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Published: August 05, 2008 08:02 pm
Sushi
Popular Japanese food catching on across America
By Tina and Leonard Bailey
Sushi is the most popular Japanese food to catch on in the United States. Once only popular on the West Coast and in Metropolitan areas, interest in sushi has gained popularity in suburban areas and small towns. Sushi is a healthy dish that is a low fat, low calorie treat. It is also a great source fiber and beneficial carbohydrates.
Sushi can be found in ethnic restaurants including Japanese, Chinese and Thai establishments. Eclectic restaurants catering to food connoisseurs may also offer sushi. It can also be purchased at specialty and organic grocery stores. Of course, you can always purchase the ingredients and prepare sushi at home; it is not as complicated as one would think.
Just hearing the word “sushi” makes some folks cringe. They have a pre-conceived notion that sushi is raw fish, but do not know much more about this culinary delight. The word sushi is often misunderstood to mean raw fish or a dish containing raw fish; however “sushi” translated, actually means rice, or the marinated rice used in sushi rolls.
In fact, sushi rolls do not always contain raw fish. Sushi is a healthy wrap-like dish, whose primary ingredient is the marinated rice. There are many different fillings that may be enclosed in a sushi roll. The most common sushi fillings are avocado, cucumber, asparagus and carrot slices. Raw and cooked seafood may be used, as well as cooked beef and chicken.
Most sushi rolls are wrapped with either rice paper or nori, which is a thin layer of seaweed. Nori ranges in color from bluish-green to black, depending on the type of seaweed used. Although the thought of eating seaweed does not appeal to Americans, many other societies have benefited from the healthy attributes of this delicacy. Nori is an excellent source of iron and calcium, as well as many other essential vitamins and minerals.
Despite the health benefits of nori, many Americans still can’t get past the seaweed aspect, hence the popular California roll was born. The California roll can be thought of as sushi that is rolled inside out. The rice is on the outside of the roll, encompassing the nori and fillings. California rolls are sometimes rolled in sesame seeds or other coatings, to make it easier to handle.
Sushi rolls that contain raw fish are commonly called sashimi. The distinct difference between the two is that with sushi, the rice is the primary focus of the dish; with sashimi, the seafood is the main focus. Sashimi is not rolled like sushi either; it is molded into shape by hand. Popular raw seafood used to make sashimi includes tuna, salmon, shrimp, squid, octopus and mackerel, to name a few.
California rolls
4 cups cooked jasmine rice (cooled)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 sheets nori
1 avocado
1 cup carrots, sliced into strips
1 cup cooked crab meat (may use imitation)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
Bamboo mat for rolling
Dissolve sugar and salt into rice wine vinegar. Mix well with rice. Set aside. Combine crab meat with mayonnaise and set aside. Peel and slice avocado. Lay out sheets of nori. Spread each sheet with a cup of the rice mixture. Press rice firmly onto nori sheets. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice. Carefully flip over each sheet, so that the rice side is facing down and the plain side is facing up. Distribute crab mixture, and avocado and carrot slices equally among the four sheets of nori. Now, roll the sushi (like you would a jelly roll) using the bamboo mat. The rice/sesame side should now be the outside layer. Cut each roll into uniform slices. Serve with soy sauce and/or wasabi dipping sauce.
Leftover chicken sushi
3 cups cooked jasmine rice (cooled)
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
One-half teaspoon salt
3 sheets nori
1-1/2 cups leftover cooked chicken
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cucumber, thinly sliced with seeds removed
Teriyaki sauce
Bamboo mat for rolling
Dissolve sugar and salt into rice wine vinegar. Mix well with rice. Drizzle chicken with teriyaki sauce. Lay out sheets of nori. Spread rice over the nori. Evenly distribute the chicken, cucumber and carrots over the rice. Roll sushi using a bamboo mat. Slice and serve with more teriyaki sauce.
Colorful vegetable sushi
4 cups cooked jasmine rice (cooled)
One-half cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 sheets nori
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup carrots, sliced into strips
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
1 yellow squash, seeded and thinly sliced
Soy sauce
Bamboo mat for rolling
Dissolve sugar and salt into rice wine vinegar. Mix well with rice. Drizzle vegetables with soy sauce. Lay out nori. Distribute rice evenly onto nori sheets. Arrange vegetables evenly on top of rice. Roll using bamboo mat. Slice and serve with soy sauce.
Sources
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki /Sushi
•http://www.eatsushi.com /article.asp?X=38
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki /Sashimi
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