Become a Sushi Expert

Sushi Expertise In 10 Easy Steps

Sushi is delicious – that much can be grasped straight away by almost everybody.

However with the correct knowledge you can further enhance your eating experience and impress all your friends in the process.

Step One – What exactly is sushi?
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Sushi’s origins lie in South East Asia, when fish was fermented in a barrel of cooked grains for preservation. The Japanese began to add vinegar to the rice and then eat is together with the fish. In the present days ‘sushi’ refers to food which uses that vinegared rice, whether or not it contains fish.

Step Two – What is my choice?
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At sushi bars these days, it is nigiri-Suhi or maki-Sushi which are served as standard, but there are in fact many different kinds of sushi.

Nigiri-Sushi

A suitably shaped and sized piece of fish or other ingredient laid on top of a small oblong of vinegared rice

 

Maki-Sushi

Sushi rolled into shape using a bamboo mat, usually with nori (dried seaweed paper) on its outside and fillings at the centre

 

Chirashi-Sushi

A bowl of sushi rice scattered with an assortment of fish and various other toppings

 

Temaki-Sushi

A cone-shaped piece of sushi, rolled in nori in the hand with the rice fillings emerging from the wide opened end.

 

Inari-Sushi

Rice and other fillings such as gourd shavings stuffed into small pouches made of sweet fried tofu

Step Three – How do I go about ordering?
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Try sitting at the counter - Sit at the counter so you can order directly from the sushi chef and watch him preparing your choices. Eating nigiri one by one like this is the traditional way. After all, freshly made sushi tastes the best.

 

Let the chef choose for you - After telling the chef about your tastes and how hungry you are, it is standard to let him determine the menu according to the budget you supply him with. This is known as an Omakase course. The chef will then roll the sushi in an order which ensures that none of the flavours are lost, whilst considering seasonal specialities.

 

Choose fish according to the season - The taste of fish varies according to the time of year. Even those which can be obtained all year round taste better when they are in season, and they are usually reasonable priced at the time too. Also, if the sushi bar can get their hands upon an especially good fish, it will become the days special, so be sure to give it a try.

Step Four – How do I sound like a native?
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Try out some Japanese phrases. There is no doubt that sushi tastes better after a bit of hard work. Earn your meal by trying out a bit of Japanese and ordering in traditional style.

yo wa nani ga osusume desu ka? – What is your recommendation today?

 

Sanjuppondo (£30) no omakase de – The chefs selection up to a value of (£30) please.

 

Sabi nuki de onegai shimasu – Without wasabi please

 

Kai/tako/unagi wa tabemasen – I don’t eat shellfish/octopus/eel

 

Gochiso-sama deshita – I’m full! That was delicious! (Traditionally said at the end of the meal)

 

Sumimasen! – Excuse me! (for attention)

 

Learn the Japanese names

Why not try learning the names for sushi essentials which have been used since old times? Listen too to see if you can catch the sushi chefs saying them

 

Agari – Green tea – a warm, refreshing, Japanese tea drunk with out milk to accompany sushi

 

Gari – Pickled ginger – thinly sliced pickled ginger, served with sushi as a palate cleanser

 

Geta – Sushi plate – a wooden board with two feet traditionally used for serving sushi

 

Neta – sushi topping – a suitably shaped and sized piece of fish or other ingredient for topping sushi

 

Murasaki – Soy sauce – a dark rich flavoured sauce made with fermented soybeans served with sushi

 

Itamae – Sushi chef – a highly skilled super fast chef who works behind a sushi counter.

Step Five – Am I eating this properly?
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In the past, sushi was most commonly eaten with fingers but nowadays chopsticks are often used. Flip the sushi on its back and just dip the end of the topping in the soy sauce dish, then place the whole thing in your mouth. Avoid dipping the rice directly or it will fall apart. If you are eating gunkan-maki (like salmon roe), dip a piece of gari in the sauce and brush onto the topping.

Step Six – What is the point of the sushi accompaniments?
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Sushi accompaniments such as wasabi and pickled ginger bolster sushis great taste, but that is not all – they actually play an important roll in making raw fish safe to eat and preventing food poisoning. These effects have only been scientifically explained recently but have been a part of Japanese sushi wisdom for centuries.

