The Best Way To Make Sushi At Home (Professional Quality) | Epicurious 101

Chef Taka Sakaeda demonstrates the techniques you need to know to make professional quality sushi rolls in your own home. Watch as he prepares Kappa Maki (cucumber roll) and a Tekka Maki (tuna roll), breaking down the best ingredients, necessary equipment, and artful touch needed to raise your sushi roll skills to professional level.
Director/Producer: Mel Ibarra
Director of Photography: Joel Kingsbury
Editor: LJ D'Arpa
Talent: Taka Sakaeda
Director of Culinary Production: Kelly Janke
Culinary Researcher and Recipe Editor: Vivian Jao
Culinary Producer: Mallary Santucci
Culinary Associate Producer: Katrina Zito
Associate Producer: Tim Colao
Line Producer: Jennifer McGinity
Production Manager: Janine Dispensa
Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Hymes
Camera Operator: Jeremy Harris
Audio: Michael Guggino
Production Assistant: Kayla Zimmerman
Post Production Supervisor: Andrea Farr
Post Production Coordinator: Scout Alter
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araújo
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
Graphics Supervisor: Ross Rackin
Graphics, Animation, VFX: Léa Kichler
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0:00 Let Me See That Maki Roll
0:37 Chapter One - Sushi Rice
2:47 Chapter Two - Sushi Vinegar
3:36 Chapter Three - Prepping The Ingredients
6:03 Chapter Four - Mixing The Rice
7:37 Chapter Five - Rolling The Sushi
11:37 Chapter Six - Cutting The Rolls
12:33 Ready To Eat
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[@iannrobbins]

This is an OUTSTANDING tutorial. I have watch so many videos for rolling sushi and your detail about forming the dam and the exact technique for rolling is very helpful. Thank you very much.

[@muselover9730]

12:49 “more fats something has, more wasabi you can put it in” they is a great tip ! Thank you ! No wonder when I eat it with salmon, it feels less spicy

[@hasaniennis442]

So many times I’ve had sushi with over seasoned rice. My biggest challenge is getting that perfect balance of sweet, salt, acid, and umami for the rice.

[@king_ltc_]

Taste as you go. Only thing I can say.

[@teacup203]

Practice make everything perfect, keep fighting!! :D

[@timothygil1]

If you are new to sushi, especially making the rice, I recommend buying seasoned sushi vinegar which is usually sold right next to the same bottle of the rice vinegar he used, which was Mizkan brand and I agree with Luke above, always taste to your preference, All sushi chefs have a preference. I also recommend if you have a rice cooker like a Zojirushi, to add a piece of Konbu that has been rinsed off on top of the rice just before you turn it on.

[@hasaniennis442]

@@timothygil1 Thank you so much! I'm sure these tips will help.😄

[@ryanle1293]

One thing I like to do is to bring the vinegar to a steep, btw buy some nice quality rice vinegar, usually the darker the better, and that also means the vinegar is stronger and more sour, so you can add a bit more sugar and then steap it with the konbu, should come out a little more potent

[@buffettboy2003]

I didn't expect a left handed oil test in the sushi making video, but here it was! Hahaha. But on a serious note, thanks for a clear and understanding video!

[@epicurious]

Dan Formosa would be proud!

[@riemi2689]

​@@epicurious we miss Dan, hope he will be back soon! 🥰

[@aquaviii]

Left Handers FTW

[@lalawyer11]

Ok, best sushi making video I've seen yet. Clear, concise and perfectly explained. Thank you so much. New subscriber.

[@SRMedvig]

Chef Taka always seems so warm and kind. Thanks for the tips on making the vinegar! Would love to see a Sushi 102 featuring more complex rolls.

[@s0undnin]

This is the extent of traditional Japanese sushi. All the crazy looking rolls are an American creation.

[@leotiritilli9698]

@s0undnin so what?

[@dxc5698]

There is a video on epi channel where he shows how to make a bunch of rolls using salmon. Highly recommended

[@patshko9357]

Perfect. Straight to the point, answering every single question one could have. Beautiful video, thank you so much 🙏

[@wojciechdabrowski1043]

Whoever reading this have a nice day. Thanks chef, good work!

[@katecone7416]

Loved this! Thanks so much. I’ll try all of these techniques ❤❤❤

[@jurgenfuchs3598]

best sushi making video i've seen. Very well presented. Thank you!

[@carolineflynn1799]

GREAT tips! The barricade of rice and the use of lighty oiled gloves is a game changer!

