What You Need to Get Started

You don't have to buy expensive sushi making kits in order to make good sushi at home. Here's what you truly need to make sushi at home.

Wire Mesh Strainer or Colander- You’ll need a strainer, plastic or wire, to allow the sushi rice to drain. If you don’t have one with small holes, a standard kitchen colander lined with lint-free kitchen towels should do the trick.

Rice cooker- Stovetop sushi rice is quite tricky. The rice recipe I've included only has the instructions based on using a rice cooker. (You should have one of these anyway. How else are you making those several servings of whole grain brown rice that you eat every week, right? Besides, you can use it for other stuff, too…like oatmeal.) Even a very inexpensive $10 one works better than attempting rice stove top.

Wooden or Plastic Cutting Board- If you don’t want to invest in a hangiri, a very expensive Japanese cypress bowl used solely for the purpose of marinating sushi rice, you’ll need a reasonable substitute. My favorite is a grooved, wooden cutting board. The barrier keeps the rice marinade from spilling all over the place. When using a wooden cutting board, make sure that you designate it Sushi Rice Only. Strong smells from garlic and onions, when a board has been cleaned, tend to seep into the rice.
But, a large plastic cutting board will also do the trick, although it will be much messier. Expect some rice marinade to flow over the sides and be sure to have a little more than what the recipe calls for.
You’ll want to avoid using anything metal and all forms of rounded bowls. You’ll need something with a flat bottom for the most even coating of the marinade and for optimal cooling.
And you’ll also need a cutting board to use as a work surface while making sushi. Both plastic or wooden cutting boards work just fine.

Wooden Spoon or Paddle – To gently toss the rice, you’ll need a wooden spoon or wooden rice paddle. The flatter, the better as a flat spoon glides right through the rice.

Sharp Knife- Japanese carbon steel knives hold a very sharp edge and are best for sushi. However, you don’t necessarily need Japanese sushi knives in order to make good sushi. Any extremely sharp kitchen knife will do for cutting sushi.

Maki Su (Bamboo Rolling Mat) – For most sushi, this inexpensive rolling mat is essential. The slats on the mat come in varying widths and most mats have a flat side. Always place the seaweed on the flat side of the mat. When making several types of sushi, it’s always nice to have two so that one can be covered in plastic wrap. Some people keep all of their maki su covered in plastic wrap for easy clean up, but I find that certain types of rolls turn out better when the mat is not covered in plastic wrap. And clean up is simple enough; just wash in warm soapy water using a brush to eliminate any rice.

Several Lint Free Kitchen Towels – Make sure that you use lint-free kitchen towels while making sushi. The sticky sushi rice can easily pull fibers from towels that will adhere like glue to your fingers and produce “hairy” sushi.

Bowl for Hand Water – Any sort of small bowl or cup that you can comfortably fit your fingertips into will work, but you’ll want to make sure that your dish of choice has some weight to it so that it doesn’t get flipped over.

The Sushi Pantry
Short or Medium Grain California Rice – It is important that short or medium grain rice is used for sushi. Long grain, basmati and jasmine rice are not suitable for making sushi rice.

Sushi Nori – The seaweed nori that is used for sushi usually comes two ways: full sized 8in by 71/4 in or half sized 4in by 71/4 in. If purchasing the full sized sheets, you’ll need to half them in width. Do this by folding the seaweed, a few sheets at a time, in half horizontally, then crease.
Look for seaweed that is crisp and shiny. Check to make sure that the seaweed isn’t broken or bent.

Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (I recommend Marukan) – Check the label and make sure that the only ingredients listed are rice vinegar and water. Those that have sugar and or salt added will greatly affect the quality of your rice marinade.

Salt

Sugar

Wasabi Powder – The hot green stuff! All you need to bring this potent powder to life is a little bit of water to form a paste about the consistency of toothpaste. When mixing water into wasabi powder, you’ll want to make sure that you’re in a well-ventilated area. Tubes of wasabi paste are also available for tear free enjoyment of this condiment.

Pickled Ginger Also known as sushi shoga or gari, this refreshing condiment is great for cleansing the palate. It comes packaged in many ways: in dry storage jars or in plastic bags, jars and tubs in the refrigerated section. Mostly, pickled ginger is pink, but natural undyed ginger is just as tasty.

Japanese Soy Sauce- Many people prefer to use low sodium soy sauce when eating sushi, but I always use the fully loaded stuff. Use whichever you please when eating sushi, but always use the fully loaded regular soy sauce for recipes like ponzu and gyoza dipping sauce.