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However, not everyone knows how to enjoy this delicious dish like the locals. Travellive offers readers suggestions on how to prepare and eat sushi properly, guided by Japanese chef Kenji Tam (*).
Types of Sushi
Sushi is made from rice, vinegar, and other ingredients, most commonly seafood, sometimes with nori (dried seaweed) as an outer layer, wasabi (Japanese horseradish), and various sauces. There are many different types of sushi; here are some basic ones:
+ Nigirizushi: consists of rice molded by hand into a long, rectangular shape with slightly rounded corners, topped with a topping that can be a piece of raw fish, raw shrimp, raw squid, octopus, or a fried egg.
+ Aburizushi: consists of a portion of rice and a piece of grilled fish placed on top of the rice.
+ Gunkanzushi: consists of rice surrounded by seaweed, with toppings arranged on top, usually crab roe, cod roe, salmon roe, etc.
+ Makizushi: This type of sushi is cylindrical in shape, formed by using a bamboo mat to roll the ingredients together into a long cylinder, then using a sharp knife to cut it into shorter pieces (usually 6 or 8 pieces) that are easy to eat. This type of sushi is usually wrapped in dried seaweed, sometimes accompanied by a thin omelet, thinly sliced cucumber, or perilla leaves which are also used instead of seaweed.
+ Futomakizushi: This is a "chubby" type of maki, with rice and fillings wrapped inside a sheet of seaweed. The sushi pieces are usually shorter and larger in diameter (5-6cm). The fillings often consist of various ingredients with different colors or complementary flavors.
+ Hosomakizushi: This is a type of "thin" sushi, with rice and fillings rolled inside a sheet of seaweed. The filling is usually just one ingredient, most commonly salmon, tuna, cucumber, carrots, or avocado.
+ Temakizushi: This is a cone-shaped sushi with a sheet of seaweed wrapped around rice and various other ingredients, with the rice and other ingredients visible. Temaki is quite large, so it must be eaten by hand; it cannot be picked up with chopsticks. Temaki is usually eaten immediately after being wrapped, as the seaweed sheet quickly becomes damp and soft, making it difficult to hold. Therefore, you'll notice that pre-made temaki sold as fast food always have a layer of plastic wrap covering the seaweed sheet; you remove this plastic wrap before eating.
+ Uramakizushi: This type of sushi has the rice on the outside, with the seaweed and filling rolled inside. Because the rice is on the outside, to prevent sticking and to make it more visually appealing, the sushi piece is often rolled in a layer of fish roe, shrimp roe, or sesame seeds.
How to properly enjoy sushi.
According to Chef Kenji Tam, there are two ways to enjoy sushi: with your hands and with chopsticks. A sushi chef can "taste" the sushi with their skillful hands. Each step, such as shaping the rice, cutting the fish or seafood, is done carefully so that diners can fully appreciate the flavor in each piece of sushi. Therefore, Japanese chefs encourage diners to eat sushi with their hands for the most authentic experience. For sushi with fish or shrimp on top, first use your thumb and middle finger to hold it, then place your index finger on the body of the sushi, gently dip the fish into soy sauce, and enjoy.
When eating with chopsticks, place the sushi horizontally, use the chopsticks to grip the center, then lift it up, flip the sushi over, dip the fish side into soy sauce, and enjoy. This method keeps your hands clean but is inconvenient for dipping and picking up food. Furthermore, sushi wrapped in sticky rice is prone to falling apart when gripped by chopsticks. If you like wasabi, you can place it on top of the fish instead of mixing it into the soy sauce.
Things to do:
To fully enjoy the flavors of all types of sushi, it's best to eat them in order from those with milder flavors and lighter-colored fish (white, silver, red) to those with increasingly darker flavors and colors (salmon or salmon roe).
+ Only dip the tip of the seafood into the soy sauce, not the rice. When eating, let the fish touch your tongue first.
Eat the sushi immediately after it's served to prevent changes in taste, temperature, and humidity.
+ You should enjoy the entire piece of sushi with each bite. Avoid letting the sushi rice fall into the bowl.
