Japanese is one of my favourite meals to eat out and no matter how much I eat, it never fills me up to the point of discomfort. I'm curious to make sushi, but I suspect it would not be an easy process. However, it would be fun to have a sushi-making evening at home with friends.
According to Wikipedia, sushi -- made up of rice, rice vinegar and fish -- made its first written appearance in a Chinese dictionary in the 3rd or 4th century BC. In Japan, the first written record of sushi appeared in 718. According to Eat Sushi, "In the 7th century, Southeast Asians introduced the technique of pickling. The Japanese acquired this same practice which consisted of packing fish with rice. As the fish fermented the rice produced a lactic acid which in turn caused the pickling of the pressed fish." It wasn't until the 15th century that Matsumoto Yoshiichi of Edo (Tokyo) introduced rice vinegar to sushi rice. Sushi and sashimi (raw fish) became "fast food" in the 1820s, when Hanaya Yohei set up a sushi stall in Edo.
A basic sushi pantry should consist of:
- Sushi rice –- "sushi rice" is best, but any premium short grain white rice can be used
- Nori –- dark green (almost black) toasted sheets of seaweed
- Rice vinegar –- non-seasoned; this is the key ingredient of sushi vinegar made from water, rice vinegar, sugar and sea salt
- Soy sauce
- Wasabi –- a spicy green mustard paste
- Pickled ginger -- meant to be eaten between servings to freshen and cleanse the palate
- Sashimi-grade raw fish -- such as tuna, salmon, yellowtail, eel and prawn
How difficult could this be?
+ Making sushi. Handy one-page guide to download (PDF).
+ How to make sushi according to Kuro5hin. The comments are the most useful.
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