Common Mistakes Made When Making Sushi

Are you struggling with some common mistakes made when making sushi?

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Sushi-making can sound easy, right? After all, all you need to do is prepare some sticky rice, add some vinegar to taste, and then roll it up with some raw fish, vegetables, or whatever else you want. This is, admittedly, easier said than done.

Although sushi is a delectable dish, the smallest error can be untasty. You’ll have a dish that tastes bad or a mess in your kitchen as a result.

So, with that being said, let’s take a look at the common mistakes made when making sushi so you can avoid making them:

Making errors when rolling the sushi

One area where many people mess up is by not having the proper tools to roll their sushi.

You need a bamboo rolling mat to grasp and roll your sushi comfortably.

Another common error is using excessive pressure when pressing the roll. Press carefully to prevent making unformed rolls or to stop ingredients from coming out of the roll.

Another error many must correct while assembling sushi is using the incorrect knife. Or even if you have a good knife, you misuse it.

Using a dry knife would cause the rice to stick to it, and the roll would come apart, so you should always maintain a sharp and moist knife.

Not rinsing your rice correctly

Why should sushi rice be rinsed? Before packaging, the rice would have undergone processing and contains added starch powders.

Moreover, the rice can include preservatives that, while not hazardous, could give someone who eats them stomach pain.

You could end up with syrup-like rice that is useless for preparing sushi if you don’t thoroughly rinse your rice. Rinse your rice as much as you can till the water is clear.

Putting wasabi into the soy sauce

When I first started preparing sushi, this was one of the blunders I frequently made. I enjoyed the zing that wasabi added to my sushi dishes, and I enjoy soy sauce. So, I incorporated a small amount of wasabi paste into the sauce before dipping my sushi.

I continued doing this for a while before noticing a change in my sushi plate. The two together soften the wasabi’s acrid flavor. You don’t want your sushi to suffer due to this. Taking wasabi is enjoyable because of the intense taste it adds to your food, so don’t combine it with soy sauce!

Using excessive soy sauce

Another error many people make while cooking sushi is using too much shoyu or soy sauce. This error can ruin the entire experience of eating sushi. To start with, it could ruin the flavor of your sushi by overpowering the fish’s flavor.

Your roll may become too soggy from the sauce to keep together. You won’t be able to make sushi because the rice will crumble.

You should dip a small portion of the fish into the shoyu, so you don’t end up ruining your sushi.

To prevent overwetting, avoid dipping the rice. This will produce the desired seasoning effect without leading to the rice’s breakdown.

Making sushi in advance

Make sure you create your sushi only if you intend to eat it right away. In time, sushi’s strong flavor will fade. So, if you retain it for a while, you won’t enjoy it. Sushi rice also becomes more rigid as it dries out over time.

In addition to the sushi rice stiffening, Bacillus cereus bacteria thrive in cooked rice mixtures that are left out at room temperature with other sushi items. When ingested, this food-poisoning bacteria can have disastrous consequences.

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Overloading the rice when making sushi

Many people make the error of making too much rice when creating sushi. Avoid overloading rice if you want sushi that is well-rolled.

Going OTT with the fillings

Another common error when eating sushi is the inclusion of too many ingredients. Having too many ingredients makes rolling up difficult.

Use a tiny bit of each component if you want to give some variety to your sushi. Just be careful to fill your sushi sparingly.

Making mistakes with your choice of fish topping

Don’t choose any fish from the grocery store if you plan to top your sushi with raw fish. Keep in mind that the fish will be consumed uncooked. So, there is a significant likelihood that you will consume bacteria and other toxins that could harm you.

You need sushi-grade fish, which is suitable for both cooking and eating raw. Low temperatures should be used to freeze the fish thoroughly.

To ensure that any bacteria or other hazardous organisms are eradicated, and the fish is safe to consume, when we say very low temperatures, we mean very, very low temperatures.

Do not make the error of making sushi using the incorrect fish. No one wants to spend their evening in the bathroom!

How can you choose fish that’s sushi-worthy?

You have the option of selecting either fresh or frozen fish. If you decide to purchase fresh fish, make sure it meets the following criteria for freshness:

Its aroma – A fish fit for sushi should be virtually odorless. A fish with a foul odor is a sign that danger is lurking nearby.
Gills and Eyes: The gills should be red, and the eyes should be clear. Don’t use fish with light pink gills for sushi.

Make sure the frozen fish is heavily iced if you choose it. This will ensure its security and reduce the possibility of ingesting a poisonous fish. These fish are sold for much less than fresh ones, making them the best option if you want to save money.

Cooking the rice incorrectly

Even if you use short-grain sushi rice, it will ruin your sushi dish if you don’t cook it properly.

You need to know when the rice is finished cooking when making sushi. After cooking, the rice should still have whole grains. When chewing it, it should feel sticky but not gummy. Gummy sushi rice indicates that the rice was not cooked thoroughly enough.

The rice shouldn’t feel too dense in your mouth as you chew it. This is a sign of overdone sushi rice. This indicates that you must shorten the cooking process.

Failing to use the correct rice

This is definitely one of the most common mistakes made when making sushi. As long as the rice is sticky, some people will use any type to make sushi. You definitely don’t want to commit this error.

Most sushi is made with short grain rice. This rice is sticky because it contains a lot of starch.

Brown rice should never be used to make sushi. Although most people believe that whole rice is healthier than its white version, using brown rice when creating sushi is a big no-no.

Brown rice won’t get sticky easily because of its harder texture. If you want to prepare your favorite sushi, you will need sticky rice. So, stick to small-grain rice exclusively if you wish to master the art of preparing sushi.