Friday, November 02, 2012 11:32 AM

Sushi is a Japanese specialty which has really taken off in western countries, with sushi bars, sushi restaurants and even sushi appearing in supermarkets.   Sushi comes in various guises in its home country, but the ones with which we are most familiar, called nigiri-zushi, feature, from the outside in, a sheet of nori seaweed rolled around sticky  rice and a filling. This may be a combination of chicken, salmon, avocado, cucumber or other ocean – not freshwater – fish or seafood, although oysters don’t work. Then the roll is cut into roughly five cm pieces.  It is generally accompanied, certainly in takeaway form, by soy sauce, gari (vinegared ginger) and sharp wasabi paste.

Other forms of sushi can be pressed in a mould and wrapped in nori, or just be rice with raw fish, finely sliced, on top. 

There’s obviously an art to making sushi, which look deceptively simple but require lots of practice for perfection.  You can buy home kits with all you need, and making your own sushi allows for it to be eaten more as you would get it in a sushi restaurant – with all ingredients absolutely fresh immediately  after it is made.    

Beware, when buying sushi as a takeaway that it must be cool – remember that cooked rice, stored in a warm place, can be a real source of gippy tummy/Deli belly! Buy your takeaway sushi chilled and let it come up to room temperature for about ten minutes.   Even better, make your own or go to a sushi restaurant and eat it fresh from the chef, where there will be myriad little tempting dishes to choose from, which you are unlikely to try and duplicate at home.   

Modern day sushi originated from a way of salting and fermenting fish between layers of rice, to preserve the fish.   It took a while to convince Western diners to get used to raw fish, hence the use of other fillings. 

Like many other ethnic foods, sushi has developed to suit the Western palate and  many Japanese would rather be seen dead than buying their sushi in a takeaway or supermarket!   


Recipes:
Sushi Salad
You don’t have to worry about rolling this sushi
http://www.ecook.co.nz/recipe/Sushi-Salad/?r=329&fs=1

Californian Rolls
This recipe mixes traditional sushi with New Zealand ingredient
http://www.ecook.co.nz/recipe/Californian-kina-sushi-rolls/?r=3297&fs=1