Usinga goodricecooker(such
PanasonicDeluxeRiceCooker,
betta.com.au)is thesimplestwa
ensureyourriceis cookedeven
Andmakesuretowashyourric
- Kojimarecommendswashing
it fivetimes.“I alsoliketo
soakit,”hesays.“When
there’sa lotofwaterin
therice,it tastesbetter.”
Tool kit
T
he22-courseomakasemenubyexecutivechefChase
KojimaandsushichefTakashiSanoat Pyrmont’sSokyo
is bookedoutuntiltheendoftheyear,thankstothe
unparalleledqualityofthesushi.You’renotgoingto
becomea sushimasterovernight– it’sa skillchefsperfectover
yearsoftrainingandpractise– butbyfollowingthesesimplesteps,
youcanlearnandappreciatetheartofnigiriat home.First,always
choosesustainableseafood– thequalityandtextureis key.The
secrettogoodsushiriceis thevinegar– Kojimarecommendsusing
Shiragikuricevinegar.Fromhere,mouldingthericeandartfully
placingtheseafoodis a lessoninbalance.“Youwanttomakesure
theproteinandthericeeatwelltogether,”saysKojima.
Step bystep oversushivinegarand,with
a ricepaddleorlargewooden
spoon,usea cuttingmotionto
mixvinegarthroughriceevenly.
Don’tovermixorricewill
becomestickyfromthestarch.
4
Fornikirisoy,combine
150mlsoysauce,a small
piecekombukelp(seenote)
and150mlwaterin a saucepan
andbringtoa gentleboilover
mediumheat.Add15gm
katsuobushi(bonitoflakes;see
note)andsimmeruntilinfused
(4-5minutes).Cool,thenstrain.
5
Topreparetheseafood
(we’veusedNZKing
salmon,mackerel,snapperand
cookedfarmedprawns),cut
fishusinga sharpknifeagainst
thegraininto6mm-thickslices,
andbutterflytheprawns.
Wrapseafoodandrefrigerate
untilchilled(5minutes).
6
Toshapenigirisushi,use
moisthands(youcanalso
usethepicklingliquidfromthe
ginger),andtake1 heapedtbsp
rice,thenpressandturnin
yourpalm,usingyourindex
andmiddlefingertomould
thericeintoanovalshape
(seenotebelow).
Truetoform“Themostimportantthingtoconsideris whattypeof
seafoodyou’regoingtobeusing,”saysKojima.“Ifyou’redoingnigiri
witha firmerproteinsuchasprawns,you’llwanttoformthesushi
ricesoit’sfirmer.You’llwanttorollandmouldthericefourtofive
times.Forsomethinglikeseaurchin,youwantthericetobesuper-
soft,sothatthericemimicstheprotein.Thenigiri’stexturehasto
belightbutfirmatthesametime– it can’tfallapart.Onceyouget
usedtothefeeloftherice,it getseasier.”Turntop100forourfeature
onsustainableseafood.
1
Forsushirice,rinse650gm
sushiriceincoldwaterat
least5 timesuntilwaterruns
clear,thensoakinfreshwater
for 30 minutes.Placericeina
sieveandleavetodrainatroom
temperaturefor 30 minutes.
Cookriceina ricecookerwith
650mlwater(useslightlyless
forfirmerrice),thenleaveinrice
cookeronwarmtosteamfor
15 minutes.(Alternatively,cook
riceusingabsorptionmethod.)
2
Meanwhile,blend90mlrice
vinegar,1 tbspcastersugar
and1 tbspsaltina blenderuntil
dissolved(4-5minutes).
3
Transferwarmriceonto
a hangiri(specialricedish,
orusea largeplastictray),pour
7
1
5
asthe
$159,
ayto
nly.
e
7
Take a piece of seafood and
dot with a little wasabi. Place
wasabi-side down on a portion
of rice and lightly press to shape.
8
Serve nigiri sushi with
pickled ginger, wasabi
and nikiri soy on the side.
Note Kombu and katsuobushi
are available from Asian
grocers and supermarkets. ●
Masterclass
RECIPE CHASE KOJIMA. WORDS JORDAN KRETCHMER. PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER. STYLING JERRIE-JOY REDMAN-LLOYD.
GOURMET TRAVELLER 53