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You probably had chances to enjoy Sushi during your stay in Japan. And, as you probably know, there is a wide variety of ingredients that are used, including white- and red-fleshed fish, bluebacks and roe. Many of them are seasonal delicacies. There are also many types of Sushi, too. Besides Nigirizushi (small hand-formed cylindrical pieces of vinegared rice with ingredients on top), some of the more typical types include Norimaki (rolled sushi with the Nori seaweed on the outside, including Futomaki (fat rolls), Hosomaki (thin rolls) and Gunkanmaki (cylindrical vinegared rice partially wrapped in seaweed with ingredients on top)), Chirashizushi (scattered sushi, with ingredients mixed in or on top of vinegared rice) and Temakizushi (hand-rolled sushi).
It is said that Sushi has its beginnings in Narezushi (fish fermented with rice) and as such has a history of a thousand and several hundred years. It was in the Edo period (1603-1867) that Nigirizushi was born. Meanwhile, Temakizushi was an invention by a famous Sushi bar in Tokyo in the early 70s. Today, Temakizushi can be eaten not only at numerous Sushi bars around Japan but are also sold at shops like convenience stores and supermarkets.
Temakizushi is quite simple to make. It only involves placing Sushi rice and ingredients on a piece of Nori seaweed and rolling it by hand, so even children can make it. It is often a menu served at casual parties held at home.
Did you know that there are two types of Nori seaweed--those harvested from the sea and those harvested from freshwater sources? Amanori, or purple laver from the sea, is the type that is widely eaten with Sushi. This type has been eaten since the Nara period, or more than a thousand years ago. However, for a long time, Amanori was a highly-prized delicacy available only to aristocrats and others of high social standing. Even during the Edo period when Amanori started to be farmed, it was still something too expensive for commoners to eat. It was only after World War II when prices became affordable through mass production - made possible through the development of farming techniques and mechanization - that it finally became a commodity enjoyed by the masses.
Today, about 10 billion sheets of Nori seaweed is eaten per year by the Japanese. And while the "black" sheets of seaweed may seem a bit strange to foreigners who see it for the first time, it is a food that is very nutritious and called a "green and yellow vegetable from the sea." Nutrients include a wealth of vitamins (B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, etc.), minerals (calcium, iron, iodine, zinc, etc.), proteins and food fiber.
Nori seaweed is also eaten in Korea and China. It has also become a familiar product in the United States and Europe, too, through the popularity of Japanese food and belt-conveyor Sushi. It is also farmed in countries like Korea, China and New Zealand. Seaweed harvested in the UK is cleaned, boiled and made into a paste that is sold on the market.
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Ingredients
♦ Seafood of your liking
(e.g. Sashimi-grade ingredients such as medium-fatty tuna, flounder, squid, prawn, scallop, salmon roe and sea urchin as well as boiled crab, herring roe, caviar, smoked salmon and canned tuna)
♦ Vegetables, etc. of your liking
(e.g. cucumber, avocado, cheese, Daikon radish sprouts, Boston lettuce, carrot, radish, imitation crabmeat, fish cakes, omlettes, daikon pickles)
♦ Short-grained rice
♦ Sushi vinegar
(Made by combining 5 parts rice vinegar, 3 parts sugar and 1 part salt)
♦ Nori seaweed
(If necessary, you can make it crispy by toasting it very lightly; wave seaweed sheets one by one over an open flame. Be careful not to burn it or yourself!)
Note: in addition to soy sauce, condiments - if available - such as Wasabi (in a tube) and roasted white sesame will make your Temakizushi even tastier. Preparation
- Cook rice
- Sprinkle Sushi vinegar over cooked rice and mix to make Sushi rice
- Decoratively arrange the ingredients on a large serving platter (cutting the Sashimi ingredients and vegetables into strips will makes it easier to make the hand-rolls)
- Prepare the Nori seaweed and place on plates (purchase the Nori seaweed at Japanese food shops, etc.)
- Set the plates of rice, ingredients, etc. on a table
- Enjoy!
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