everything is dissolved, and taste until it tastes the way you want it. Use a mild, unseasoned rice vinegar for this, such as Mizkan Rice Vinegar or Otafuku Pure Rice Vinegar; sharper Chinese vinegar does not fit here as well. All Japanese vinegars are in the collection Japanese vinegar, mirin and kooksake.

Nori: which seaweed do you use for sushi?

Jhfoods Yaki Nori Roasted Seaweed Gold is yaki nori: thin sheets of seaweed that are dried and roasted, and that is the seaweed that you use for maki and uramaki. A sheet has a shiny and a rougher side, and the rice comes on the rough side, so that the shiny side is neatly on the outside of your roll later. For thin maki you use half a sheet. Those who roll a lot, take Hanabi Nori Sushi Sheets with 50 sheets. Nori quickly absorbs moisture and then becomes tough, so close an opened package well. Other seaweed you find in Japanese seaweed.

Wasabi, gari, soy sauce and sesame with sushi

With sushi you almost always eat wasabi, gari and soy sauce, and for the outside of uramaki you often use roasted sesame seeds.

Wasabi

S&B Wasabi in a tube is the easiest way to have wasabi at home: a green, spicy paste of which you only need a little bit, under the fish with nigiri or in a thin line in a roll. Real wasabi is scarce and expensive, and in many tubes and powders there is also horseradish; the label tells you what is in it. Rather make it yourself? That can with S&B Wasabi Powder and a little water.

Gari (pickled ginger)

Obento Sliced Pickled Ginger is gari: thin slices of ginger, pickled in sweet vinegar. You eat a slice between two pieces of sushi, so that your mouth is fresh again for the next piece, and thus not on top of the sushi itself. Or choose Itamae Sushi Ginger. Do not confuse gari with beni shoga, the bright red ginger strips that you eat with yakisoba or gyudon.

Soy sauce

Kikkoman Soy Sauce is a Japanese koikuchi, the regular dark shoyu that you use with sushi, and Kikkoman Sushi & Sashimi Soy Sauce is specially intended to dip in. Are you cooking gluten-free, choose then Kikkoman Tamari and always check the label; a good alternative from another brand is Yamasa Soy Sauce. Dip nigiri with the fish side in the sauce, because the rice soaks up and falls apart. More about the types you read in Soy Sauce 101, and more bottles are in Japanese soy sauce.

Sesame seeds

Roasted sesame seeds (white) you sprinkle over the rice on the outside of uramaki, or you choose black sesame seeds for contrast. Also furikake fits, and more you find in Japanese spices.

Sushi mat and other tools

With a bamboo sushi mat, a makisu, you roll the rice and filling tightly into a firm roll. For uramaki, wrap the mat in plastic wrap so that no rice sticks between the slats. The Sadohaw Sushi Mat with Spoon even comes with a rice spoon.

You also need to have a bowl of water ready to wet your hands and a sharp knife so that the rice doesn't stick everywhere. If you find shaping by hand difficult, a Sushi Nigiri Mold can help. The rest of the tools can be found in Japanese kitchenware.

What fish and filling do you use for sushi?

For sushi with raw fish, only use fish that is suitable for raw consumption, and buy it from the fishmonger. Tell them you are making sushi so they can give you the right piece of salmon or tuna, keep the fish cold until you start cutting, and preferably eat it the same day.

Sushi doesn't have to be raw at all. Cucumber, avocado, cooked shrimp, surimi, smoked salmon, or Japanese omelet are all fillings you can use right away, and a roll with only cucumber, kappa maki, is a classic in itself. Cut everything into narrow strips of about one centimeter so that your roll doesn't get too full.

Sushi recipes: maki, uramaki, and nigiri

In these recipes, you will learn step by step how to make, roll, and shape the rice.

Sushi riceWashing, cooking, seasoning: the foundation of every roll and nigiri.HosomakiThin maki with salmon or cucumber, perfect for getting started.California rollUramaki with the rice on the outside, filled with surimi, avocado, and cucumber.NigiriHand-shaped rice with a slice of salmon or tuna on top.Miso soupA bowl of misoshiru with tofu and wakame completes the sushi meal.

In Japan, a sushi meal often includes a bowl of miso soup. Which miso to choose for it, you can read about in Miso 101.

Making sushi for beginners: where do you start?

Frequently asked questions

Making sushi at home is mainly a matter of doing it a few times, because the first roll might be a bit crooked and the third one already looks completely different, and in the meantime you have a cozy evening at the kitchen table where everyone chooses their own filling. And if you are still hesitating in front of the rice shelf at the Japanese grocery store, just ask us, because we are happy to help you think it through, and for the rest of the Japanese basics you can always turn to Japanese kitchen 101 or our All Things Japanese page.