I am using aldis jasmine rice, which seems to have a good stick to it as far as my fingers are concerned, rolls are tight before cutting (far left “mini roll” in first and second picture) everything feels very held together and in place even in a larger roll, I can move it from the sushi mat to cutting board with no issues. I’ve also noticed some of the Nori can be seen after the roll like in the last picture (most lower and left piece).
Is there a certain way I should be cutting the sushi to get through veg and meat without squishing it? Is the rice im using a factor even if it’s sticky enough to hold shape an hour after forming? How do I get rid of nori showing after I make the roll?
by dez_dezz
19 Comments
I think Japanese short grain rice is what’s used for sushi, therefore holds its shape the best.
You can try using a very sharp knife and wetting it with water. A shorter cutting time means less likelihood of falling apart.
>Jasmine Rice
already fucked it up
Chef here, jasmine rice is fine, you need to make sure the roll is tighter, and cutting it, a sharp knife is what does everything. (Of course short grain is always preferred)
Is your rice hot? That can also be an issue. Also make sure your filling to rice ratio is correct it appears you have to much rice and not enough filling
Nori wouldn’t be a problem, Like people have said before wet your knife and try starting your cut with the back of your knife and make one smooth stroke towards the tip
I think the main problem here is your knife isn’t sharp enough to cut the nori cleanly, so it’s being pulled on, making it more visible on the cross section. That resistance in addition to the force you’re putting on the roll to hold it in place is why it’s loose as you say.
Wetting your knife will help if you’re not already, and cutting with long strokes is generally good advice but if your knife has a sharp section you may be better off using a short sawing motion with that part than drawing the full blade across the roll and having it snag.
Could be too much friction during the cut.
I make sushi with medium gain all the time, try subbing 50% of the mirin for rice wine vinegar, and make sure the rice has cooled first
So if you for instance could not find say tamanishiki or koshihikari for sushi then calrose which is easy to find anywhere would be waaay better than jasmine.
Looks like you need to wrap it a lot tighter using a bamboo mat and get a sharper knife. After I did those two things my sushi rolls started turning out good.
Like others said, you need to use short grain rice, which is stickier, and when you’re rolling it, you need to make sure you keep it really tight. When I cut, I rub the blade with sesame oil, and I use a pretty quick motion to keep from moving things around.
I see several things.
First off, the main cause of it being loose is not having a sharp knife.
You want to slice through the roll, not chop, which will smash the roll and make it loose.
Draw your knife from heel to tip in one long motion, try to not saw, and especially do not chop.
Like others have said, wetting your knife does help, but I rarely do, unless I have a very fragile or sticky roll.
If making a Urumaki (inside-out) roll, laying a piece of cling wrap over the roll, and cutting through the wrap to slice your pieces can help on more fragile rolls.
As far as seeing the nori on the outside of the finished roll, ensure that you are spreading the rice to the very edge of the nori before flipping.
I have used many types of rice over the 20 years I have been making sushi.
Long grain works, but it is not glutinous enough to be sticky… it makes sushi, but it isn’t great.
I use medium grain as an all around household rice. It works well for everything. The sushi made with medium grain is decent and I use it regularly for my “everyday meal” sushi.
Japanese short grain rice is the best rice to use. It makes sushi that is noticeably better. I use it when I am making a special meal or want to step up my game when I use some more premium ingredients.
Short grain rice. Washed 3 times until water is more or less clear. A 600$ Panasonic rice cooker straight from Japan. Think yamada denki. Rub rice on rice. Not rice on the rice cooker bowl. Order a Japanese kei knife while you are in there. I would commit war crimes on a roll with my Seattle ultrasonics knife. But a sharp knife helps.
The rice is the most important part of the sushi, remember that. Cant be any type of rice it should be evenly distributed but not compacted like the images.
Lots of good advice here. Speaking from personal experience, every time I’ve tried to make sushi that’s turned out bunko, its ALWAYS been the knife. Nori doesn’t like to be cut once it absorbs a little bit of moisture from the rice, so you’ve got to have a knife that would cut God to get clean slices.
Try using a serrated knife. It works really well!
If not handled properly after cutting the sushi, the meat (ingredients) and vinegared rice will indeed fall apart or separate.
Loosey sushi
You typically reshape the roll after cutting using a second bamboo rolling mat.