Rice vinegar – sushi protection

Has powerful sterilizing and anti bacterial effects. It’s also used to moisten the hands when rolling sushi

 

Gari – deliciously healthy

The strong sterilizing properties of ginger prevent food poisoning and boosts the immune system

 

Wasabi – making raw fish safe

Contains allyl isothiocyanate that prevents germination of bacteria, helping to prolong the freshness of fish

 

Green Tea – full of vitamins

The anti bacterial power of catechin contained in green tea curbs the multiplication of bacteria. It freshens the mouth and removed fishy smells

 

Bamboo Leaf – used for storing

Contains anti-bacterial salicylates which helps prevent the deterioration of sushi toppings. Used especially in takeaway and boxed sushi

 

Soy sauce – flavour, aroma, and power

The delicious aroma of soy sauce whets the appetite, and its deep, complex flavour can be enjoyed in a huge variety of ways. On top of that, it helps sterilize against bacteria which can cause food poisoning.

Step Seven – Why are there so many male chefs?
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Yes, now you mention it all the sushi chefs here are men..why is that? Is it thought that woman aren’t up to the hard training? No, infact the reason is body temperature. Women have a higher body temperature compared to men meaning that the toppings are quicker to lose their freshness when handled by women. For this reason, is traditionally only men who become sushi chefs – although you do now see some female chefs making delicious sushi.

Step Eight – Well, was it good?
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Did you enjoy that? Were the toppings fresh-tasting? Did the rice crumble apart softly in your mouth? Never underestimate the role of the vinegared rice in a good piece of sushi. As professional Japanese sushi chefs will tell you, ‘sushi rice determines 60% of the total sushi taste’

Step Nine – What makes sushi rice so special?
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The rice used in sushi is crucially important in directing the final taste of the sushi. The long grained rice most common in the west, such as basmati, is not suitable for sushi – its light and fluffy grains do not stick together enough. The best rice for sushi is the short grain rice which has been grown in wet fields in Japan for centuries. This kind of rice turns soft and glossy when cooked whilst till retaining a good deal of chew and stickiness. The medium grain rice found in the west, mainly grown in America, Australia, Spain and Italy, also becomes lustrous and sticky when cooked and can therefore be used for sushi.

 

The determining factor in sushi taste

Unlike Western rice, the process of preparing and cooking sushi rice is a long one, ensuring that the finished product is as delicious as possible, in addition, the rice used in sushi must have a high degree of absorbency in order that it sucks up saliva as soon as it is places inside the mouth, and compliments the taste of the sushi topping. One of the ways of ensuring the rice absorbency is through efficient temperature control. The starch in the rice loses its absorbency at low temperatures yet if the rice reaches human body temperature, the freshness of the topping will be jeopardized, so part of the sushi chef’s bouquet of skills is to ensure a suitable temperature at all times. This is the principal reason for the sushi bar convention of eating sushi straight from the counter as soon as its made.

Step Ten – Why is vinegar so important for sushi rice?
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A side from rice, the crucial ingredient in sushi rice is sushi vinegar, with out it, sushi would have non of that distinctive taste for which it is adored the world over. Vinegar was one of the first food products ever made by human beings and by now there are so many types available but the king used for sushi is usually rice vinegar. In fact, in order to make good sushi it is necessary to use very high quality vinegar, made exclusively from premium rice. The mixing procedure itself is an art in itself as it is highly important that easy individual grain of rice be evenly coated in sushi vinegar in order to ensure the best possible taste and that unbeatable glossiness or premium quality sushi. And its not just the taste of vinegar that’s important, either – with its sterilizing and anti bacterial powers, it has played an important part in ensuring safe consumption of raw fish since sushi was first eaten.

 

Great flavour

Vinegar brings to sushi a fresh, acidic taste which helps draw out the flavours of the fish. Before it is mixed into the rice, salt and sugar are added to the rice vinegar (or else premixed sushi vinegar is used) the proportions used depend on the individual sushi restaurant, and also vary according to location – the vinegar used by sushi restaurants in Japan Osaka region. For example, tends to be dark. Vinegar is also used as a marinade to improve the flavour of fish for sushi toppings.

 

Profound power

Vinegar has great disinfecting and sterilizing properties thanks to its strong acidity content. This means that it helps prevent germs spreading and works to combat fishy smells. Apart from in sushi rice vinegar is also diluted and used by the chefs to dip their hands in as they are preparing sushi, to keep them clean and prevent grains of rice sticking to them. As a marinade for oily fish, it plays a vital role in making strong tastes and smells milder and firming up flesh.

 

Health benefits

Vinegar is believed to have invigorating properties and to prevent high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries. Ancient Egyptians used it as a tonic to cute all ills and as it was also believed to improve ones beauty it was a favourite drink of Cleopatra’s.

 

Magic Colour

Did you know that the pink colour of properly made gari (pickled ginger) is actually a natural event of pickling it in vinegar?

 

"Become a Sushi Expert" Coutesy of Eat-Japan www.eat-japan.com