Australian Gourmet Traveller - (02)February 2020 (1)

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