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| Sushi. Sushi The Japanese Delicacy |
Sushi is a Japanese dish popular throughout the world. Sushi lovers, young and old alike, mistakenly think Sushi refers to raw sea fish. Sushi means vinegar-flavored rice, and the raw food accompanying it is called Sashimi.
Types of Sushi Preparations:
There are five kinds of Sushi preparations like Nigiri, Maki, Temaki, Chirashi, and Inari Sushis. Sushi rice is the staple ingredient in all of them. The types are determined by the kind of fillings or toppings used. Can serve the same ingredients, assembled in both traditional and modern ways.
Nigiri Sushi is the most popular form of Sushi. It is served with an oblong mound of rice topped by wasabi and a thin slice of egg, seafood, or meat. While the egg is always served cooked, the seafood and the meat may be raw.
Maki Sushi is served rolled in nori, a kind of pressed seaweed. The rice, seaweed, and toppings are rolled cylindrical using a bamboo mat. The roll is then sliced into various thick and thin pieces. The California and Boston rolls are examples of this Sushi.
Temaki Sushi is similar to Maki except that it is hand-rolled into a cone and is not chopped into small pieces.
Chirashi Sushi: A rare Sushi consists of a bowl of rice with toppings of Sashimi or raw seafood or fish.
Inari Sushi: Rare than even Chirashi is served as fried pouches of tofu stuffed with rice.
Ingredients for cooking up the best Sushi preparations:
Rice: All Sushi preparations use short-grained Japonica rice mixed with a dressing of rice vinegar, sugar, salt, kombu, and sake. The right stickiness is its essential quality.
Nori: These are wrappers made from seaweed, a type found in Japan. Nori by itself is edible. It is toasted before use. There are many kinds of nori, but the best quality is used in Sushi.
Toppings used in Sushi
Fish: For culinary, sanitary, and aesthetic reasons, the fish eaten raw must be fresher and of higher quality than cooked fish. Professionals are employed to select the fish. Fish served raw are sea fish like tuna, mackerel, and salmon. Freshwater fishes are cooked and never eaten raw since they are likely to contain parasites. The most valued sushi ingredient is toro, the fatty cut of tuna. Toro comes in many qualities.
Seafood: Squid, octopus, shrimp, and various shellfishes are used for seafood.
Vegetables: Pickled Daikon radish, pickled vegetables, fermented soya beans, asparagus, yam, tofu, and gourd are some of the topping vegetables.
Red meat: Beef, ham, sausage, and horse meat, often lightly cooked, are used for toppings.
Eggs: Slightly sweet layered omelets and raw quail eggs are used as toppings.
Condiments used for preparing Sushi:
The three main spices are:
– shoyu which is soy sauce
– wasabi which is the grated root of the wasabi plant. Real wasabi, called hon-wasabi, has anti-bacterial property which prevents food poisoning.
– gari, which is sweet pickled ginger, cleanses the palette and aids in digestion.
Presentation is most important
Traditionally Sushi is served in an austere style in single or double tone colored plates. Plates are dispensed within smaller Japanese restaurants, and the dish is had straight from the wooden counter. However, in many places, particularly in the U.S., a European sensibility has been imparted into Sushi serving, resembling French cuisine.
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