Sushi for Dummies: What is Sushi ?

Sushi, I bet you have heard this word, and a lot these days. So what is Sushi, “Ae Sushi hondi ki balaah hai…”

Lets Find out.

First of all Sushi is the Japanese preparation and the main ingredient is vinegared rice. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the key ingredient in all cases is the sushi rice. It can be prepared with either brown or white rice.

Early versions were prepared with raw seafood, but nowadays you get vegetarian varieties as well.

Basic types of Sushi:

1. Nigiri- A flat rectangular mound of sushi rice that the chef presses between the palms of the hands to form an oval-shaped ball, and a topping (usually fish) draped over the ball. In other words piece of fish on top of sushi rice. Its Veg version (Right) has rice wrapped around with Nori, which is Japanese name for edible seaweed species which is used chiefly as a wrap for sushi).
   

   

    

2. Maki- Cylindrical shaped sushi having rice and ingredietns (fish and vegetables or meats) wrapped with Nori Seaweed. It is generally wrapped in Nori, but is occasionally wrapped in a thin omelette, soy paper, or cucumber. Maki is usually cut into six or eight pieces, which constitutes a single roll order. It also has further types but we don’t want that much information now.
3. Chirashi- Also called scattered sushi, serves the rice in a bowl and tops it with a variety of raw fish and vegetable garnishes. It is commonly eaten because it is filling, fast and easy to make.
4. Oshi- Also called pressed sushi, sushi rice and fish are firmly pressed to form rectangular shape sushi using a wooden mold. The chef lines the bottom of the mold with the toppings, covers them with sushi rice, and then presses the lid of the mold down to create a compact, rectilinear block.
5. Nare- This is a traditional form of fermented sushi. This is as close as you can get to the original form of sushi came from South East Asia. Fish is gutted, washed and preserved in salt for six months to a couple of years with rice inside of the belly. During the fermentation process, the fish starts to produce very “foul” odor and as such, it’s a delicacy just like some foul odor possessing cheese.
6. Inari- It is a pouch of fried tofu typically filled with sushi rice alone. It is named after the Shinto god Inari. Foxes, messengers of Inari are believed to have a fondness for fried tofu, and an Inari roll has pointed corners that resemble fox ears.

 

So these were the basic types of sushi, some of them have their own sub-types which you should not bother at this time. Sushi is often served with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce.

Wasabi is a plant which grows naturally in river bends in Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, and New Zealand. Wasabi to sushi is like ketchup to fries, but with a much more pungent kick.

I hope now you know what is Sushi 🙂