Sushi has become the new favourite of Delhiites. With eminent food critics like Sourish Bhattacharya and Vir Sanghvi writing about this Japanese delicacy, we bring you the low down on this often misrepresented cuisine. We will also be busting a few myths along the way.
Myth no 1: Sushi only means raw fish
Not true. Although the traditional Sushi from Japan does basically incorporate raw fish and fermented rice, the contemporary Sushi from Japan has loads of other ingredients including tropical fruits, vegetables and meats. Most of the time the seafood that is used has been cured or fried up in tempura batter. The new ones originating out of USA expanded the range further with the onset of vegetarian ingredients.
Myth no 2: It is very easy to prepare
It might just look as if rice and a few more ingredients bundled together, but the perfection of Japanese should never be underestimated. Each slice is millimetre perfect and cut to perfection. Try rolling one of them and you will realise how bad it looks.
Myth no 3: It is a green seaweed roll with rice and some stuffing.
You couldn’t be more wrong. The most popular of them, Makizushi is representative of Sushi around the world. There is an immense collection and types of Sushi that is present. To dispel this fact, The Fatty Bao at Sangam Courtyard organised an Art of Sushi festival which depicts the extreme variation of Sushi. We tell you the five Sushi you should try.
Chirashizushi
The Sushi rice bowl is an ultimate appetite filler. On a bed of rice, different ingredients such as Yuzu and Soy marinated Tuna, Flying Fish Roe(Tobiko), tempura fried Enoki mushrooms and processed seafood meat(Kamaboko) are served. The vegetarian version includes mushrooms, grilled asparagus and snow peas amongst other things. The eye catching colours and the plethora of tastes are something to behold.
Inarizushi
This Sushi is named after the Japanese God Inari who had a fondness for fried tofu. They have a pouch of Fried Tofu inside which rice along with Crab Meat and Flying Fish Roe(Tobiko) on top. The sweetness of the fried tofu pouch is what characterizes it. The sweet crab meat and nutty roe add a few more layers of flavours to it.
Hosomaki
Okay, here is the common one. The thin cylindrical rolls that most of us eat are a part of the Maki family. The flavours this time are that of Tempura fried Oysters, Cucumbers, Spicy Japanese Mayo, the sweetness of Crab Meat along with Tobiko.
Gunkan
The beautiful boat shaped one are topped off with Bacon and creamy cheese. This is one of the modern ones born from America.
Temaki Roll
These conical shaped rolls are an explosion of flavours with big amounts of Salmon and Avocado along with the rice and Nori sheets.
Use some of the Soya sauce to impart some saltiness and the Wasabi for the fiery pungent flavour. The pickled Ginger(Gari) should be used between the courses to cleanse your palate. Let us know which of these makes you fall in love with Sushi.
Check out this article on how to become a Sumo in Tokyo by our co-blogger Geek Girl Goes
