Sushi how to make sushi

Make my Sushi

What is on the site?

Not far away from this page, you will find a detailed sushi guide, with animated flash illustrations to show you how to make sushi rolls for the first time, and how to prepare sushi rice.

Also available is a wide variety of recipes for those whom the flavor of simple homemade sushi no longer satisfies.

As a cultural leader in its territory, we will attempt to bring you the best of the worldwide sushi innovation in the form of recommendations for sushi restaurants, sushi festivals and try to explain the difference between Nigiri and Sashimi once and for all.

Different types of sushi:

Maki Sushi

Maki sushi is a roll of fish/seafood with rice wrapped in nori (seaweed). Two maki sushi types are: Futomaki (“fat maki”) is the bigger form of maki, usually made with two or more different fillings. Hosomaki (“thin maki”) is made with only one filling, usually fish or seafood, but may also be a single vegetable or omelette. For instructions how to make it, see our full guide on: ” how to make sushi maki “.

Nigiri sushi

Is a popular type of sushi shaped by hand. It is made of a slice of raw fish, seafood, tamago or other toppings lying on a “thumb sized” chunk of vinegar seasoned sushi rice, with a small amount of wasabi in between. Click above to make your very own Nigiri Sushi.

Inside out sushi

Inside out sushi (or Uramaki ) is similar to “maki sushi”, except that the rice is on the outside of the nori, and it is usually prepared with more than two fillings – for example salmon, cucumber and, what seems to be a slice of pineapple. It is sometimes topped with a thin slice of fish, seafood or vegetable like avocado or sweet potato. For instructions how to make it, see our full guide on: ” how to make inside out sushi maki ”

Spicy tuna

Spicy tuna sushi is a popular western type of sushi. It is made with diced raw red tuna. A spicy chili based sauce is added to the tuna chunks. The spicy sauce can be used inside the sushi roll, on top of it as hot drops, or on the side. Find out more on spicy tuna roll, how to make it, and the full recipe by clicking above.

8 Sushi rolls recipes without raw fish

1. California Roll

The ultimate best seller among home making sushi fans.

This roll contains avocado and crab sticks imitations – usually made of cooked fish Surimi. The roll is sometimes coated with fish roe like in the picture above. This roll is far from being a vegetarian roll, but

2. Spam musubi sushi

This traditional Hawaiian dish is so tasty and easy to make it’s silly.

3. Tamago sushi

Tamago? Oh yeah! It’s like an omelette really, only Japanese. Very much so. Check it out!

4. PLS roll (pate, lettuce, shrimp) recipe

Baby please, PLS is the best combination you can get without any raw fish at all. This sushi is awesome, so creamy and delicious. Just, just try okay?

5. Unagi

You either love Unagi or you hate it. If you don’t know for yourself yet, and like experimenting with food, this one is a must try!

6. Smoked salmon sushi

This is a very simple recipe, great for beginners. Smoked salmon is significantly cheaper and easier to come across than sushi grade fish so you can go wild with this one.

7. Epic bacon roll

Which do you like better, bacon or sushi? From now on you no longer have to choose! Introducing the Epic Sushi roll: Deliciously filled with cream cheese and avocado and wrapped with RAW bacon on the outside. Simply awesome.

8. Dragon roll

Plain awesomeness.

Choosing a Sushi Knife

Choosing and Care of Sushi Knives

By Grant Carter from

When it comes to choosing a set of sushi knives or one knife in particular, there are many choices out there! One may be interested in a knife for a sushi-making class or for a sushi party, or perhaps interested in becoming a professional sushi chef, or itamae. On either end of the spectrum, you will want to choose the knife or set of knives that feels good in your hand, is made of quality materials, and has the best warranty that you can find in a sushi knife manufacturer!