[@heyjude8258]

using the vinyl gloves with oil is life changing. I've had so much trouble with the rice sticking even with water on my hands. Why did I never think of that tip lol

[@vadiep6851]

Careful not to use too much, depending on the vinyl you might not even need it, just water. At my work because we handle different fish that's just enough to lubricate it or you have a damp towel ready to wipe your knife and hand as you go.

[@TonInter]

Great video! We need a part two, for other types of sushi. 🤤

[@teacup203]

Me at 1 am craving for sushi watching this video 🤤

[@aquaviii]

Me eating cup noodles 😮😅😂

[@IoniB]

Literally 1:02 rn and same

[@Doctorjman77]

The super chill background music is so good!

[@cassianfilms1319]

Finally!!!! Someone cover this topic in depth!

[@malvikavazalwar3236]

The Chapters & the detailed insights! Love this!!! Perfectly organised for a beginner!

[@stephendelacruzone]

Taka👑... you're Legend for this! ✨👍

[@Ozzborn85]

Thanks for this. A long time ago a friend taught me how to make sushi, but over time my technique got rather worse than better - up to a point that I decided I just suck at this and would not try this again until a proper workshops/rolling class. But after this I see what I've been doing wrong all this time, and it makes me wanna try again! Thanks for this chef Taka!

[@overratedprogrammer]

What are some things you were doing wrong?

[@Ozzborn85]

@@overratedprogrammer to be honest almost everything - I mixed the seasonig with completly cooled down rice and didn't spread it at all. didn't do the "rice dam" and put the fillings on the bottom. And I also used whole sheets of nori so the rolls we either to big and unhandy, didn't close well or had nori spiral. At least now I know :P

[@aysiajacksonn]

This video was super helpful & simple to follow !!

[@laviniaafrica8987]

This is an awesome video. Thank you so much! ❤❤❤

[@jay.perspective7377]

I learned so much! Thank you!

[@theanonymous1857]

Thank you very much for the VDO and fantastic technique that will helping me look like master once teaching my daughter to do so 🤭

[@JanieRamsey-dw9so]

I really liked the cooking recipe. The author of the channel is well done, a like for his effort and a great video

[@noelflores4389]

Thank you chef. Great video.

[@LeahCarter]

Love this video!!!! Can you please do egg rolls next?! 🎉😊

[@lunavixen015]

I used this tutorial and managed to make cucumber rolls and teriyaki chicken rolls. I only stuffed up two rolls (which we ate anyway). It was really helpful

[@ceciliawhitfield155]

Thanks, wonderful make!!

[@princegwende]

Dankie so much chef

[@tradergirl7067]

great video if you like the nori on the outside. this is the easiest way. but the rice in the outside with toppings is difficult to master

[@brandonmihalik6144]

Great video and thanks for taking the time to make it @epicurious

[@AbigailNavarro123]

Excellent video👏I love sushi 🍣 😋🙌🏻

[@p.j.sharmansmith7254]

Thank you. So so simple. I'll try it. If I fail..... I'll try again.

[@barefootpirate]

I can't wait to save so much money and make this a staple in my weekly routine 🙌🤙

[@ashusabharwal5537]

Very nice, you explained it really well ❤

[@cookingwithmeron725]

Thank you so much, you make is easy and safe

[@srinivasaraoyp3640]

Sushi is yummy and tasty. I shall try your recipe. Thank you very much.

[@damieninderbitzin9290]

Thanks! Worked really well.

[@shyrlavalena1241]

made me hungry... looks super yummy

[@yangxithang4048]

Thank you so much. i can make it now.

[@basaraj]

Perfection!

[@JoshuaLegaspi-ij6qz]

Thanks for sharing

[@jennifercist]

Amazing 🤩

[@pineo81]

I'm going to try to make my own sushi now!

[@kenta_0163]

Keeping the nori crisp is one of the most difficult part of rolling maki, I often waved the nori on an open flame stove top at low heat to crisp/heat the nori

[@lynnrose6333]

So true I was going to comment this!

[@cloudwatcher608]

Haha I thought he was putting quite a bit of wasabi on that cucumber roll! Great info, thanks for the video

[@TashJansson]

my mind is blown by the fact that this is rolled with WARM rice! I've always done it with cold rice and unsurprisingly my rolls tended to fall apart.

[@phoenixash8514]

I always saw and was told to fan the rice after pouring rice vinegar and while mixing it. The whole point was to cool it down. So I wonder if it's just different techniques or just preference

[@rooter6]

Really confused by making vinegar mix. You did that in a bowl and then used like 1/5 of it?

[@AsToldByMiriam]

i think those of us actually trying to make this are all confused by that.

