[0 - 1] - My name is Taka Sakaeda.
[1 - 3] I'm a professional chef, and today,
[3 - 5] I'm gonna show you the best way to make sushi at home.
[5 - 7] We'll be going over techniques the pros use
[7 - 9] to make perfect sushi.
[9 - 10] This is Sushi 101.
[12 - 14] Today, we'll be making Kappa Maki,
[14 - 16] which is a cucumber roll, and a Tekka Maki,
[16 - 18] which is tuna roll.
[18 - 20] Tekka Maki and Kappa Maki are such classics
[20 - 21] in terms of sushi roles,
[21 - 24] and this is something that I grew up eating and I loved.
[24 - 26] I think, to make the Kappa Maki and Tekka Maki,
[26 - 28] will require a little bit of getting used to
[28 - 30] and learning some skills.
[30 - 33] But once you have those down, I think making these two rolls
[33 - 35] is very doable and achievable at home.
[35 - 36] All right, let's get started.
[36 - 40] [gentle guitar music]
[40 - 41] Sushi is really all about the rice.
[42 - 44] Everyone has this idea that it's the ingredients,
[44 - 46] the proteins inside, but really the focus
[46 - 49] and what you really wanna get perfect is the rice.
[49 - 52] So the rice I have here today, this is a Matsuri brand rice.
[52 - 54] The most common type of rice you'll find in the market
[54 - 56] that's Japanese short grain
[56 - 58] is a varietal called Koshihikari.
[58 - 61] To cook the rice, I'll be using a rice cooker.
[61 - 62] The rice cooker does have a setting
[62 - 64] specifically for sushi rice.
[64 - 66] This will make your life a lot easier.
[66 - 68] You just have to wash the rice, put it in the machine,
[68 - 70] follow the directions, set it,
[70 - 73] and you'll have fantastic results.
[73 - 76] So today, I'll be making basically two cupfuls of this,
[76 - 78] and I'll be setting this aside into a separate bowl
[78 - 80] so that we can go ahead and wash the rice.
[80 - 83] This first wash is gonna be very milky in color,
[83 - 84] and it's important that we try to strain this
[84 - 87] and get rid of this water as quickly as possible
[87 - 90] so that starchy water does not go back into the rice.
[90 - 92] The reason why we wanna remove the starch is to make sure
[92 - 95] that the stickiness is adjusted properly.
[95 - 97] If we leave all the starch on there,
[97 - 99] the finished product will end up being gummy and sticky.
[99 - 101] So this is the first wash here.
[101 - 104] You can see clearly a lot of the starches in here,
[104 - 106] and you can see kind of the milky color of the water.
[106 - 107] And every time I'm doing a rinse,
[107 - 110] I do wanna agitate the rice just slightly.
[110 - 113] I'm just using basically a claw of my hand
[113 - 116] and just gently moving the rice around
[116 - 117] and making sure that the starch is suspended
[117 - 120] in the water before discarding that water.
[120 - 122] This should be the last rinse that we do, and we can see
[122 - 125] that the water is running pretty clear enough.
[125 - 126] Once the rice is washed properly,
[126 - 129] we're gonna go ahead and let the water drain out.
[129 - 131] Generally, for a consistency matter,
[131 - 133] I like to set a timer for five minutes
[133 - 135] so that the amount of water that's draining
[135 - 137] is consistent every time I make this recipe.
[137 - 141] I'm gonna go ahead and gently jump in the washed rice
[141 - 142] into the pot.
[142 - 143] Then I'm gonna just get some clean water
[143 - 147] and fill the pot up to the indication of the number 2.
[147 - 150] We're gonna go ahead and put this into our rice cooker.
[150 - 154] We can go ahead and hit the Cooking button, [playful music]
[154 - 156] and it'll play a fantastic music.
[156 - 159] And that's how we know that the rice cooker is on and ready.
[159 - 161] This rice cooker should take just around 40 minutes
[161 - 163] to finish the cooking process.