Of the many dozens of different types of traditional Japanese blades available for purchase these days, there are but three main styles that you will commonly find or need when making normal Maki and Nigiri-style sushi:

3 types of sushi knives

The Yanagi is a long knife with a thin, slender blade that is designed for precision slicing of sashimi. This knife is truly the itamae’s prized tool and the instrument responsible for the amazing presentation that you see in sushi-ya in Japan and the world over. While not all traditional Japanese cutleries are made in the same style as the traditional battle-sword of the samurai warrior, the katana, some are forged by hand in just the same technique.

The Deba is the utter workhorse of the Japanese kitchen, proving itself time and time again versus foe varying from sides of beef
to dismantling whole tuna. In Japan, each species of seafood has it’s own variation of knife specifically designed to work with it. For instance, an eel-knife has a special design that allows for quick dispatching of the eel and and a special blade to aid in quickly dismantling it. These blades range in all shapes and sizes, and some designed for working with whole tuna are up to six feet long!

The Usuba is a beautiful blade designed specially to work with vegetables and their presentation. An Usuba in properly skilled hands can turn mere vegetables into works of art! While it resembles a cleaver, it is completely different from the cleavers that Westerners think of!

Once you have chosen a knife or knife set, be sure to take proper care of these knives! Never put them in the dishwasher as the dish-washing detergents will decay the carbon in the steel! Another reason to never put your quality Japanese cutlery in the dishwasher or individually in a drawer are to prevent chipping, dulling, and rusting.
Remember that it is always a better value to take care of your quality knives than to replace your damaged ones!

Tamago

What is tamago?

Tamago is the Japanese omelet commonly used in maki, nigiri and Temaki sushi. Unlike a regular omelet, the tamago is made with sugar, soy sauce, and mirin added. Furthermore, it is fried by a very unique method, as explained in the following guide.

Tamago is very easy to make, and easy to enjoy. It is highly recommended for vegetarian sushi fans, pregnant women and anyone with a sense of taste.

How to make tamago?

Attention – The recipe for Tamago batter can be found here.

Step 1 – Heat

Heat a little oil in a rectangular pan, then add the tamago batter, 1 cm deep.

Step 2 – Flip and fold

After 2-3 min, when the bottom of the omelet turns brownish, use a spatula to fold the omelet twice, first from the closer edge of the pan towards the middle, and then towards the far edge. There’s no need to flip the omelet, just fold it. Even if its upper side seems uncooked before folding, the “inner layers” will get done by the end of the process.

Step 3 – More batter

Now oil the pan again (or not, depends if you prefer it crispy or oil free) and add another batch of tamago batter. Notice that the batter you have just added should touch the omelet you folded in the previous step.

Step 4 – Flip again

Repeat steps 2-3, until you run out of tamago batter.

Step 5 – Aaaaand cut…

Now that your omelet is ready, place it on a dry cutting surface, and slice it into 2 cm-thick slices. You may use it either as a topping for nigiri sushi, or as a filling for Temaki and maki sushi.

Rolling Mat

The sushi rolling mat (or Makisu)

The sushi rolling mat can be very useful, although, with some experience you can do without it. The rolling mat is used to maintain even pressure from all sides of the sushi roll while rolling it.

When used to make an inside out roll, the mat needs to be wrapped in saran wrap in order to keep the rice from sticking to the mat. This may also be applied while making a classic roll to make the mat easier to clean during the process.

How To Make Sushi (video)

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make sushi at home? Making your own sushi can be so much fun! You get to create your own rolls, add any type of filling, topping and sauce.

Watch My Sushi Video!

With my step-by-step video tutorial, I’ll show you just how easy it is to make! Plus, tips for filling, cutting and serving! Want to receive new recipe emails in your inbox? Make sure to subscribe to my website and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!

Selecting Your Seafood

The most important and crucial part of sushi, whether at home or in a restaurant, is the seafood: fish, crab, scallops, etc. It’s very important to buy and use only the freshest, sushi-grade seafood for taste and for food-safety reasons. I get my sushi-grade fish from a Japanese supermarket and a local fish market that delivers to sushi restaurants across town. If you’re not sure about the quality, always ask! Most seafood comes frozen and is then thawed in the store.

