You needn’t book a table to enjoy it, we’re going to show you how to do Sushi at home.
Origins
In its earliest form, dried fish was placed betsaween two wads of
vinegared rice as a way of making it last. The nori (seaweed) was added
later, or so they say, as a way to keep one’s fingers from getting
sticky.
Technically, the word `sushi’ refers to the rice, but colloquially, the
term is used to describe a finger-size piece of raw fish or shellfish
portioned with vinegared rice. This can be eaten as is, or is often
dipped into soy sauce and then eaten. One widely-held misconception is
that sushi is raw fish. This is actually called sashimi, paper thin
slices of raw fish (Cape Salmon, Tuna, Red Roman, Rock Cod, Yellowtail)
or octopus, served with finely sliced ginger, shredded radish and
horseradish mustard.
Kinds of sushi
There are different kinds of sushi, eg. Nigiri -Sushi (little fingers
of rice topped with wasabi and a fillet of raw or cooked fish or
shellfish), Oshi-Sushi (rice put into a mould, covered with fish and
pressed into a slab, then sliced into blocks.), Maki-Sushi (rice and
seaweed rolls with fish and/or vegetables) and Chirashi-sushi
(scattered sushi or a bowl or box of sushi rice topped with a variety
of sashimi). The changes are not in form or preparation as much as they
are in the ingredients and the atmosphere where it is served.
The success of home-made sushi depends almost entirely on the quality
of your ingredients. If using fish, it must be extremely fresh;
preferably no more than 24 hours out of the water. Frozen fish won’t
work well because the texture tends to soften and the natural juices
leach out during thawing. Fish like tuna, yellowtail, Cape Salmon, Red
Roman and Norwegian Salmon, as well as calamari, octopus and salmon roe
are favourites. Cooked prawn, pickled mackerel and grilled or smoked
eel are also good.
Nori
For sushi rolled in seaweed, you’ll need nori, layered seaweed pressed
into thin sheets. Good nori is dark green, almost purple-black in
colour, with very few holes in the sheets. To improve the taste you can
roast nori by passing it over the burner of a gas stove just before
serving.
Rice
The rice should be firm and moist enough that it doesn’t disintegrate
the moment you pick one up with your chopsticks or fingers. However
they should be able to crumble in your mouth in a heap without too much
of a munching effort on your part. Ask your Asian food stockist for
Tamaki rice, or choose any short-grained, sticky Japanese rice.
If
you must use condiments like soy sauce when eating your sushi, remember
not to dip the whole sushi in. Just dip the end of the sushi, actually
only the fish or vegetable, not the rice, as you eat. Traditionally
pickled or finely sliced fresh ginger is nibbled on between bites of
sushi to refresh your mouth for each new taste.
Eating sushi
Sushi is meant to be finger food, you don’t have to fumble with
chopsticks. Tip the nigiri, eg., onto its side and pick it up with your
fingers so that your thumb is holding the fish or vegetables and your
index and middle fingers are pressed against the rice. If the nigiri
has garnish on it (like ginger, roe or green onion), it’s okay to mush
it down into a paste so that it doesn’t fall off. Don’t soak it in too
much soy sauce, the rice will fall apart and you’ll taste more soy than
sushi. The same goes for topping with wasabi and eating pickled ginger,
too much and the taste of the rice will be concealed instead of
complemented.
Always place the sushi in the mouth so that the filling (fish or
vegetables) touches the tongue first. And if you find you can’t eat the
roll in one bite, take no more than two bites. Why? The chef will have
placed a bit of wasabi on your nigiri. If you take three bites, then
the first and last bites will have no wasabi and the middle one will
have all the wasabi.
Drinks with sushi
In today’s sushi bars you can be served any drink you like with your
sushi, but saké and green tea are always obligatory. Saké is served
warm, and before you eat, not while and not after. The tea on the other
hand is served during the whole meal. Green tea is essential for the
full enjoyment of sushi, it removes aftertastes and leaves the mouth
fresh for the next serving. Finally, sushi must be consumed by the eyes
as well as on the tongue, otherwise you’ve wasted your time and the
chef’s.
5 Things to do with sushi:
How to cook sushi rice – video