[163 - 164] While the rice is cooking,
[164 - 166] I'm gonna go ahead and make the sushi vinegar.
[166 - 169] [gentle guitar music]
[169 - 171] So the recipe I'm using here today
[171 - 174] will be starting with two cups of rice vinegar.
[174 - 175] Rice vinegar is a little bit different
[175 - 178] from your just straight white distilled vinegar.
[178 - 180] It does have a little bit of a nutty flavor to it.
[180 - 183] And here I have the salt and sugar already measured out.
[183 - 184] Quarter cup of the salt
[184 - 187] and three quarters of a cup of sugar.
[187 - 189] This is a lot of solids going into this liquid.
[189 - 191] So we wanna give it a thorough mix in the beginning
[191 - 194] and then let it settle for about a minute,
[194 - 196] and then we can see whether the sugar and salt has dissolved
[196 - 198] by looking at the bottom of the bowl.
[198 - 201] I'm just gonna go ahead and drop in a piece of kombu here.
[201 - 203] This is a dried kelp seaweed.
[203 - 205] Adding this piece of kombu here, this is gonna add
[205 - 208] a lot more umami and depth of flavor to this rice vinegar,
[208 - 209] and it'll also help balance out
[209 - 211] some of the salt and vinegariness.
[211 - 212] So now that our sushi vinegar is ready,
[212 - 213] we're gonna set this aside
[213 - 215] and start working on our other ingredients.
[215 - 218] [gentle guitar music]
[218 - 221] We have our ingredients here for our Kappa Maki
[221 - 223] and our Tekka Maki, the cucumber and the tuna.
[223 - 225] In order to prep these, we wanna cut these down
[225 - 226] to the size of the nori.
[226 - 230] The size of the nori produced in Japan is standardized.
[230 - 232] So this is your full sheet.
[232 - 233] These are actually rectangles,
[233 - 236] and so you can see the lines indicating this way.
[236 - 238] And actually, it's slightly longer this way than this way.
[238 - 240] It's not a perfect square.
[240 - 242] And so just very easily, what we can do here
[242 - 244] is take one sheet, fold it in half,
[245 - 249] and then this way, we can just gently split this into two.
[249 - 252] I have a couple pieces of Persian cucumber here.
[252 - 254] You can use really any kind of cucumber.
[254 - 255] I like to use either the Japanese varietal
[255 - 257] or Persian cucumber.
[257 - 259] There is less seeds in here, and these cucumbers
[259 - 261] tend to be a little bit less watery.
[261 - 263] Try to find the halfway mark of this nori,
[263 - 264] and I'm gonna cut these cucumbers down
[264 - 267] to about the half size so that they'll sit nicely
[267 - 269] side by side inside the roll.
[269 - 270] I'm gonna go ahead and quarter these,
[270 - 272] and so I'm just gonna cut this in half
[272 - 274] and then take the halves and cut those in half as well.
[274 - 276] Again, the seeds is where there's the most water,
[276 - 278] and so I'm gonna go ahead and remove the seeds
[278 - 279] from the cucumbers.
[279 - 281] And so now that I have all the seeds removed,
[281 - 282] I'm just gonna go ahead.
[282 - 284] I think for this size, I can cut this into thirds.
[284 - 287] So next, I'm gonna be working with the tuna.
[287 - 290] So really important here in sourcing these ingredients,
[290 - 293] especially when we're talking about proteins for sushi use,
[293 - 294] we wanna make sure that we're sourcing it
[294 - 298] from someone we trust and that it is sushi-grade.
[298 - 301] And so here, I was able to go to a Japanese market
[301 - 303] that has a fish butcher department,
[303 - 307] and they have all the sushi-grade fish that they serve
[307 - 310] and treated in such a way so that it's really eliminating
[310 - 312] kind of cross-contamination and making sure
[312 - 314] that it's safe to consume raw.
[314 - 316] Talking about freshness, you wanna make sure
[316 - 318] that your tuna is bright red.