Sushi Making Tools

You’ll need just a few simple tools for making sushi at home! You can buy a sushi kit (affiliate link) with everything you need or a few individual tools like a bamboo rolling mat and a sharp knife to cut your fish and rolls. I recommend also getting a wooden spoon for the rice and chopsticks for serving.

How to Make Sushi Rice

The most important part of a sushi roll is the rice! Make sure to purchase sushi rice, which is a short grain, sticky rice. Here’s how to make sushi rice that will hold its shape well so your rolls don’t fall apart!

Sushi Roll Recipe Ideas

You’ll need sushi-grade rice for making rolls. It’s typically a short grain and when cooked, it’s sticky and holds the roll together. Most sushi rice will indicate right on the package so it’s easy to find! Next, just pick your fillings! And this is the best part! I love to experiment and try different combinations of fillings all the time. I have more on fillings in video recipe and down below in the recipe box! Here are a few of my favorite combinations:

More Recipes!

Enjoyed my full-length sushi tutorial? Make sure to check out my other sushi video – This ‘Spicy Salmon Roll’ is so delicious!

Homemade Sushi: Tips, Tricks, and Toppings!

An easy-to-follow homemade sushi tutorial with lots of tips, tricks, and photos to help you roll like a pro along with sushi roll and sauce recipes galore!

Homemade Sushi: Tips, Tricks, and Toppings

Let’s dive right in! It may seem like a lot to buy at first, but most of the ingredients turn into staples [like sriracha + sesame seeds] and non perishables like nori, sushi rice, and vinegar will last a ridiculously long time in your pantry. You’ll end up with 4-6 sushi dinners for the price of one at a restaurant. But above all else, it’s really fun! Invite a few friends over and go nuts.

As a bonus, this is one of the few times it’s socially acceptable to say “Here’s everything you need, now make your own dinner!” Set out all your ingredients and let your friends & family create their own rolls!

I’ll walk you through each step in the post and then include a printable cheat sheet at the end to make your new sushi adventure even easier!

Don’t get intimidated – rolling sushi is 100x easier than it looks! Your rolls might not come out 5-star restaurant worthy on the first try but it won’t be long before you’re creations are so pretty you’ll want to instagram them!

homemade sushi staples:

You can pick up your staples at your local asian food market or in your grocery store’s international food aisle. Nearly every store I’ve been to carries all the above ingredients and some even arrange them next to the store-made sushi for easy stock-up! Sweet!

Once you have your pantry staples, all you’ll need is some fresh produce!

Some of my favorite veggies for homemade sushi rolls:

Fruit-wise, pineapple, mango, apple and pear are all insanely good.

As for protein options? Anything you’d like! I typically use shrimp tempura and/or sashimi grade tuna, since that’s what’s available near me. When I lived in Virgina I was able to get fresh salmon from local Asian markets, but here in coastal NC my options are limited. You can also add tofu or cream cheese to the rolls if you’d like!

Be creative and add anything that floats your sushi boat.

step 1 – make the rice:

Combine 1+1/2 cups of rice with 2 cups of water in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat after 20 minutes but let the rice stand, covered, for 10 minutes or so to ensure that the rice is fully cooked. The best way to ruin the sushi is to roll it in crunchy rice. I have TOTALLY done this before — whoops! A taste test will ensure that your rice is perfectly fluffy.

Feel free to use a rice cooker or (click here) for shortcut sushi in under 2 minutes; quinoa also makes an excellent substitute for rice!

