THE INSTAGRAM PERFECT, NO-MAT SUSHI ROLL!

THE INSTAGRAM PERFECT, NO-MAT SUSHI ROLL!

Mastering the culinary art of Japanese cuisine is a dream that not many can achieve. It is a battle that not many are able to conquer! This art requires utmost concentration on what you are making while also ensuring to align the basic traditional etiquette associated with that particular cuisine. You can be a great chef and an artist at transforming any mediocre food into a one-in-a-million masterpiece. BUT! If you fail at maintaining its traditional significance and delicacy, all your efforts will be ruined.

Surf randomly on Japanese food and its local specialties; you will be welcomed by sushi at the gates, then with sashimi, unagi, tempura, and the others. Being the first in the top 10 Japanese cuisines, sushi is remarkably one of the trendiest foods in the world. The widespread of its variations in style, ingredients, flavors, and taste, can make you drool over the sushi menu that you come across while binge eating. However, your preference may differ in accordance with the rolling patterns of sushi.

THE ROLLING PATTERNS

The rolling patterns of sushi determine the many variations in its taste, types, and how it is eaten. You may find the visuals on the sushi menu at a restaurant or sushi bar, too fascinating to be ignored but if you are doing it all by yourself at home, then there are a number of things related to it that you should better be aware of. Traditionally, there are three main methods of rolling sushi. Mainly, 

• The inside-out rolls known as the Uramaki
• The traditional - fat roll called the Futomaki and 
• The skinny roll, Homosaki
• Nonetheless, Temaki, that is cone-shaped hand-rolled (or rather wrapped) sushi.

But if you are making sushi at home, how would you like it to be rolled? Japanese have a specific cultural way of rolling it. They use makisu- the bamboo mat.

MAKISU OR BAMBOO MAT

Makisu or bamboo mat is a mat woven with bamboo sticks and a string of cotton which is used in the preparation of food. The thicker bamboo mat is considered to be more versatile while the thinner one is specifically used for rolling makizushi. Makisu is also used to squeeze out the excess amount of moisture from various foods such as omelets, etc. Rolling sushi can be really tough if we are doing it for the first time. According to the legendary chef Nobuyuki, "it looks easy, but it's not easy at all,” So as suggested by chef Nobu, lay flat your bamboo mat and place a crispy nori sheet on it. Spread rice on the sheet (5 portions as suggested by the chef) and press them slightly. Roll halfway, and then reopen. Roll again and press slightly to apply pressure to ensure the perfect cylindrical shape. Your sushi roll is right in front of your eyes. Note, that you should always wrap your bamboo mat in a cling wrap if making nigiri sushi to keep the rice from sticking to the mat.

THE ALTERNATIVES

While makisu or bamboo mat allows you to roll your sushi in its cultural way, using other techniques will help you to roll your sushi in a more decent way. But what can be used in place of a bamboo mat, without spoiling the delicate texture of nori sheets? Here's a list of things you can use instead of a bamboo mat.

• A kitchen towel
• Tissue paper
• A thick cloth
• A parchment paper 
• A cling film or simply a sushi maker kit that is easily available in the market.

HOW TO ROLL SUSHI WITHOUT A MAT?

You can use various other methods to shape your sushi into a cool, nice roll for your meal.  

BY USING A KITCHEN TOWEL 

A kitchen towel can always come handy in circumstances where the bamboo mat is nowhere to be seen. It enables you to pull out a perfectly round sushi roll due to being flexible. All you need to make sure is that the surface you are going to lay your towel on isn't too high as most kitchen counters are. A higher surface may not let you apply the sufficient amount of pressure needed to roll your sushi. Now that you know the "precautions" let's begin with the main task!

• Place the towel on a clean flat surface. 
• Leaving about 2 centimeters from the top, place your nori sheet on it, and add the essential ingredients needed for making sushi. 
• Hold carefully the corner near you and start rolling it away from you. 
• Roll halfway first. Then, reopen and roll again. Press and your roll is in its perfect shape. 
• You may not want to spoil your towel when making a nigiri (inside out roll). In that case, wrap your towel with a cling film. Other than a kitchen towel, you can opt for using tissue papers to give your sushi a proper round look.

BY USING TISSUE PAPER

It may sound weird to your ears, but you can actually use your kitchen tissues to shape your sushi into a roll. Simply stack up to 5-7 tissue papers to get the desired thickness. Now place a sheet of seaweed on it. Fill it with the toppings. Make sure that your filling is not too moist. Otherwise, the roll would be a complete mess. Carefully lifting up the edge of tissue paper close to you, start rolling away from you. You can always use the method suggested by the chefs. Pull together the roll to ensure that it is properly folded and intact. Using tissue paper will help you retain the delicate nori texture. If you can't fetch tissue papers to roll your sushi, you can easily switch to the other alternative, a thick cotton cloth.

A THICK PIECE OF CLOTH

A piece of cloth! You may think that it is as same as using a kitchen towel. Know that the cloth method would require you to use an anti-slip material (a rugged texture one) or a thick cotton cloth. This will not only allow you to retain the fragility of nori sheet's texture but would also fold your sushi like never before! Just make sure to pull slightly while rolling and that you place your nori sheet leaving 2 centimeters from the top.

These alternatives can give you a cool party sushi roll or just a decent round cylindrical roll for dinner as you want it to be. Your list of alternatives does not come to an end here. A cling film or the nori sheet alone can also be used to roll it without any mat. You may find it troublesome when doing it for the first time as we all tend to make mistakes when trying something new. Don't worry about it at all. And give another try. If the material chosen does not give you the desired shape, move on to another one. 

HOW CAN A PARCHMENT PAPER OR CLING WRAP BE USED?

Same as mentioned in the above methods. You may, however, use a cling wrap alone to roll out the sushi. Cling wrap alone works wonderfully without much doubt.

WHICH WAY IS THE BEST WAY TO ROLL YOUR SUSHI? 

Well, the choice is completely in your hands. However, rolling it using a bamboo mat will give you the sense of doing sushi, its cultural way. You can use various methods to roll a perfectly shaped sushi, be it the typical hand shaped one or the technical machinery one (the sushi kits and molds). What you need to be careful about is that you don't mess it up by using an excess amount of sauces or other essential ingredients. You may end up tearing or spoiling the seaweed.

TIME FOR A CLICK!

Now that your perfectly rolled sushi is right in front of you, let's make it Instagram-ready! Don't roll your sushi anymore, instead roll the reel of your camera and click an insta perfect picture of your sushi. Fetch a classy platter, sprinkle some sesame seeds and dried parsley, garnish with the smoky Sriracha sauce, dab some wasabi, place a bowl of soy sauce nearby and click!