Sushi 101

[Masala]

The Rice

The most important part of Sushi is the rice. The word Sushi means something akin to 'sticky rice' or 'seasoned rice'. It is the one constant in all sushi, whether it be traditional or modern sushi, seasoned sticky rice is the key to great sushi.

It isn't terribly hard to make great sushi rice, however you do need the right equipment and a bit of practice. A gas rice cooker is the sushi chefs best friend. In a perfect world we would use a wood fired rice cooker, but even in Japan you would have a hard time finding a sushi bar that uses one. Electric rice cookers suck.

Next is a Hangiri. This is a flat bowl made of untreated and unfinished wood, and we use it to mix the rice in after we have seasoned it with our vinegar mixture. The unfinished wood helps to absorb moisture from the rice and keep it from being too sticky or mushy. Good sushi rice has both a firm and soft quality to it. Firm enough so that the grains of rice do not 'smoosh' into each other and remain individual, yet soft enough to 'melt in the mouth'. Preferably, the rice should be a little warm when serving sushi.

Of the ingredients, a very high quality short or medium grain rice is necessary. The rice must be washed till the water runs clear (3-10 times, depending on the brand of rice) and then set to dry for an hour. The best sushi rice is washed and cooked using spring water.

The vinegar mixture is made up of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. We change the mix according to the season....more sugar in summer, more vinegar in winter.

Once the rice is done, we season it with our vinegar, then transfer it to the Hanagiri, where it is mixed (using a technique that keeps the grains from getting crushed) and allowed to cool. When it is completely done we are left with about 6 gallons of beautiful, fluffy, and perfectly seasoned sushi rice which is transferred to a rice holder that keeps it warm, and then brought out to the sushi bar where the incredibly skilled sushi chefs will use it to serve some of the most delicious, nutritious, and beautiful food known to mankind.

Don't worry gang, the next lesson is coming soon!



Oh, and Bjj kicks ass!! (So does Mousels!!!)

[YeLLa-TiGeR]

LOL!

[duchman]

karl,

read my sig!

[Mickey Finn]

Thank you Jewlia Child

[Karlinhos]

Great post...!!!!!

i read the whole thing... slowly, carefully and thoroughly... taking in all it's wonderfulness.



oh yeah, and kim smith ROCKS!











(lol)

[Masala]

I have missed you guys!

Preparing Salmon.

Salmon is a pain in my ass. We get our salmon whole, and the first step is the gut and clean them. I then remove the head and tail and slice the salmon lengthwise. They must soak in a clean tub for about one hour, after which I salt each half thoroughly and place them on a tray in the refridgerator for about another hour. After that, the salt must be completely washed off and the salmon set to soak in cold water for anopther 30 minutes. Once the last soaking is complete, I remove all the bones (one at a time, very carefully, so as to not harm the flesh of the fish) then I cut them in half again and wrap twice in plastic. They are then frozen for 3 days before ready for use.

Salmon tastes fantastic. It is not as mild as tuna or the various white fish, but not as strong as saba (mackrel). It is creamy and rich, and I personally recomend eating it Sashimi or Nigiri style (more on the various kinds of sushi coming later) to fully appreciate the flavor and texture. Visually, it is most appealing. The bright orange flesh intricately patterned with white stripes is nothing less than a work of art.

[YeLLa-TiGeR]

Tuna has the best taste.

[aikidoka]

Preparing pizza hut pizza:
call your local pizza hut and ask for the pizza of your choice. then proceed to wait 30 minutes, then when you hear the doorbell ring go to answer by opening the door and make sure to have money so that you can pay the delivery man. then take the pizza boxe from his hands, lay it on a table, preferrably wood, it has the best pizza holding qulitites, and open the box. while the box is opened, take a peice of the presliced pizza and lay it on a plate. now lift the pizza and put it into your mouth. then clamp your teeth firmly together, and remove the pizza, you have just taken your first bite! now rapidly clam and unclamp your teeth until the pizza is soft and mushy then allow it to pass into your throat. rinse and repeat until pizza is gone or you are full.

HOPE YOU LIKED IT GUYS!
oh yeah and Britney spears rocks!

[Masala]

Aikidoka, if you don't have anything relevent to say, just shut your pie hole.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand;

Sushi is an art. A sushi chef has spent years and years perfecting his art, begining his apprenticeship by making rice, cleaning boards, sharpening knives, and washing floors. Once his teacher feels he is ready, the apprentice chef will move up to preparing the vegetables and fish which will be used for sushi. After this stage, the apprentice finally gets to start his sushi making adventures. This begins with maki-sushi (sushi rolls) exclusively. Once the Master Chef feels his rolls are good enough, the apprentice can move up to Nigirisushi (peice of fish or vegetable on a ball of rice). At this point, the apprentice can be considered a sushi chef and has probably put between 3-5 years in, but he is still far from being a master and in fact is still not allowed to cut the fish. Only once a sushi chef has spent a few years as the fish cutter can he be considered a Master and qualified to manage a sushi bar.

[YeLLa-TiGeR]

Out of curiosity, are the requirements different in Japan and the US? I imagine Japan is alot more strict.

[Masala]

Actually, these are the 'requirements' in Japan. There is no actual set of rules and the above is really just an example of what a "traditional" japanese sushi chefs apprenticeship would be like. Not all sushi chefs are trained in this manner, or at least the time line is highly condensed. However, you really cannot take a short cut to the master sushi chef status, just like there are no short cuts to being a Bjj black belt. Some schools start teaching submissions right away and others will only teach escapes for the first year. Different ways to go about it, but in the end everyone has to pay their dues to get the BB.


Here is an example of some well made sushi;






As you can see, all the nigiri sushi is of equal hieght. The rice is perfectly molded and retains a pearly sheen, while each peice of fish has been expertly cut and placed, so that just the edges droop to touch the plate. This is the goal of every sushi chef....to put out a perfect plate of sushi.

[YeLLa-TiGeR]

Are you a sushi chef??

[Patterson]

What kind of money do sushi chefs make?

[sabrutat]

Masala, you rule.



Cheers

Stef

[Patterson]

The real Sabrutat would NEVER make a positive comment about someone else. He would use this to talk about how masala is a sissy for being a sushi chef and mention what a man he is.