Cooking the rice is the only time-consuming part of the entire process. While it cooks, save time by prepping your fish, veggies, and sauces!

step 2 – season the rice:

If you don’t already own rice vinegar, feel free to opt for the pre-seasoned variety to save yourself a step. If you already have a bottle of rice vinegar or have white vinegar on hand, simply season with salt and vinegar to taste. For the rice measurements above you’ll need 1/3 cup of seasoned rice vinegar or 1/3 cup of vinegar seasoned with one teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Pour over your rice, fluff with a fork, and taste. Adjust salt/sugar as desired. Remove rice from heat, add to a bowl and cover with a paper towel.

step 3 – julienne your veggies:

While the rice cooks + cools – prep your veggies! Slice vertically into matchsticks and set aside. Once the rice is done you’ll be ready to roll!

step 4 – wrap it up:

To avoid messy clean-up and scrubbing, wrap your bamboo mat in plastic wrap. Lay a sheet of nori on top and grab your rice!

step 5 – inside-out or outside-in:

The two most popular techniques are inside-out rolls with rice on the outside or rolls wrapped with nori on the outside and rice on the inside.

Since it’s easiest to make rolls with seaweed on the outside, that’s what we’ll start with for this homemade sushi tutorial! Grab a spoon and spread a thin layer of rice on the seaweed sheet. For large rolls, add an extra layer. I like my pieces bite-sized, so I add a thin layer and leave a little extra space at the end. Totally up to you!

step 6 – line it up:

Place your toppings in the center, very close to one another. If you have large slices or an abundance of ingredients you may want to pile some on top of each other.

For rice on the inside: line your veggies +/or seafood on top of the rice

For rice on the outside: flip the sheet of nori so the rice touches the plastic wrap and then add your vegetables to the seaweed-only side.

step 7 – roll, squeeze, repeat:

This one’s hard to explain… but it’s easy to do! The first roll will bind the ingredients into the center. Roll approx 1/4 of the mat and gently squeeze (so it sticks) and unfold the bamboo mat. Repeat the process until you’ve rolled the sheet of rice, seaweed, and veggies into a spiral. Give it one last squeeze to seal the deal.

step 8 – slice and serve:

Slice into bite-sized discs with a freshly sharpened chef’s knife. If you’re topping your sushi with sashimi or avocado, first tightly wrap the roll in plastic wrap prior to slicing. This will keep everything neat and pretty an avoid the horrific act of flinging avocado slices all over the kitchen. Though if that sounds like fun to you, fling away! I’ll stick with the saran wrap 🙂

Next pile on your toppings (see below!) and set up a few sauces for dunking.

Well, do that after you steal the end pieces off the roll (they’re always the messiest!) and shove them in your face!

We LOVE making this homemade sushi and hope y’all do too!

tasty toppings:

Want to learn how to wrap your sushi rolls with fresh avocado? (click for tutorial) It’s actually pretty easy!

homemade sushi sauces

We can’t have homemade sushi without some not-so-secret sauces!

spicy mayo:

Adjust to your ideal heat level from mild to unreasonably spicy! Substitute with vegan mayo or plain greek yogurt if needed.

eel sauce:

Heat in a sauce pot over medium heat, whisking constantly to thicken. (approx. 10 min)

soy sauce:

Opt for low-sodium when possible; gluten-fee versions available.

ponzu sauce:

Ponzu is a citrusy soy sauce with lemon or lime added. May be purchased or easily imitated by adding fresh juice or zest to your favorie soy sauce.

sriracha chili sauce:

Give your tastebuds a run for their money with straight-up Sriracha. May be added to soy sauce, served on the side, or served straight up on your sushi!

Perfect sushi rice

Perfect for Sushi, Sashimi and Japanese cuisine

Word from the author:

How to make sushi rice – the complete recipe

Preparing sushi rice may seem complicated at the beginning, but as you proceed with it you can see that it is a bit like cooking ordinary rice, but with vinegar added to it, and a bit of Japanese technique. Making sushi rice involves washing, soaking, cooking, and seasoning. Let’s review:

Choosing right

Japanese short-grain rice takes different amounts of water than long grain rice and is much shorter and stickier that the regular long grain rice. Long grain (‘regular’) rice just isn’t sticky enough for sushi making, so you cannot use it. Here is how a bag of sushi rice should look like.

