Sushi refers to bite-size morsels of vinegared rice topped with slivers of raw seafood or other condiments. Probably the most common type of sushi is maki, meaning roll in Japanese, which is made by wrapping rice and condiments in nori seaweed. Maki can be divided into three main groups: maki, futomaki and temaki, or California roll. Both maki and futomaki are more or less the same, differing only in size, with futomaki being the bigger of the two. Hand-rolled into a cone, temaki is modified version of the traditional sushi roll, a result of foreign influences on Japanese cuisine.
Nigiri-sushi is also popular, created just about 200 years ago. The rice is shaped like a pillow and usually draped with raw fish or shellfish, like maguro, red snapper, yellow tail, sea eel, cuttlefish, and shrimp. Like most exotic foods, nigiri-sushi is an acquired taste. It certainly takes some getting used to, especially the more unusual varieties like octopus, herring roe, and mirugai or giant clam.
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The most aesthetically pleasing, however, are the chakin and bijutsu, or art sushi, except that they are spherical in shape. Small and dainty, they were traditionally prepared and eaten by women only. To make them, a suitable amount of rice and the accompanying condiment is placed in a piece of cloth and quickly twisted into a ball so that the hot rice would not burn their hands.
Bijutsu sushi is elaborately decorated, with the highest priority given to aesthetic. Playing on the psychology of the dinner, it is usually served as an appetizer to put the dinner into the right frame of mind. This variety of sushi provides the chef with an opportunity to exhibit and impress with his creativity.
The different kinds of sushi can be served on their own, as zensai or as an essential part of kaiseki meals. While raw seafood is generally the rule in nigiri-sushi, temaki and futomaki- usually stuffed with egg, cucumber, vegetables or fruit, such as avocado- are choice selections for the uninitiated palate.
It is acceptable to eat sushi with fingers. To savour each morsel's flavour, only the topping should be dipped into the soy sauce, and only just so that it complements, and not camouflages, the taste. To take it one step further, it should be placed in the mouth upside-down so that the topping comes into contact with the tongue first. True sushi lovers would clear the palate with slices of ginger between servings.
Also called a 'Japanese sandwich', sushi was conceived when 18-century gamblers in japan did not want the bother of a proper meal to interrupt their game. A convenience food at the time, it is now considered part of Japanese haute cuisine.
Sushi is graded into three categories of merit: matsu, take and ume. A selection of the top-of-the-line matsu sushi would include most shellfish, such as scallop, round clam, abalone, sea urchin and sirloin tuna called toro. A level below that would be take sushi which would feature maguro, red snapper and hamachi. Perhaps the least exotic would be ume sushi with toppings like cucumber, egg or avocado.
Not only are the toppings important in sushi making, but the consistency of the rice must also be just so. Ideally, it should be soft and sticky when steamed. If allowed to get mushy, the whole sushi would be ruined. Of the two major types of rice produced, the round, short-grain Japanese rice is preferred to the long-grained Indian strain. Once the rice is cooked, it is flavoured with vinegar, fanned to room temperature and stored in a tub covered by a cloth. Unlike most foods, sushi rice cannot be kept in the refrigerator.
While the texture of the rice must be perfect, the pressure applied while moulding each morsel is just as important. For both maki and futomaki, a bamboo mat is used to roll the sushi into shape to give a firmer hold and create the straight edges. Temaki, on the other hand, is hand-rolled so that the rice grains are not so densely packed. Nigiri sushi made by masterchefs would be firm enough to hold together yet crumble immediately when eaten.
There are also rules under which sushi is served. To the Japanese, nothing sliced should be served singly or in three's. A single slice, called hito kire, also means 'kill' in Japanese, while three pieces are called mi kire, which means to kill oneself. Certainly not an auspicious start to a meal. Another unforgiveable to present a guest with a platter of four sushi pieces, as the word for 'four' in Japanese also sounds like the word for death.
To be on the safe side and not cause any offence, one could consider serving morikomi-sushi where an assortment of sushi, like nigiri and maki sushi, are arranged on a platter as a party dish.
Sushi can be regarded as the principal fast food in Japan. While hamburger outlets can be found throughout the western world, sushi bars are just as widespread in Japanese cities and neighbourhoods. In fact, sushi bars are, to the Japanese, what pubs are to the English. Walk into any of them in Japan and what will strike you is the general air of camaraderie among the patrons and the chefs.
Accommodating a handful of diners seated on stools, the chef wields a deft hand behind the counter, rolling and moulding a vast range of sushi. In glass-topped display cases, a colourful array of sushi ingredients give visual impact to the sushi bar, designed to look like an old-styled Japanese cottage. Serious sushi eaters sitting round the counter get the morsels tailored to their individual taste from a melange of seafood in front of them. Bright red maguro, pink salmon, orange fish roe and dark green nori seaweed are merely tips of the iceberg. Served on lacquer trays, sushi eaten with shoyu and downed with hot tea or cold beer, followed by an appreciative belch or two.
When one speaks of sushi, it is only natural that sashimi springs to mind. Considered the 'queen of delicacies', it is dish which no Japanese meal can do without. One could say that sashimi is generally 'sushi without the rice'.
The taste of raw meat is not necessarily unpleasant and can be quite an adventure in texture and taste. The subtie flavour of paper thin slices of fish and shellfish is wickedly combined with the explosive sensation of wasabi, so potent that it kills all bacteria on the fish. Preparing sashimi is delicate procedure, whereby the chef's skill is tested from the moment he makes his choice of fish to the time he arranges the shasimi on the plate.
Freshness is the essence of sashimi. The choice of fish, therefore, must be the most crucial step in preparing the delicacy and frozen fish is decidedly not tolerated. As a rule, the fish is killed and bled immediately before it is cut and served at the dining table. Clear, prominent eyes, bright red gills and firm elastic flesh are sure indicators of freshness. Food suitable to go under the sashimi knife include maguro, red snapper, salmon, prawns, and bonito. For the connoisseur, horse-meat, round clam and the infamous puffer fish sashimi can be an exotic encounter.
For the less courageous, isebi-no-ikezukuri, live green lobster, might be an option. As with all other sashimi, only fresh lobster will provide the fine texture required of the dish. Green shelled lobster from Sydney make a strong flavoured sashimi, while Tasmanian and Victorian lobster has a more delicate flavour.
For major celebration, an impressive dish called sugata-zukuri, or whole snapper, would definitely feature.Presented with head, tail and even bones, it serves as a bed on which the sliced flesh of the fish is arranged. Usually, lemon slices are placed in between the sashimi to garnish as well as to serve as a tangy complement.
Wasabi and soy sauce are a must for every dish of sashimi. For variation in taste, though, other ingredients like ginger, sesame, pickled plums, and sesame oil can be used with soy sauce.
Simply slicing up the fish is not enough to create 'genuine' sashimi. The presentation is equally important and the chef must be an artist of sorts, using his artistry to create a dish pleasing to both the palate and the eye.
The wide range of ingredients used in mori-awase, or combination sashimi, allows great scope for the artist-chef to experiment and to exhibit his creative talent, making the most of the texture, colour and shape of each slice.
One could soak in a whole culture just sitting on a tatami mat and picking at sushi and sashimi, hailed as the soul of Japanese cuisine. Frugal, yet so refined.