Features of Japanese cuisine
Everyone knows that sushi is a Japanese dish.cuisine, which literally burst into our lives and became for some residents of our country an absolutely integral part of almost daily diet. Few Russians will believe that Japanese women never touch such a serious matter as cooking. In no restaurant located in Japan, you will meet a woman cook. These places are firmly occupied by representatives of the stronger sex. It is men who cook sushi correctly, both in a restaurant and at home. They came up with each recipe. But a Russian woman will successfully master this art. It is an art that professionals consider how to cook sushi at home. Let us remind you that sushi is not only a very tasty, but also an extremely healthy dish from an exotic country. That is why the Japanese live much longer than all other nations. And this is not about ecology, remember the accidents at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and even more devastating losses during the Second World War. The inhabitants of Japan have seen a lot, and the only thing that saves them and gives them strength is healthy food. And this is the only component of a long and healthy life. It is not difficult to explain this fact from a scientific point of view, since fish is very useful, it is a source of protein and is not heavy food for the human body, it is digested very quickly and easily.
Cooking Japanese dish - sushi
Before you can make sushi properly, you need tobuy what you need to make sushi. There shouldn't be any difficulties in this matter, since you will spend very little time, and modern conditions allow you to find the necessary ingredients without much difficulty. And then, the main thing to think about when you start making sushi is what pleasure you will give yourself and your loved ones. Sushi can be prepared as a festive dish, they will look especially good on the table for a theme party, for example, in an oriental style. And you can prepare sushi as an everyday dinner. In any case, the delight of invited friends and all your household members is guaranteed.
What are the types of sushi?
Inventive Japanese try not to sit onplace and diversify almost everything, so that each person can find an ideal for themselves. This also applies to automobile equipment, electronics, and, of course, food products and dishes produced in Japan. As is known, they even grow rice in huge quantities and for every taste - round and elongated, light and black, etc. The same thing happens with sushi - chefs strive to please the tastes and desires of each potential client and constantly experiment with the recipes of their dishes. And, by the way, they succeed quite successfully. So, Japanese sushi comes in the following types:
- Nigiri, which is also called compressed land. They are small in size, squeezed brusochki of rice, in shape resembling a finger, on top of which they lay a piece of fish. In sushi bars this type is very popular and usually served in pairs.
- Maki, they are everyone's favorite rolls.They look like this - rice mixed with fish, shrimp or any other seafood and vegetables, rolled in a sheet of nori (this is a type of seaweed). Initially, rolls are made in the form of a roll, and before serving, this roll is cut into small pieces.
- Chirashi-sushi in Japan are very common andpopular. This type is also called separate sushi. When they are cooked, rice is laid out in small containers, and seafood and vegetables are placed on top in random order and quantity.
- The fourth type of sushi is Oshi-sushi, orpressed sushi. For the recipe of this dish you will need pre-cooked fish, which can be marinated or simply salted. We place it on the very bottom of the container, again small in size, which on top of the fish needs to be filled to the brim with rice. It is necessary to put oppression on top so that the sushi is compacted and takes the form of a uniform shape. After some time, the prepared dish is removed from the container, turned over onto the plate with the fish facing up, and cut evenly into pieces.
There are also several types of mixed sushi,which are prepared by wrapping boiled rice in various pieces of seaweed or, for example, in squares of thin omelette, with the help of which such a type of this exotic dish as fukuza-sushi is obtained. The recipes for preparing rice, dressing and filling for sushi are basically the same. The difference is only in the methods of forming the finished dish.
Preparation of Nigiri-sushi at home
Since the most popular among Russiansconsumer are sushi Nigiri, then their recipe will look more relevant in any cookbook. In order to make sushi Nigiri yourself, you will need the following products:
- rice for sushi, better with short and rounded grains,
- rice vinegar,
- soy sauce,
- fish fillet - salmon
- shrimp, cooked in advance,
- wasabi (dry or in paste),
- pickled ginger,
- cream cheese,
- crab sticks,
- avocado,
- cucumber,
- greens and lemon are used at the request of the cook.
The tools for preparing such an interesting dish in the recipe should be makisu - a bamboo mat - and a sharp knife.
How to choose the right ingredients for sushi?
Go to the store for groceries thatwill be used to prepare sushi, you need to do it the day before the process itself. When choosing rice vinegar, it is advisable to opt for the Japanese version, as it has a mild, sweetish taste that perfectly complements sushi. The selected vinegar from Western or Chinese manufacturers will interrupt the delicate aroma and taste of sushi. The best choice would be Mitsukan rice vinegar, which can be easily found in any Asian culture store. Finding wasabi will be more labor-intensive. There are two types - seio and sawa. The second of them is too expensive and is not used in any other country except Japan. But seio is more popular and is always available in any Asian store. Also, wasabi can be seen in two different forms - in a paste and dry powder. Experts recommend using the one in powder, since it, unlike the paste, is not preserved. And this process, as everyone knows, is impossible without the use of foreign products, thanks to them, wasabi often changes its color and even taste. Therefore, give preference to the powdered version, which when mixed with water in a matter of minutes turns into an absolutely correct and safe paste. Pickled ginger, which chefs call "gari" among themselves, is used to neutralize the taste of the previous type of sushi before eating other types. It also helps to freshen the mouth. Fish roe is used in the sushi recipe as an arbitrary component. It is mainly used for rolling ready-made rolls before serving to give the dish a more beautiful appearance. It is advisable to choose fish for preparing the recipe in special Japanese stores - it is delivered there every day, and this indicates the first freshness of the product. Only fish that has never been frozen will be an excellent ingredient for sushi and rolls. Cucumber, avocado are usually used as a vegetable filling, crab sticks and cream cheese are added. If desired, you can use Japanese mayonnaise to season the filling; it has a delicate taste and a different, sharp smell than all other types of this sauce.
Preparing rice for a sushi home recipe
This process assumes the following conditions andOperations: First of all, take small, round-grain rice of the Nishiki or Minori variety, which are not too dry compared to their long-grain counterparts. For a couple of guests, plan to take about half a kilo of rice. Then wash the rice. To do this, pour the cereal into a bowl and fill it with cold water. With your hands, begin to massage the rice in the water in order to exfoliate the small debris stuck to the grains. You can determine the purity of the rice as follows. After about two minutes of washing it in one water, drain it, pour it again and repeat the procedure of massaging the grains. If in the first case the water became cloudy and dirty, then after the third wash or, in extreme cases, after the fourth, the water will be transparent, which indicates the purity of the rice in it. Take the rice out of the bowl and dry it. Cook the rice in 1 liter of water, as stated in the recipe, at maximum heat for 12 minutes after boiling. Leave the cooked rice to sit for 15 minutes. Then add 50 ml of rice vinegar, 10 g of salt and 30 g of sugar.
We form sushi Nigiri correctly
Techniques for cutting fish into different types of sushiare noticeably different from each other. For Nigiri, cut the fillet at a slight angle, about 45 degrees, so that the piece is cut off with one movement of the knife. To do this, it must be very well sharpened. After that, moisten your hands and start forming sushi. Scoop up 1.5 tbsp. rice and squeeze it in the palm of your right hand in the shape of an oval, and take a piece of fish in your left hand. With the index finger of your right hand, grease the fish with wasabi paste and press the rice to it. Turn the resulting nigiri over with the fish facing up and press the rice to it again. It is important that the fish fillet blank be the base of the nigiri, that is, its size should be larger than the rice oval. Everything is ready!
