Sushi is one of the most popular Japanese dishes served in Japanese restaurants worldwide. Originally it was prepared during festivals and special occasions, but today it has become a common food served in various Asian and Japanese restaurants. Sushi doesn’t just contain raw fish as most people think. It is made with vinegar rice and various types of seafood such as lobster, cooked fish, and crab.
Origin of Sushi Recipes
The origin of Sushi actually dates back to 7th Century China where local folks made sushi by letting fish ferment for days through natural process. Salt and rice was added later to complete the process of sushi preparation. Sushi was also known as pickled fish during the Edo period. Later when Japanese and Chinese cultures mingled, Sushi became a famous dish in both countries.
Ingredients Commonly Used for Sushi Recipes
Though many people think of sushi as a delicacy prepared from fish and rice, there are in fact a lot of ingredients used in preparing these mouthwatering sushi recipes. Commonly used ingredients for Sushi recipes include short-grain white rice, prawns, shitake mushrooms, regular or barbequed eel, caviar, avocado, nori (seaweed), and cream cheese. This Asian food is also served with a choice of soy sauce.
Popular Methods of Preparation of Sushi Recipes
Preparing Sushi recipes is not at all a difficult task. However, the methods of preparation have gone through a lot of changes over the last few centuries. For instance, in the 1800s, it was generally made by following a process known as narezushi, or edomaezushi. It involved pressing the fish in between layers of salt and letting it ferment for several weeks or months. This method is still very popular in various restaurants located in Japan. Today, refrigerators have replaced the natural process of fermentation, so preparing Sushi is no more a difficult task. Seaweed has to be placed onto a bamboo mat evenly and then the sushi rice should be spread on the seaweed. After placing the filling along the centre of the rice the sushi has to be rolled firmly using a finger or thumb. Then after lifting the top of the mat it should be barrel rolled. Now the entire sushi wrap should be rolled over gently before slicing the wrapped sushi into six equal pieces. Then it can be served and eaten.
Serving and Eating Sushi Dishes
Sushi is generally served with three primary condiments, namely soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi paste. The best part about eating Sushi is that it can be served either as a main course or as an appetizer. Low in calories and high in nutrients, sushi is a perfect dish which is enjoyed by people worldwide in Japanese restaurants or cooked at home.
Types of Sushi
Nigiri: This is a popular sushi recipe which is made of small rice balls with shellfish or fish on top. Varieties of Nigiri or nigirizushi include shrimp, eel, tuna, and fried egg.
Gunkan: This type of Sushi is made of small cups of rice, dried seaweed and seafood like sea urchin.
Temaki: This type of Sushi is generally cone shaped and made of nori seaweed and filled with sushi rice, vegetables and seafood.
Chirashi: This is a Sushi dish which is made of seafood, mushroom, vegetables and sushi rice.
Oshizushi: Oshizushi is prepared by pressing fish onto the sushi rice in a wooden box.
Inari: This is a Sushi type in which sushi rice is filled into deep fried tofu bags.
Special Sushi and Sushi Dishes
There are three types of special Sushi dishes namely Narezushi, Hayazushi, and Namanarizushi. Hayazushi is the most common amongst the three and it is served in various sushi rolls sold in various restaurants.
Health and Nutrition Facts Related to Sushi Recipes
Lot of health conscious people across the globe loves to eat sushi as it very healthy and full of nutrients. Apart from being easy to make, Sushi has low fat, low calories, and lots of nutrients. It is also rich in protein and high in Omega 3 fatty acid. Iodine and complex carbohydrates are provided by the rice and seaweed used in Sushi.