Measuring sushi rice

Prepare 1 cup of sushi rice per 3 sushi rolls. Each roll makes up 6-8 little sushi pieces. 2 rolls are recommended per person, depending on personal preferences. Wash the rice (1 cup = 3 rolls) with running Water for 1-2 minutes until there is no more starch coming out of it. For best results, let the rice soak in water for 30 minutes to help soften it.

After washing the rice, place it gently in a pot and add more water than rice. It should be about 1.2:1 in favor of the water. That is 20% more water compared to the rice. Do not add excessive water, or you will have dough instead of rice.

Cooking the rice

Cook the rice on high heat at first, stir every minute or two, until the water boils. Then, lower the heat to low and cover the pot.

After 6-8 min, check the water level – If there is no more water, only bigger grains of rice in the pot, that means the rice is ready. If not, check back every minute, making sure not to burn the rice at the bottom.

Quantity calculator

We are here to help with all the calculations. Select how many sushi rolls you will be making and the widget will provide you with the quantities. Have a go!

Units: Cups USA Metric

Taking out the rice

It is important to keep a few things in mind when taking the rice out of the pot: Only use a wooden spoon to handle the cooked rice. A metal spoon will cause the rice to be damaged, and it can also react with the vinegar we will be adding later.

Second, do not scrape the rice out from the bottom of the pot. If it comes out easily, that is great. Otherwise, do not use it. The rice will taste bad. Put it in wooden or plastic bowls to chill.

Seasoning the rice

Rice vinegar mixed with sugar and salt is essential for giving sushi it’s distinct combination of flavors. If you neglect this part, your sushi won’t quite taste like sushi should. It is not recommended to substitute rice vinegar as most types of vinegar are much too strong. Rice vinegar is quite delicate and blends in perfectly with the rice.

How is this done?

For 3 cups of dry sushi rice, use 0.5 cup of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of salt. Use only rice vinegar! Any other kind of vinegar will taste bad. Alternatively, you could use Sushi rice seasoning powder.

Mix together in a small pot, on medium heat until all solids are mixed together.

Pour mixture on rice and mix well. That should take a minute or two.

Let the rice cool down for a few minutes until it reaches room temperature. Don’t put the rice in the fridge to make it cool faster – that will damage the rice. You can however use a fan, A/C or put it by the window.

Important tip – Some people prefer less seasoned sushi rice. Additionally, the strength from different brands of rice vinegar might vary. If it is your first time making sushi rice, or you are uncertain, prepare half the amount of seasoning described above. Mix it with the rice and taste.

Trust your own senses if you like to use the full amount or not.

Final thoughts

That’s it, you’ve made it! For the sake of the internet, please take a moment to share your experience in the comments section below. Did it turn out as you expected? Better? Ask any question you have, somebody able to answer and it might even help other folks with the same question in the future. And most importantly, enjoy making sushi!

Kitchen friendly recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

Rate this recipe

1328 People Rated This Recipe

346 Responses to Perfect sushi rice

Amazing recipe,very clear instructions. The quantity calculator was super helpful!

Thank you very much – That’s great to hear, and I’m glad it helped you.

Any other kind of vinegar will taste bad thats not true with apple vinegar Will taste the same and is perfect substitute for rice vinegar

It is not, it is close to rice vinegar but it is not the same

I have used apple cider vinegar for salmon teriyaki poke bowls. I can see it being a good substitute if it complements the other parts of the sushi especially used with salmon.

This recipe is Fantastic. 1st time maker here and it turned out perfectly thanks to these excellent instructions, well the rice turned out perfectly, I definitely need more practice on the rolling. Thank you!

Hi guys! I want to try my luck with sushi making at home. This recipe is definitely the best to follow (all replies help to build trust as well), but I have one question. It’s OK to use a glass bowl to rest and season the rice, instead of plastic or wood, right? Thanks in advance 🙏

You can use a glass bowl, yes. Just don’t use a reactive metal bowl of any sort. Avoid metal altogether – the vinegar reacts with the metal and can produce metalic flavours. Also, to rest, use the widest, and most flat bowl you have to maximise realease of steam.