[318 - 320] If you start to see oxidation or rust color,
[320 - 322] you'd wanna avoid eating that raw.
[322 - 323] So anytime you're dealing with sushi,
[323 - 325] I think it's always the best idea
[325 - 327] to procure your ingredients on the same day
[327 - 329] that you will be consuming it.
[329 - 330] So I'm gonna go ahead and trim this down
[330 - 332] to the size of the seaweed.
[332 - 333] This is a little bit thick
[333 - 335] for what we're gonna be using this for,
[335 - 337] so I'm gonna go ahead and cut this into half
[337 - 338] and then cut this into strips.
[338 - 341] Using a nice rocking motion front to back
[341 - 344] and trying to get this cut all in one stroke is ideal.
[344 - 346] Anytime we're dealing with proteins that are meant
[346 - 349] for raw consumption, we wanna make sure
[349 - 351] that the ingredients are always cold.
[351 - 352] And so the temperature range we're looking for
[352 - 355] is anywhere from 33 degrees Fahrenheit,
[355 - 358] all the way up to 41, but never past 41.
[358 - 360] And so now that we have all of our ingredients ready,
[360 - 362] we'll be mixing the sushi vinegar with the rice.
[362 - 366] [gentle guitar music]
[366 - 368] Traditionally, when making sushi rice,
[368 - 370] we use a vessel called hangiri.
[370 - 373] This is a vessel that essentially looks like a large tub
[373 - 374] made out of Japanese cypress wood.
[374 - 376] But if you don't have one,
[376 - 379] just using a regular bowl is just fine.
[379 - 382] So the way I like to measure out the sushi vinegar is 20%
[382 - 384] by volume of the dry rice.
[384 - 387] So 20% is one-third cup of rice vinegar.
[387 - 389] So we're gonna go ahead and measure out one-third of a cup,
[389 - 392] and we're gonna go ahead and just empty out
[392 - 395] the entire contents of the rice into our bowl.
[395 - 398] And here, we're gonna take our sushi vinegar
[398 - 402] and try to evenly pour this over all the rice.
[402 - 403] Just like when we're washing the rice,
[403 - 405] if we're agitating too much,
[405 - 407] it's gonna keep releasing starch.
[407 - 410] And so all we're gonna do here is just mix gently
[410 - 413] and something we call kiri, which is to cut.
[413 - 415] And so this is the final stages here
[415 - 418] where we're trying to make sure that each grain is separated
[418 - 420] and has the sushi vinegar evenly distributed
[420 - 422] on each grain of rice.
[422 - 424] This is really important that the rice is nice and warm
[424 - 425] while we're doing this,
[425 - 427] you know, because of the starch content.
[427 - 430] If this is cold rice, the starch will coagulate
[430 - 433] and kinda tighten up, and it'll be much harder to mix,
[433 - 436] and then also will release more starch
[436 - 438] because it is harder to mix.
[438 - 440] So we wanna make sure it's nice and warm, piping hot.
[440 - 442] Right when the rice cooker is done cooking
[442 - 445] is really the ideal time for us to mix the vinegar in.
[445 - 447] Now that the rice is all mixed with the vinegar,
[447 - 448] I'm gonna go ahead and put this right back
[448 - 450] into the rice cooker.
[450 - 452] This actually has a warm function.
[452 - 454] So once we put it back in the pot, it'll stay warm
[454 - 457] and be ready for when we make our rolls.
[457 - 460] [gentle guitar music]
[460 - 462] One of the most difficult parts about making sushi
[462 - 464] is actually handling the sushi rice.
[464 - 468] Traditionally, chefs use just a little bit of vinegar water
[468 - 470] to put a little bit of moisture so that the rice
[470 - 471] does not stick to their hand.
[471 - 474] It is a little bit difficult to get the right amount
[474 - 477] and the right proportions of water on your hand.
[477 - 478] And so I'm just gonna show you a little tip here
[478 - 480] to make your life a lot easier.
