How to make
sushi at home.

Wash the rice thoroughly

Rinse short-grain Japanese rice (not long-grain, not arborio) under cold water, working it gently with your hand, until the water runs nearly clear — three to five changes. This removes excess surface starch that makes rice gluey rather than springy. Drain well and let it rest for 30 minutes before cooking.

Cook with slightly less water than usual

Cook the rice the way you normally would — rice cooker, Donabe, or a heavy pot — but with slightly less water. If using a rice cooker, fill to the 2-cup mark then reduce by about 2–3mm below that line. The rice needs to be slightly firmer than usual because it will absorb the Sushizu after cooking. If cooked too soft, the seasoned rice becomes paste. Bring to a boil, reduce to the lowest heat, cover and cook 12 minutes. Rest covered for 10 minutes off heat. Do not lift the lid during cooking or the rest period.

Prepare the Sushizu

For 2 cups of dry rice, approximately 60ml of Sushizu is a good baseline — taste and adjust to your preference. To make it from scratch, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a rough 5:1:0.5 ratio by volume and warm gently until dissolved. Alternatively, use the prepared Sushizu in the Sashimi DC Home Sushi Kit and add to taste.

Fold — do not stir

Turn the hot rice into a Hangiri (a wide, shallow wooden tub) or the widest bowl you have. Pour the Sushizu over the rice and immediately begin folding with a flat rice paddle or wooden spoon using cutting strokes — the paddle cuts vertically through the rice rather than stirring in circles. Circular stirring breaks the grains and creates starch paste.

• Fan the rice while folding to evaporate moisture rapidly
• The goal is rice that is glossy, lightly sticky, and at body temperature
• If using a wooden Hangiri, it will absorb excess moisture — an important function
• Cover with a damp cloth until ready to use. Do not refrigerate.

Choose the right knife

A Yanagiba — the long, single-bevel Japanese sashimi knife — is the ideal tool. Its asymmetric bevel is designed for a single drawing cut that separates cells cleanly. A sharp, long (24cm+) Western chef's knife is an acceptable substitute. What matters most is sharpness. A short or serrated knife will not work. If your knife is not long enough to complete the slice in a single stroke, that is fine — use multiple strokes, but always pull in one direction only. Do not saw back and forth.

Identify the grain — cut against it

Look at the muscle fibers in your saku block. They run along the length of the fish. Cut perpendicular to the grain — across the fibers, not along them. Cutting with the grain produces long, chewy, stringy pieces. Cutting against the grain yields clean, tender slices that yield on the palate.

Hira-zukuri for nigiri and standard sashimi

The most common slicing style. Hold the knife at a slight angle — roughly 10 to 15 degrees from vertical, tilted away from you. Pull the knife toward you in a single smooth drawing motion, using the full length of the blade. Do not push, chop, or saw. One clean pull. If your knife is not long enough to complete the slice in one stroke, you can use multiple strokes — but always in one direction only. Do not saw back and forth; pull in one direction, lift, reposition, and pull again.

• For nigiri: 7–8mm thickness, cut at a slight angle
• For sashimi: 10–12mm, slightly thicker
• For Otoro / Jabara: up to 10–12mm — the fat architecture benefits from substance

Knife angle by cut type

Cut	Thickness	Angle	Notes
Akami	10–12mm	10–15° from vertical	Vivid ruby; cut clean to show color
Chutoro	8–10mm	10–15°	Fat visible in marbling pattern
Otoro	8–10mm	15–20°	Slightly wider angle helps with fat content
Jabara	10–12mm	15°	Respect the accordion structure; don't slice too thin
Salmon	8–10mm	30–45° (sogi-zukuri)	Angled cut produces larger surface area
Scallop (Hotate)	5–7mm	Horizontal, flat cut	Hold gently; scallop muscle tears easily

Temperature matters — slice cold

Always slice from refrigerator temperature (1–2°C). Cold fish firms slightly and the blade passes through cleanly. As Otoro and other fatty cuts warm toward room temperature, the fat softens and becomes more difficult to slice without the piece losing its shape. Take the saku from the refrigerator, slice immediately, then let the slices come to room temperature on the plate for 2–3 minutes before eating — especially for fatty cuts like Otoro, where cold suppresses the melt and the flavor.

Set up the table — serve immediately

Arrange sliced fish on a cold plate. Keep Shari warm in its Hangiri under a damp cloth. Cut Nori into quarters just before serving — a quarter sheet is the right size for one casual Temaki. Pre-cut sheets soften quickly, so cut only as you go. Have small dishes of tamari (or Shoyu), real wasabi, and pickled ginger ready.

Hold the Nori and place rice

Hold a quarter-sheet of Nori in your non-dominant hand, rough (matte) side up. With damp fingers, place a small amount of Shari on the left half of the sheet. There is no need to carefully spread it — just set it down casually. A small amount of wasabi on the rice is traditional but optional.

Add fish — do not overfill

Lay 1–2 slices of fish on the rice. With a quarter sheet, this is the right amount — casual, uncluttered, where the fish and rice can actually be tasted together. The restraint is the point.

Fold into a cone and eat

Fold the Nori around the rice and fish into a casual cone — there is no strict technique required. Wrap loosely and eat immediately. The point of Temaki is spontaneity and the crispness of the Nori in the first bite. Do not set it down.

• Dip the tip lightly in tamari — not the rice, just the fish
• Eat in two or three bites, not one
• Roll each piece to order, never in advance

Non-negotiable

• Sashimi-grade fish — from a source with genuine provenance, Ikejime processing, and an unbroken cold chain
• Sharp, long knife — Yanagiba ideal; a sharp chef's knife is acceptable
• Japanese short-grain rice — not long-grain, not converted, not parboiled
• Sushizu — make your own or use the Sashimi DC kit version
• Nori — fresh, sealed; softened Nori ruins Temaki

Helpful but not required

• Hangiri — can substitute a wide, non-reactive bowl
• Uchiwa fan — any flat object that moves air will work
• Real wasabi — good wasabi paste is an acceptable substitute
• Tamari or aged Shoyu — higher quality Shoyu than standard soy sauce