I am a talented Musician, Why am I failing?

by Douglife · 0 Comments

Sushi: To eat, or not to eat?

by Douglife

Sushi: To eat or not to eat?

Cheesy line but hey, it got your attention didn’t it?

Yes, in this post I am going to talk about Sushi. I know, you probably hate how I jump topics so much, blogging experts recommend not to do it, but I’d rather do my own thing.

Alright, enough about the beginning of my downfall, time to kick start this Friday with some ideas for dinner this weekend! So here we go.

What is Sushi?

Sushi

Sushi (寿司, 鮨, or 鮓?) is vinegar rice, topped with other ingredients, such as fish.[1] Sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi, as distinct from sushi. Sushi served rolled inside or around dried and pressed layer sheets of seaweed (or nori) is makizushi (巻き). Toppings stuffed into a small pouch of fried tofu is inarizushi. Toppings served scattered over a bowl of sushi rice is called chirashi-zushi (ちらし). – From Wikipedia

Whoa..so there is more than the california roll?! Hahaha, yes, keep reading.

There are a few different kinds, depending on how the item is presented. They are:

Chirashi-zushi – Usually a bowl or box of sushi rice topped with a variety of sashimi
Inari-zushi – Aburage (fried pouches of tofu) stuffed with sushi rice.
Maki-zushi – The rice and seaweed rolls with fish and/or vegetables. There are also more specific terms for the rolls depending on the style.

For instance:
Futomaki – thick rolls
Hosomaki – thin rolls
Uramaki – inside-out rolls

Nigiri-zushi -The little fingers of rice topped with wasabi and a filet of raw or cooked fish or shellfish. Generally the most common form of sushi you will see.
Temaki-zushi – Also called a hand-roll. Cones of sushi rice, fish and vegetables wrapped in seaweed. It is very similar to maki.

The fish in sushi can also come in a few different forms and styles, apart from the plain piece of fish.

You might see:
Neta or Tane- the name for the piece of fish (or other item) placed on a piece of nigiri sushi.
Hikari mono – a piece of fish with the silvery skin left on.
Sukimi – A chopped up piece of fish sometimes used in maki (rolls) or served as sashimi.

So then what is sashimi?

Sashimi (Japanese: 刺身, pronounced [saɕimiꜜ]; English: /səˈʃiːmiː/) is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces and served with only a dipping sauce (soy sauce with wasabi paste or other condiments such as grated fresh ginger, or ponzu), depending on the fish, and simple garnishes such as shiso and shredded daikon radish. Dimensions vary depending on the type of item and chef, but are typically about 2.5 cm (1″) wide by 4 cm (1.5″) long by 0.5 cm (0.2″) thick. – From Wikipedia

What are those other things I see on my plate?

Sushi chopsticks douglife
Depending on what you ordered and the whim of the chef, you might see items such as wasabi (the hot green Japanese horseradish-like rhizome), gari (pickled ginger, which comes in both a pink and a light tan color, with the lighter stuff usually indicating better quality). You may also see a large green leaf called shiso, which is often served with sashimi, and a shredded white mass of Japanese radish called daikon, which is also often served with sashimi.