[480 - 482] So I have here a pair of vinyl gloves,
[482 - 484] and I'm just gonna take some neutral oil
[484 - 487] and just put couple drops on the gloves,
[487 - 491] and this will protect my hands from any rice sticking.
[491 - 494] The first roll we're gonna make is the Kappa Maki.
[494 - 497] So Kappa Maki is gonna have the nori seaweed,
[497 - 500] the seasoned sushi rice, a little bit of wasabi,
[500 - 503] the cucumber batons, and that's it.
[503 - 507] We have the half sheet of nori that we cut here from before,
[507 - 508] and there is two sides of nori.
[508 - 511] There is the shiny side and then kind of the rough side.
[511 - 513] With the shiny side down and the rough side up,
[513 - 515] we're gonna place that right on the bottom of the edge
[515 - 517] of the, what we call the makisu,
[517 - 518] the bamboo mat.
[518 - 520] So now next is put on the rice.
[520 - 524] And so I'm just gonna grab a comfortable handful here,
[524 - 527] and I'm just gonna shape it into this kind of oval shape.
[527 - 530] And I'm gonna go along and leave maybe a couple centimeters
[531 - 535] on the top of the nori and start using both hands here
[535 - 537] to distribute the rice across the seaweed.
[537 - 541] This style of roll is very easy to overstuff,
[541 - 543] and so think less is more here.
[543 - 545] And so on the top edge here, I'm actually gonna create
[545 - 548] kind of a dam, and this is where all of our ingredients
[548 - 549] are gonna rest upon.
[549 - 550] And that's gonna really help
[550 - 552] so that when we're doing the rolling process,
[552 - 554] things are just gonna stay nice and tucked in.
[554 - 555] And the remainder of the rice,
[555 - 559] I'm gonna go ahead and spread this out to the bottom.
[559 - 560] And again, here on the bottom,
[560 - 562] we don't have to go all the way down.
[562 - 565] This remaining rice on the bottom here
[565 - 568] is what's gonna stick onto the dam that we created,
[568 - 570] which will finish and seal the roll.
[570 - 572] So next, I'm gonna put wasabi into the roll.
[572 - 574] And so we're here, we have a tube wasabi.
[574 - 576] So I'm just gonna take a little bit here,
[576 - 578] put it on my finger here, and I'm gonna go ahead
[578 - 579] and spread this out.
[579 - 581] This is a personal preference.
[581 - 583] Depending on the strength of the wasabi you're using
[583 - 586] and how much you like, can go ahead and put on as much
[586 - 587] or as little.
[587 - 589] When placing our ingredients, we wanna make sure
[589 - 591] that it's all the way up against the dam.
[591 - 594] And now, we're gonna roll the nori,
[594 - 596] and we're gonna aim for this edge of the bamboo mat
[596 - 600] to come right past the dam so that this area here
[600 - 603] where it's empty with rice will then adhere
[603 - 604] to the rice on the other end.
[604 - 606] And once I get here,
[606 - 609] now here, I'm gonna kinda just press gently to make sure
[609 - 611] that the rice and the seaweed stick together
[611 - 614] and kind of going for a square shape.
[614 - 616] And so I'm gonna press on front and back
[616 - 618] and then press also on the top.
[618 - 619] And then we should be able to see here
[619 - 623] that there's a little bit of seaweed left over.
[623 - 626] And so once I open this up, I'm just gonna turn this over,
[627 - 629] and that little bit of flap should be sitting
[629 - 632] right on the bottom of the roll.
[632 - 634] So the ingredients here for the Tekka Maki,
[634 - 636] the nori seaweed, the seasoned sushi rice,
[636 - 638] wasabi, and the tuna.
[638 - 641] And so again, with the shiny side down
[641 - 642] and the rough side up, we're gonna place that
[642 - 646] right on the bottom of the edge of the bamboo mat.
[646 - 648] And so I took the gloves off, and so I'm using
[648 - 650] a little bit of water to moist in my hands.