Brilliant, just brilliant! I always thought sushi rice was too complicated so never tried. This was my first time and it turned out absolutely perfect. I still can’t believe it. Like others, I used a little less vinegar than you suggested but everything is a matter of taste. Following your instructions, the consistency was unbelievably good. I’m feeling rather smug now. Thank you 🙂

We’ve used this recipe several times and always been happy with the results. The best time was when three family members faced off in a sushi making challenge which was a lot of fun. By the way the winner was the then 11 year-old who had practiced ahead of time, leaving his parents in the dust so to speak!

This was a great sushi rice recipe. I grew up making white and brown rice for dinner every day, and this was perfect, thank you.

this recipe has the best sushi vinegar mixture. i prefer it very sour and not much sweet. other recipes are too sweet and no vinegar taste.

I make recipes exactly how recommended first to see if I like it and then adjust next time if not. Ive made sushi and poke bowls quite a few times and this recipe was the perfect consistency of all recipes I’ve tried but a tiny bit too much vinegar for my taste. Other than that great job!

First time I was able to make some decent sushi rice! Thank you so much for sharing!

This is the perfect way. The first time I made was from an on line video and exactly as described. To cool the rice I used a clean cloth soaked in cold water over a bowl which I put the rice in after cooking. If you find the method for making the seasoning fiddly it’s possible to buy the seasoning ready made and yes try a little at first if not sure. Also I always use a wooden spoon and am gentle with the rice once cooked. It also can be made hours before preparation of the sushi which is how I do and refresh my damp cloth over the rice. Seemed so complicated but with mindfulness and good preparation it becomes so easy. A very cheap and healthy meal. Delicious

Thank you for this recipe. I used it to make sushi at home tonight. It was perfect!

Probably too much Rice Wine Vinegar for me. Will use less next time.

This IS the PERFECT Sushi rice recipe! My guests couldn’t believe that this was my first time making sushi. It tasted exactly like the one served in restaurants 🙂 Thank you!

I love it thank you

Glad I found this recipe, turned out great and easy to work with. I had tried 4 other recipes before, this has been the best so far (….and all others had claimed to be perfect sushi rice)

Thank you for this recipe! I don’t cook much, but this made it easy. My daughter who loves sushi said this was the best sushi rice she’s had. Now can you make a post for assembling and rolling? 🙂 Still not great at rolling a tight roll.

We used a sushi maker which is basically a two part mould with gaps to cut up evenly e.g. Pure Orinetal brand

Made it with long grain rice as that was all I had. Turned out just awesome. Thank you.

I’ve used a variety of recipes to create sushi rice; this was the first time I didn’t have a thick layer of burnt rice at the bottom of the pan.

Also, other recipes I’ve used asked for a lot more rice vinegar, salt and sugar than this one, so I was a little worried it wouldn’t be enough, but it was absolutely fine.

I used it for poke bowls, so can’t tell you how well it would hold up for sushi, but it seems to stick together will enough, without being wet.

Thank you for sharing your method in so much detail.

Great recipe, only reason I gave it 4.5 stars is that for my personal taste I would cut down just a bit on rice vinegar.

It does say to use half the recommended amount of vinegar if this is your first time making sushi…

I love this recipe, works very well. The calculator is amazing and very helpful

Worked out great for me, thank you!

Is the seasoning poured over cooked rice or is it part of the cooking liquid?

No the seasoning is added after the rice is cooked

Why can’t the vinegar, sugar, salt be added to the water and cook the rice in this solution? Wouldn’t the flavor be better distributed throughout the rice?

Cooking vinegar evaporates it – so simply put you lose some seasoning by cooing it with rice. For best results add the vinegar solution right after the rice had cooked.

I don’t recommend cooking rice with salt because it will make it more mushy. Salt tenderizes things

Lovely mate. Just made it it, lovely rice, perfect for sushi.

