Sushi Class: Semi-Professional Level

Now that you have mastered the basic skills in making sushi at home, lets cover some topics that will make you no different than a amateur sushi chef, if not, much better. Sushi requires to check the quality of the ingredients to the last detail since it is all about tasting the ingredients with little or no modifications. Always use the best ingredients, and condiments, including salt and sugar. 

Find a local wholesale fish market open to the public. Make sure that they cater to sushi restaurants, and they don’t mix their sashimi grade fish with lower quality seafood on the display. Sashimi grade fish should always be separate from the other fish. Learn to choose a good fish and fillet it. Cutting the sashimi should be fun if you have an extra sharp sashimi knife. Learn how to sharpen them. Cutting the sashimi loins perfectly for sushi requires practice, but it is the thickness of the sashimi that comes before the shape. Depending on the fish, the thickness varies, but the sashimi for sushi should never be too thick. There is always a ratio (not officially) between the fish and the sushi rice, and that can be picked up by eating at good sushi restaurants, and using your senses.   

Choose the best Japanese short grain rice that you can find. Water is also very important. Roughly an equal amount of it is absorbed in the rice. It is a good habit to try out many types of mineral water, and find one that has a sweet aroma. This is difficult to do on a full stomach. It is best to do it when you are very hungry.

Take extra care in cooking the rice. The plain rice, when cooked, should not be too soft, nor be 
“al dente”. It should be soft, moist, and slightly chewy. The vinegar used for the sushi rice should be naturally fermented with no additives (especially MSG). It is up to you if you want to use an aged one which have bold aromas, or a light and fruitier one .

If you keep these things in mind, making sushi at home will become a fun hobby. Practice the main methods in making the sushi, and it will become second nature to you in no time.