This tutorial will show you exactly how to accomplish this. Before we begin, let me explain a couple of things. Before you start packing your lunch, it’s vital that you have a good understanding of these topics.
**Food Safety Disclaimer** I am neither a doctor nor a physician. The information contained in this article was written to be educational. I do not take responsibility for your health. You should be aware of the FDA food safety guidelines, and diligent in implementing them.
*Disclaimer personal** I have personally tested everything that I mention in this article. I would never endorse something I had not personally tried. You should be cautious about handling your food. However, this shouldn’t stop you from trying it.
Topics include:
- Why You Shouldn’t Make Sushi in Advance
- Rice Reuse & Why It Shouldn’t Be Refrigerated
- Understanding Temaki technique
- Equipment I Use
- Ingredients for use in a refrigerator or without
The Sushi Cannot Be Made in Advance.
Why You Shouldn’t Make Sushi in Advance
There are many disadvantages to pre-making sushi.
- When rice is refrigerated, it loses its flavor and becomes brittle.
- After 15-20 minutes, the nori begins to soften and after 30 minutes it becomes soggy (or if placed in the fridge).
- The FDA recommends that raw fish not be kept at room temperature longer than 3 hours. I prefer to be on the safe side.
- If you want to make sushi, it is important that the sauce be kept in a separate container. Otherwise the sauce will soak up the rice and cause the sushi to become soggy.
Let’s start with the rice.
Rice Reuse & Why It Doesn’t Have to Be Refrigerated/Shouldn’t Be Refrigerated
When you think about it, the three oldest natural preservatives in the world are vinegar, salt, and sugar.
Many cultures have used each ingredient (either alone or in combination) for food preservation. These techniques were used long before refrigeration, and were perfectly safe if they are done correctly.
The earliest forms were not intended as a dish to be eaten, but rather as a way of transporting fish (the raw fish was packaged in pickled rice!) Bleh. ).
It should come as no surprise to learn that properly seasoned rice does not need to be kept in the refrigerator.
It is actually my recommendation that you do not refrigerate the sushi rice.
It is important to be aware of a few facts about food that has not been refrigerated.
- Be careful when using this. Unseasoned, cooked rice is more likely than raw fish to harbor bacteria. I don’t use rice older than a single day (although I’ve tested three-day-old rice and didn’t get sick). It’s better to be safe.
- The container must be sealed until it is ready to be used. It may seem obvious, but it is important to keep the container as sealed as possible. The more you open the container, the greater the chance that bacteria will get in and grow.
- Freshly prepared sushi rice is always the best. It is important to cook the rice at a high temperature in order to fuse the rice wine vinegar into each grain. Although eating rice at room temperature is still delicious, the taste will be different.
Temaki: Packing Sushi for Lunch
The term temaki translates literally to “hand rolls,” which is an excellent description of the kind of rolls that we will make. This will be rolled with just our hands.
You can see that the masaki is similar to an ice-cream cone. Many of my guests initially think “How can I eat this?” If you can eat a Burrito then you can also eat tataki sushi.
This technique reduces the equipment needed to pack lunches of sushi. This technique eliminates the need to pack a knife, cutting board or rolling mat.
This technique requires:
Small container of water. (I used an old water bottle I had cut in half).
- Work on a flat surface (in the photos, I used an inexpensive makisu as my work surface).
- Containers to store your ingredients. (I will talk about this in more detail later on)
- Zip-lock bags or freezer bags are great for keeping your nori.
- Small towel or washcloth
Okay! Let’s move on!
- Apply the seasoned rice to the corner of nori. The rice should be about 1cm in thickness and spread out into a kite shape. You can leave a small nori triangle exposed on the one side of your rice kite. It will be rolled into the ori.
- Use your ingredients to cover the entire rice grain.
- Do not be afraid to pack on the ingredients. We won’t have to worry about the quantity of “filler ingredients” since we’re not rolling a traditional sushi roll.
- You may need to use quite a bit of water. Dip your fingers in the container and wet the nori. It is important to make the nori wet so it sticks to itself.
- You will want to roll up the nori immediately after it has been wet. This is a quick process, as you won’t have time to wait before the nori becomes soggy.
- Wrap the nori in the wet part of the nori using your other hand. Wrap the nori around the rice using it as a guide.
- Rotate the temeki gently in your hand and hold the wet ori to stabilize the shape and smooth out the surface. It may be necessary to lay the temeki on a flat surface for it to dry.
This post was written by a professional at Suhi Inc. Sushi Inc. is a vibrant restaurant that offers what is considered the best sushi st petersburg fl that opened its doors in 2013. Offering live music, traditional hand-rolled sushi and a friendly atmosphere, our guests always have a top notch experience. Customers love our award-winning, fresh and creative Sushi rolls, Nigiri, and Sashimi. With a larger selection of tempura, non-Sushi, and teriyaki options, we can accommodate every taste.