Am currently making rice. Thx very much 🍣

You cannot make rice, it is the seed of a culivated plant. You can plant it, harvest it and cook it but you cannot possibly make it.

Are you just making this up?

you know what making rice is in plain english. you could say preparing rice, cooking rice… but making rice is universally accepted..

What kind of rice?

Look for “Japanese rice” or “sushi rice” on the label.
In the USA, you are more likely to find the Californian version of medium-grain Japonica as “Calrose”.

Thanks for your recipe, i made now

What happened to the section on cooking the rice? 😬

can i use FUKUIZUMI cooking wine for my sushi rice

Hello, can you explain if the measurement of cup here refers to a regular cup or a rice cup? The cup came with the rice cooker is a smaller size cup and is what I use when I cook rice. Thanks.

I think that the ratio is what is essential here, rather than the actual volume. 3 cups dry rice to 1/2 cup vinegar, so long as you use the same measuring vessel. It’s 6:1.

I know this was forever ago. I was always told when using a cup for rice it doesnt matter the size (measuring compared to coffee cupnor other cup) as long as you use the same size cup for water too.

I just cooked some perfect rice. Thank you.

Hi I just would like to know the portions in Grams since I live in Europe.
Can anyone help me??
I would like to know for 5 sushi rolls

You can change the measurement to metrics

I have read through many times and can’t seem to find the cooking time for stovetop cooking?

Great job on this recipe. Informative and concise. Turns out perfect each and every time.
Took your suggestion of having my girlfriend assemble the rolls and nigiri as part if her birthday dinner surprise.

Great recipe!! Made quarantine a little more fun

Mirin
A staple ingredient that is commonly used in Japanese cuisine, mirin is a sweet rice liquor that is fermented with koji, which is used to make the alcoholic drinks saké and shochu. Approximately 400-500 years ago, a typical seasoning comprised a mixture of shochu and mirin. This mixer was commonly consumed as an alcoholic liquor or as a sweetener to make shochu more tolerable to drink.
Mirin is made by adding shochu, a distilled spirit from rice, halfway through the saké brewing process. The shochu stops the process by killing the fungus in the fermenting rice. Mirin is also made by using steamed glutinous rice, a sweet mochi rice, mixed with rice malt and distilled rice shochu. Interestingly, glutinous rice is, in fact, gluten-free. Shochu alcohol stops the malt function, decomposes the protein and starch found in glutinous rice, and stops the saké fermenting and becoming sweet and thick. In general, the addition of shochu gives mirin a light, sweet, and slightly malty taste, which makes it suitable for either drinking or cooking. Amazake Saké is also made in the same way; however, it is stored and cured for an additional 18 months.
When it comes to purchasing a good-quality mirin, much of the products sold in stores today are nothing like the original malted rice liquor. In fact, many Japanese companies based in the USA that produce mirin use corn syrup instead of the natural method of production, which is really a shame!
“Real” mirin should taste like a rice Liquor with a mildly sweet taste and can be enjoyed as a cocktail mixed with soda or even fruit juices. When used as a garnish or dressing, mirin has a savory flavor, a caramel color, and a glossy sheen.
Here, it should be noted that mirin is neither saké nor vinegar. Moreover, mirin should not be mistaken for sweetened rice wine. An authentic mirin should contain approximately 12-14% alcohol, and because of the way it ages, along with its sugar content, mirin has a golden to light-amber color and a slightly thick consistency. Please don’t let false labeling convince you that are buying a “real” mirin.
Mirin is also used to make sushi rice as it gives a mild sweetness and deeper flavor to the rice, as well as the velvety texture that makes sushi really special. Mirin is an essential ingredient in the Japanese culinary arts. If you are planning a special meal or dinner, make sure to buy high-quality ingredients. This is especially true for mirin and Japanese rice, which should always be high-quality.

Very interesting – Thanks for sharing! How do you know so much about mirin?