Sushi

These utensils will make sushi preparation easier and are available from kitchen sections in large department stores. A set of good knives is a sound investment for any kitchen, but if you cannot get Japanese knives, use the sharpest, best-quality knives you can for ingredient preparation. The only specialty item for which there is no substitute, however, is a bamboo rolling mat.

A specialty rolling mat is essential for making rolled sushi. It is made of bamboo sticks woven together with cotton string and is square in shape, usually measuring around 10 x 10in (24 x 24cm). Although there is no suitable substitute, bamboo rolling mats are easily available, even in supermarkets, and are inexpensive.

After use, your bamboo rolling mat must be washed and cleaned with cold water (and a brush if necessary) without any detergent. Make sure to dry it completely before storing. Any moisture and traces of starch from rice left on it will result in it becoming moldy. You may cover the mat with a sheet of plastic wrap when making inside-out rolls to avoid rice grains getting stuck between the bamboo sticks. In Japanese kitchens, the mat is also used to drain vegetables and for shaping rolled omelets.

A sushi chef’s knife is as precious to him as a sword to a samurai warrior. The ancient craft of Japanese sword making is still practiced today, only it is used to forge kitchen knives made of superior-quality carbon steel. These knives need to be properly looked after to maintain their hair-splitting sharpness. They should be sharpened by hand with a whetstone, never with a steel knife sharpener or grinding wheel.

You are more likely to injure yourself with a blunt knife, so look after your knife and it will serve you well. Don’t put it in the dishwasher; wash it by hand. Don’t store it in a drawer with other kitchen tools that might chip the blade. If you have a knife block, slide the knife into a slot on its back, not on the sharp blade.

If you cannot sharpen it yourself, have it done professionally; good kitchen stores should offer the service.

Japanese knives are sharpened on one side of the blade, the cutting edge, which is always on the right side. If you are left-handed, you will need a specially adapted left-handed knife. A sushi chef normally has at least three different types of knife:

Cleaver

deba bōchō

This knife’s heavy, curved blade is ideal for cutting through fish bones.

Vegetable knife

usuba bōchō

In the hands of a sushi chef, this knife peels, cuts, and chops faster and finer than a food processor. Its blade is straight and thinner than that of other knives, which makes it suitable for delicate work.

Fish knife

yanagi bōchō

This long, slender blade is used for slicing fish fillets, cutting sushi rolls, and making decorative garnishes.