When enjoying several types of sushi at once, it's recommended to eat a slice of ginger after each piece to better appreciate the flavors of the subsequent types.
If the chef doesn't include wasabi in the sushi, slice the wasabi onto a plate and spread it on top of the sushi instead of mixing it with soy sauce.
Say "Itadaki masu!" before taking your first bite of sushi to express gratitude for the food you are being served.
Diners can enjoy sushi with a glass of sake. After the meal, they are often served green tea, or roasted tea, to mask the fishy taste of the seafood.
After finishing your meal, say to the chef: "Gochi-so-sama-deshi-ta." (Wow, what a wonderful sushi feast!).
Things to avoid:
+ Avoid dipping sushi pieces in soy sauce for too long to prevent the fish from losing its flavor.
Do not use chopsticks to pierce the sushi while eating.
Do not pour soy sauce over the sushi.
+ Do not use your chopsticks to pick up sushi for others without first changing the end of your chopsticks. If you receive sushi from someone else, offer your plate or bowl to receive it; this shows respect for the other person. Place your chopsticks on the chopstick rest and parallel to the sushi tray so everyone knows you have finished.
You can enjoy these sushi dishes at Emperor Restaurant - Fortuna Hotel on weekdays. They are currently hosting a "Sushi Festival" with a superb lunch menu. Price: 420,000++ VND/adult and 210,000++ VND/child (under 12 years old). “A very special part of this culinary feast is that the chef will personally make the sushi from start to finish,” says Chef Kenji.
Please contact us in advance by phone: 04. 3831 3333 (Ext: 6461) or by email: fb@fortuna.vn. Website: www.fortuna.vn
California-style sushi rolls (Recipe for 1 person)
The most famous type of Uramakisuzhi today is the California roll, a staple on Japanese menus, especially popular with diners who can't eat raw seafood. The California roll, with its glistening fresh amberjack roe coating and a filling of avocado and crab meat, is appealing at first glance. The perfect balance of salt, vinegar, crisp sweetness of the fresh seafood, and a hint of spiciness from wasabi enhance the chewy, fragrant texture of the Japanese rice.
For a fresh summer menu, you can refer to the following recipes:
Ingredient:
Rice: 200g / Water: 250ml / 1 sheet of seaweed / Vinegar: 1 tablespoon / Sugar: 1 teaspoon / Bamboo mat: 1 / Cucumber: 10g / Omelette: 2 / Crab sticks: 2 / Mayonnaise: 3g / Kikkoman soy sauce: 5ml / Shrimp roe: 5g / Wasabi mustard: 2g / Avocado: 1.
Making:
Wash the Japanese rice thoroughly and cook it in a pot until done. Then, remove it and place it in a wooden bowl, fluffing it up to cool quickly. Next, pour in vinegar that has been boiled with sugar, stirring well to prevent the rice from becoming mushy.
Wash the cucumbers, peel them, cut them in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice them lengthwise into 1cm strips.
Thinly sliced omelet, cut into rectangular strips 1cm wide. Steamed imitation crab sticks. Avocado sliced into 1cm wide strips.
Lay the bamboo mat on a cutting board, cover it with plastic wrap to prevent the rice from sticking to the mat when flipping it over and to keep the mat clean for the next rolls. Place the seaweed sheet on top, then add the rice, spreading it evenly and leaving the ends of the seaweed sheet uncovered to prevent the rice from spilling out. Sprinkle shrimp roe over the rice. You can also substitute shrimp roe with sesame seeds or salmon roe. Flip the seaweed sheet over, spread mayonnaise horizontally across the seaweed sheet, then add the crab sticks, egg strips, cucumber, and avocado stick.
Roll the bamboo mat to create right angles, forming a square shape. Roll it tightly and press horizontally to make the sushi.
Cut off both ends of the rolled sushi roll and cut the sushi into 8 equal pieces.
(*) Travellive sincerely thanks Chef Kenji Tam of Emperor Japanese Restaurant (Fortuna Hotel Hanoi) for his support in creating this feature.