[@emarteliz]

❤❤❤❤I love wasabi , great video 😊

[@ctcamara]

I made this at home and it was so good! I also made one with Tuna and mayo (and I loved it). Thanks for giving me confidence in making my own sushi! 😊

[@markylon]

Mayo? God you have to be an American? Surprised you didn't smother it in Ketchup and Deep Fry it LOOOL

[@d3us3xmach1na5]

@@markylonthat’s incredibly unpleasant.

[@5skdm]

​@@markylon some sushi varieties (newer ones) do have mayo as sauce, esp in regular day to day sushi restaurants (at least where I'm at), so it is not crazy to have that on sushi

[@markylon]

@@5skdm I mean you mean mayonnaise not MAYO which is how Americans ruin everything.

[@lenka2294]

​​@@markylonThey often use mayo in European restaurants for Tuna sushi.

[@mariloucieloagpalo7652]

I love Japanese food! Yummy ! Brilliant sushi! Thank you

[@MarylinTurner-tm3nv]

Cool! I love sushi (spicy salmon and avocado roll)

[@ratandjmt]

Thank you for the demo. I was having an issue with how much rice I was using. I was either getting too much or not enough. I'm going to try your little dam method in a bit for some homemade California rolls

[@KikiToth-xl7lu]

What do you do with left over the vinegar? Can still use it? How many days can the preparation sushi can stay refrigerated for, if want take ingredients cut into to make the sushi?

[@nathinkosi1170]

Great video chef

[@HOLLYWOODHILLS133]

Sushi 🍣 look Amazing 👏 ❤❤❤ I want some now lol 😅

[@AuroraHolidays]

If you need to make a bigger amount of makirolls and nigiris, how long in advance you can make it and how to store it to keep it fresh?

[@relaxingsounds4512]

What a banger if an tutorial everysingle question i had was answered , in just 2 seconds after

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

What a banger of* a* tutorial.* Every* single* question I* had was answered ...

[@makotonarukami7468]

Here because i dont wanna pay $13-$18 for Restaurant Sushi when i can buy the ingredients myself and have more than enough.

[@eric_eltota]

Increíble vídeo

[@MrYarabandi]

Thanks for the awesome video. Is rice vinegar necessary?

[@NettiGaming]

I could listen to chef Taka all day ❤

[@JackTse]

Taka doing sushi @ home is a much better video. I think you can do another fried rice video with Eric Huang. My 2 cents, I appreciate the content.

[@minimalthings5593]

Thank you ^^"😀

[@rosepine7071]

Best sushi prifessional

[@PhaserFelix]

Very interesting, I wonder why my pieces are so much bigger. I am following the standards of sushi making in my city, and compared to yours, our are HUGE. About double in size, we don't cut the Nori in half even. I ask the team to try to make them smaller and see the result.

[@noelflores4389]

Thank you

[@faisalal-mobarak1179]

im so hungry for this

[@yanjijay6752]

Thnx I love love sushi though wished I could find sashimi tuna or salmon

[@matimurray5078]

Yummy!!!

[@goli582]

ممنون از آموزش عالیتون

[@mustaphakebailali3493]

Nice 🎉😊

[@simplelifeisbeautifullife.56]

Nice video, thank you! Q: why do we need 2 cups of rice vinegar if we used only 1/3 cups of it?

[@lilycr7919]

I am wondering the same thing.. It would be helpful to know the rice vinegar recipe for 2 cups of rice only.

[@daniellerussomanno188]

This is awesome, thank you! Can’t wait to use these tips for date night.

[@smokymountain2234]

Great program 👍👍🙏😇🥰❤️🇺🇸happy 4th of July

[@MightyElemental]

I've only had sushi once before but now I really want it again

[@aaausername]

How? I probably eat too much of it. There's a lot of sushi shops in my country.

[@R_CA]

食べたい！

[@user-cg1my7zm7n]

very nice

[@user-bu9dd2pi2m]

cool guide

[@jonessoda4me1]

After eating this 🍱 I’d say ごちそさまでした！

[@MountainAirOrganicBeds]

I would like to see amazon affiliate links for all the products and ingredients that we need to buy for each project. Can please we see how to make egg rolls next?

[@Baurax]

So, the rice has to be warm when I put it on the nori? I always thought that you have to let it cool down.

[@guylevi2803]

Great vidoe, but I have 1 question. Why you made so mouch sushi viniger if you knew you would use only one third cup?

[@jordyshears]

So confused by this, hey. 2 cups of sushi rice used and then he only adds 1/3 of a cup. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@lunavixen015]

You can store the finished sushi vinegar, just put it in a bottle with a cap, it’ll keep in the fridge.