[650 - 653] And same process here, going from left to right,
[653 - 657] going to spread the rice out, and then dragging the rest
[657 - 660] of the rice down towards the bottom of the seaweed.
[660 - 662] And here, again, we're gonna put some wasabi,
[662 - 665] and now we're gonna fill this roll with tuna.
[665 - 666] And the same thing we did with the cucumbers,
[666 - 667] we're gonna go ahead and make sure
[667 - 671] that the tuna's up against the dam on the top.
[671 - 673] So again, we're gonna go and make sure that the bamboo mat
[673 - 675] goes all the way over to the edge.
[675 - 677] And again, once we get here, we wanna go ahead
[677 - 680] and squeeze, trying to make a square shape.
[680 - 681] There should be that little bit of leftover
[681 - 685] of the flap of nori, and then go ahead and fold that over.
[685 - 688] And here, we can see there's a little bit of overstuffing.
[688 - 691] The rice is starting to kind of protrude on the ends.
[691 - 693] If that does happen, no big deal.
[693 - 695] As long as the roll is staying closed,
[695 - 697] it's still gonna be delicious and taste great.
[697 - 700] [gentle guitar music]
[700 - 702] I just have a wet cloth here.
[702 - 703] Just a little bit of moisture on your knife
[703 - 706] should be just enough moisture so that the rice
[706 - 708] won't stick so much to your blade.
[708 - 711] And then from here, we're gonna cut this into thirds,
[711 - 715] and then hopefully we have six even pieces.
[715 - 717] So next, we have the tuna roll.
[717 - 719] And again, same process here.
[719 - 721] And if you really wanna go really neat
[721 - 723] and really be presentable, you can always go ahead
[723 - 726] and cut the edges here to make the edges beautiful.
[726 - 729] And then again, cut this into thirds.
[729 - 731] So this is kind of a young ginger that's been pickled
[731 - 732] in vinegar, salt, and sugar.
[732 - 735] So this is really commonly eaten between pieces
[735 - 736] to kinda cleanse your palate.
[736 - 738] The final touch here is we're just gonna have
[738 - 740] a little bit of soy sauce on the side.
[740 - 740] This is just your regular,
[740 - 743] kind of Japanese run-of-the-mills, straight soy sauce.
[743 - 745] If you want, as an option,
[745 - 748] some people like a lot of wasabi, and so you can always add
[748 - 750] a little bit of wasabi on the side.
[750 - 752] And that is the best way to make sushi at home.
[752 - 753] We're ready to eat.
[753 - 755] I'm gonna start with a cucumber roll here.
[755 - 763] Just gonna dunk a little bit in the soy sauce. Oh!
[763 - 766] Woo, wasabi's got a kick. [laughs]
[766 - 768] So it's just something to keep in mind actually,
[768 - 769] talking about wasabi.
[769 - 771] Wasabi actually has a relationship with fat.
[771 - 773] So the more fat something has,
[773 - 775] the more wasabi you can put in it.
[775 - 778] So obviously, talking about cucumbers here,
[778 - 780] really, really no fat here.
[780 - 782] So you're gonna really feel and accentuate
[782 - 784] kind of the fire that you get from the wasabi.
[784 - 785] But really great.
[785 - 787] The rice is nicely seasoned.
[787 - 788] I get the aroma of the nori
[788 - 790] as I'm bringing the piece to my mouth.
[790 - 792] Just a little dunk.
[795 - 797] So yeah, I mean,
[797 - 799] the simplicity here is what I love the most.
[799 - 803] The akami has that nice, gentle flavor of iron,
[804 - 806] the nice kick from the wasabi, seasoned rice,
[806 - 807] and again, the aroma from the nori
[807 - 810] is really heightens the entire dish.
[810 - 812] The skill in terms of rolling the roll itself
[812 - 814] takes a little practice, but once you get
[814 - 817] those kind of few skills down, I think making sushi at home
[817 - 819] is something very easy to do.