How to make this recipe Rinse the rice 5 times, then drain in a colander and let dry for 15 minutes. Cook the rice in a rice cooker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Alternatively, in a medium saucepan, combine the rice with 2 cups of cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sake-mash vinegar, rice vinegar, sugar and salt and warm over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Transfer the rice to a very large bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the seasoned vinegar all over the rice: Drizzle onto a spatula while waving the spatula back and forth. Using a slicing motion with the spatula, gently separate the rice grains while mixing in the seasoning. Fan the rice while mixing it to help it dry. Wipe down any stray grains from the side of the bowl.

Cover the rice with a damp towel to keep warm. Crab: Meat from Dungeness, blue or king crabs is best. Pick over the meat for bits of shell. Tuna: If a piece of tuna is sinewy, simply scrape the meat off the sinews with a sharp knife. Salmon: Slice salmon across the grain into strips about 4 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Cucumber: Seed a cucumber, then slice it--including some of the skin--into a thin julienne. Avocado: Cut a ripe Hass avocado in half. Carefully strike the pit with the blade of a heavy chef's knife, then twist the knife to remove the pit. Peel the halves, then cut them into 1/4-inch-thick slices. 3 cups short-grain Japanese rice, rinsed 1/3 cup rice vinegar 10 nori sheets (dried seaweed), halved Sesame seeds, for sprinkling 1 plum tomato, seeded 1 small red onion 20 asparagus spears, trimmed and blanched Wasabi paste, for spreading and serving 1 romaine lettuce heart Pickled ginger, for serving

Combine the rice and 3 1/4 cups water in a rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. sushi grade fish iowa cityA rice cooker is the best way to get perfect sticky-firm rice, but if you don't have one, just use a saucepan.sushi grade salmon njFold in the vinegar. ichiban sushi menu pacific beachCombine the vinegar, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. jiro dreams of sushi colorado springsTransfer the cooked rice to a large wooden bowl (traditionally, a wooden tub). where to buy sushi grade fish montreal

Drizzle a quarter of the vinegar mixture over a wooden spoon or spatula onto the rice. sushi delivery london ec2Fold the rice gently with the spoon to cool it and break up any clumps; sumo sushi menu las vegasbe careful not to smash the grains. Fold in the remaining vinegar mixture and let the rice sit 5 minutes.Cover a bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. Place a half nori sheet rough-side up on the mat. Moisten your hands and scoop a handful of rice, slightly larger than a lemon, onto the nori. Press the rice to spread it evenly up to the edges of the nori, moistening your fingers as you go. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.Peel the cucumber and slice into matchsticks. (Morimoto cuts the entire cucumber into a paper-thin sheet, then quickly slices it into strips-but he's had some practice.) Thinly slice the avocado, tomato and red onion;

peel the tough ends of the asparagus.Carefully flip over the nori so it's rice-side down on the mat with the short end facing you. Spread a bit of wasabi paste in a line about one-third of the way up the nori-it's spicy, so use it sparingly. Arrange a few pieces each of lettuce, cucumber, avocado, tomato and onion in a tight pile in the lower third of the sheet. It's OK if the vegetables hang over the edges of the nori.Roll the sushi away from you with your hands, tucking in the vegetables as you go. Remove the mat from under the roll and place it on top. Press the roll into a compact rectangular log, using the mat to help you.Cut the sushi roll into 4 to 6 pieces. Repeat with the remaining nori, rice and vegetables. Serve with pickled ginger and more wasabi.Photography by Rick Lew Courtesy Masaharu Morimoto for Food Network Magazine "I've been making sushi for 38 years, and I'm still learning," says Masaharu Morimoto, Iron Chef star and owner of Morimoto restaurants around the world.

"You have to consider the size and color of the ingredients, how much salt and vinegar to use and how the seasons affect the fattiness of the fish." Even if mastering sushi can take a lifetime, Morimoto says anyone can make a well-balanced maki (roll) at home. The most important step is buying the best ingredients—not just the fish, but also the sheets of nori and short-grain Japanese rice. "You should trust the price—the more expensive, the better," he says. Another critical step is making great sushi rice: seasoning it as Morimoto does, with a mixture of rice vinegars, sugar and salt, then carefully separating and fluffing the grains with a slicing motion. The last and most imposing step—forming the maki—requires nothing more than a bamboo sushi mat and practice. "Don't be afraid," Morimoto says. "It's like a taco of seaweed and rice." Fresh Fish To be eaten safely, sushi-grade fish must be handled correctly: It should be frozen for at least one day to kill any parasites.

For the best flavor and texture in oily, strong-smelling fresh fish, such as salmon and mackerel, rub the fillets with fine sea salt and let stand for 30 minutes; rinse the fish well, pat dry and sprinkle all over with rice vinegar. Crab Meat from Dungeness, blue or king crabs is best. Tuna If a piece of tuna is sinewy, simply scrape the meat off the sinews with a sharp knife. Salmon Slice salmon across the grain into strips about 4 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Cucumber Seed a cucumber, then slice it—including some of the skin—into a thin julienne. Avocado Cut a ripe Hass avocado in half. Is sushi an art? Morimoto doesn't think so: "I'm not making art, I'm making sushi," he says. Either way, the rolls below are striking. Morimoto says he was the first chef to make this decorative roll in the US: "It's traditional at sushi competitions in Japan, where chefs want to show off their skills." Chef Ken Kawazumi, a teacher at Japan's Tokyo Sushi Academy, is a maki virtuoso.