[@scratchnmix9511]

So no need to wrap the bamboo mat with Saran wrap? Awesome tutorial btw

[@SabrinaBenaa]

And I am assuming you don’t need to soak the rice 🤩 saved me so much time lol Also for the vinegar combo, any alternative to sugar?

[@Chapa9981]

Some people use honey, I'm not a big fan of this due to the strong flavor it lends. however, you do need sugar of some kind in order to make it sticky

[@raumsogg]

Nice recipe... I guess I've got to buy a rice cooker now (with suchi mode preferably). It would have been nice to suggest an alternative method though...

[@Henchman1977]

Worth pointing out that you only use a small amount of the sushi vinegar that was prepared!

[@robspiess]

Yes, this annoyed me as well. "Let's make sushi at home. Step one, make two liters of rice vinegar. Step two, use a splash of it. Step three, dump the rest of the vinegar you made." So wasteful.

[@overratedprogrammer]

@@robspiess you can store it

[@robspiess]

@@overratedprogrammer What am I going to do with so much sweetened and seasoned sushi vinegar? I'm not making sushi every week, lol! Maybe once a year, if that.

[@julespasquier337]

@@robspiess well, maybe you can use up your leftover nori, sushi vinegar, etc for vegetable sushi as a healthy lunch

[@robspiess]

@@julespasquier337 I appreciate the thought that it could be used later, but it's unnecessary to make so much for this recipe and have to figure out things to make with the unnecessary excess. For example, if I make chicken wings once a year for superbowl sunday, it would be silly to make 2 cups of cinnamon honey mustard dipping sauce when I plan on using only 3 ounces, forcing me to figure out meals with cinnamon honey mustard. Just make 3 ounces and use the ingredients separately elsewhere. For this sushi recipe, he should have said 1/3 cup of rice vinegar, 2 tbsp of salt and 6 tbsp of sugar. Easy, and no waste.

[@kalampahadiuk1293]

Hello chef ♥️♥️

[@LeslieDugger]

It was not mentioned, but Kombu also provides a varying degree of salt, so be careful adding too much in addition to salt. For a lot of recipes, No additional salt is needed when using Kombu.

[@icanwatchthevideos]

How long does the kombu need to steep before the solution is ready? He did not specify

[@LeslieDugger]

@@icanwatchthevideos I usually do it for 20-30 minutes. Do not boil, otherwise it will be bitter.

[@yomama3926]

That doesn't matter.

[@LeslieDugger]

@@yomama3926 doesn’t matter to you.

[@raquelmore2007]

Thanks for such clear instructions! Can the leftover sushi vinegar be saved to use later?

[@2good2keep2myselfharding9]

I’m planning to save mine in glass with a plastic lid. No metal.

[@aysecelik9851]

Hello! Do we have to have a rice cooker? Can't we just cook it in the pot?

[@boudjemamehdi8078]

That chopping board is nice

[@markylon]

Top tip, use caster sugar and Table salt and they will dissolve more quickly and thoroughly.

[@chefnakulofficial2706]

Wow I love to eat sushi 🍣

[@oshahott2532]

I learned here that I've been doing everything wrong, essentially. Time to go turn my absolutely failed sushi into fried rice 😂

[@titaniumsyn7628]

Love the video! Although there's no way I'm getting sushi grade fish where I live. So what about working with protein that isn't sushi grade? Also, what about making ponzu at home?

[@errolwilloughby]

There are some options; tofu, fish cakes, cooked crab, and egg immediately come to mind. Although it's not sushi, Korean gim bap is very similar; I've seen gim bap recipes which use chopped fried chicken or bulgogi as protein options. Of course, any protein you want to use should be fine.

[@chipshtpc2478]

smoked salmon and cream cheese or even canned salmon mixed with mayo. not traditional but still tasty

[@johnknight9150]

Oh no, our Australian way of going up at the end of sentences? like it's a question? has travelled? to America.

[@abbaskrayem1666]

So nothing to do with the nori seaweed? We wrapped it crispy as it's?

[@titan-yr6rl]

You sure make it look easy. Lol, you didn't tell is about the knife you used. But to cut through the nori and the rice without shredding it I believe it's the hardest part. Thank you for a great video. Simple, kind of. Lol

[@lunavixen015]

A sharp, non serrated knife. Emphasis on sharp. Dampen the blade with a wet cloth between cuts

[@miinyoo]

Okay, cool. Wow. I've been really over manhandling the makisu. The rolls come out fine but this is so much better of a way.