Sushi
Modern sushi was perfected in 18th-century Edo — present-day Tokyo — where speed and precision were the craft, and the rice was the art, not the fish. The defining element is the shari: short-grain rice seasoned with vinegar, sugar, and salt, folded with a cutting motion (never stirred in circles) and kept at body temperature, not chilled. The rolling technique demands firm, even pressure and a razor-sharp wet knife to cut clean rounds without crushing the structure.
Rice is the craft
Shari (seasoned rice) is the foundation, not the fish
Soy on the fish
Dip the fish side into soy — never the rice, which absorbs too much and unbalances the bite
Body-warm rice
Serve at skin temperature — never cold, never hot
Wasabi between layers
Traditional wasabi sits between rice and fish — not dissolved in soy sauce, which kills its fragrance
Ingredients 4 servings
- 2 cups Japanese short-grain sushi rice
- 2½ cups water
- 60ml rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 nori sheets (20×18 cm)
- 200g sashimi-grade salmon fillet, thinly sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- ½ small cucumber, julienned
- Soy sauce to serve
- Wasabi and pickled ginger (gari) to serve
How to make it
- 1Cook the rice: rinse under cold water until the water runs clear (4–5 washes).
- 2Bring rice and 2½ cups water to a boil, cover, reduce to lowest heat for 12 minutes, then rest off heat 10 minutes.
- 3Dissolve vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.
- 4Spread cooked rice onto a large tray and fold the dressing in using a wooden paddle with cutting motions — do not stir in circles or the rice turns mushy.
- 5Cover with a damp cloth and cool to room temperature (not fridge).
- 6Lay a nori sheet shiny-side down on the bamboo mat.
- 7Spread seasoned rice over ¾ of the nori (leaving a 3 cm gap at the far edge).
- 8Arrange salmon, avocado, and cucumber along the near edge in a single row.
- 9Roll firmly from the near edge, pressing as you go; seal the bare nori with a few rice grains.
- 10Slice with a sharp, lightly wet knife into 8 rounds.
- 11Serve at once with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
