【Reading】みずきり

【English Name】Mizukiri / Draining

In forming sushi, how the excess moisture remaining in the toppings and ingredients is removed becomes a key that governs the degree of completion. This moisture-removal process is mizukiri (draining), positioned as a basic technique of preliminary preparation.

The methods are diverse, with representative approaches including transferring to a colander and dehydrating by natural fall, using the osmotic pressure of salt to draw out internal moisture, wrapping in a cloth or paper towel and then wringing, and applying pressure with a weight to press the moisture out.

To cite actual cooking scenes, rice for vinegared rice must be lifted into a colander once washing is finished, allowing the moisture to fully fly off. The cucumber and kanpyo that become the fillings of maki-zushi are likewise; if rolled with moisture remaining, the nori absorbs humidity and becomes soggy, and stickiness also arises in the vinegared rice.

When using tofu for gunkan-maki, it is pressed in advance with a weight to thoroughly draw out the moisture before entering cooking. The work of carefully wiping off the drip that comes out of fish for sashimi is also a technique that, in a broad sense, falls under mizukiri.