Makisu Bamboo Sushi Mat
There are many techniques and tricks to master in rolling sushi that makes it nothing less than art. One of them is knowing how to use a makisu. If you are a fan of maki rolls or any type of sushi roll, then you need to be equipped with a makisu to make those delicious rolls at home. You might not be familiar with the term “makisu”, which is the Japanese term for a bamboo mat. The Japanese make various types of makisu. Some are made with thick bamboo, which are stronger while some others are made with soft bamboo, which are more malleable. Makisu are found in all sushi restaurants because of the efficiency in creating maki rolls; without it, it would take multiple times longer. It is also used to squeeze out excess liquid from food. Moreover, it is even used to shape a lot of other non-sushi food such as omelets. For sushi purposes, a makisu big enough for a roll is all you need. Typically, that will be 12 inch by 12 inch, or shorter.
How to Make Maki Rolls Using Makisu Sushi Mat
The Japanese are very proud of their sushi and it is, by no means, easy to replicate. When you think of sushi night, you might think that you do not need a makisu or maybe you didn’t even think of it in the first place. Your sushi rolls will not be uniform or perfectly shaped without using this mat. In addition, when you try cutting the roll, it will fall apart due to the ingredients not being compacted and tight…especially when you try to cut into the typical 8 pieces.
A makisu can be found in any Asian supermarket. After getting the mat, how can you make some maki rolls for yourself? Follow these steps to make some delicious rolls at home:
- Place the makisu sushi mat on top of your kitchen counter with the bamboo lining left to right (so you can roll it up); place a nori sheet on top on it with the rough side facing up
- Lay around a thin layer of sushi rice on top of the nori sheet and spread the rice evenly
- Flip over the nori so that the rice is touching the mat
- Add your preferred vegetable or fish in the middle of the nori sheet
- Ensure that the nori sheet is two finger widths from the edge of the makisu closest to you
- Use the makisu mat to roll forward – the nori, rice, and other ingredients will get rolled up in a long tube
- The end of the bamboo mat should touch the nori – squeeze the mat at this point
- Continue to roll it to the end of the top part of the nori sheet – squeeze the mat again
- You will notice that the whole tube will get take the shape of a long rectangle
- Remove the roll from the mat and squeeze the roll again
- When you are satisfied with the shape of the roll, cut it in small even pieces
- After the cut, your pieces will probably be lopsided; squeeze it with the makisu yet again
Was that easy or hard? It would have been harder without using a makisu. The rice would not set in properly and the whole roll would probably fall apart before evening cutting it.
Washing and Caring for the Makisu
In a busy sushi restaurant, a sushi roller might only clean the makisu after every X amount of rolls or when they have time to. Cleaning it will remove previous fish, rice, or other ingredients that may have stuck on the mat. Think of how old that rice you left in between the bamboo cracks is! Cleaning it is also required in case someone you are rolling for has allergies to certain types of food; or you can use another sushi mat all together. The cleaning process is actually really easy – you just have to clean the bamboo mat with water and rinse it. If you are done rolling for the day, just leave it in the sun to dry. Make sure that you pat down excess water though, or else it won’t try quickly. Once the mat is completely dry you can re-use it again for your next Japanese sushi cooking adventure.
To ease the pain of having to clean the bamboo mat after every workday, many sushi rollers fully wrap the sushi mat with saran wrap. This prevents rice and other ingredients from sticking to the bamboo. After you are done rolling, you can just remove the saran wrap and wipe off any material left off the mat. If you are still working and need to use the makisu, wiping the saran wrap can be done quickly with a towel instead of re-wrapping the saran wrap.