By William Santoro

Sushi was one of the hardest foods to give up after I resolved to adopt a vegan diet. After all, my passion for sushi was one of the things that brought me to live in Japan in the first place. And while Japan is infamous for exclusive sushi shops that charge $500 per person, even low-end sushi (such as kaiten, or “conveyor belt” style) is fresh and inexpensive compared to other countries, making it hard to resist.

For some time after I had bid sayonara to meat, eggs and dairy, I continued the Japanese institution of going out for sushi with friends and family. At first, I ate varieties consisting of mostly vegetables such as natto (fermented soybeans) and green onions, cucumber, takuon (pickled radish), kampyo (dried gourd), as well as inarizushi (fried bean curd filled with sushi rice and black sesame seeds).

As an omnivore, I had always considered sushi not only umai (delicious), but healthy compared to traditional convenience food like sandwiches or burgers. However, eventually it dawned on me, that even minus the fish, restaurant or store-bought sushi wasn’t particularly healthy for 2 reasons:

1. The main ingredient in sushi is white rice with vinegar. Since going vegan, I had switched to eating only foods made with whole grains. I became used to making genmai (brown rice) at home for its nutritional benefits (3 times the fiber, more vitamins and minerals) compared to white rice, and I could no longer reconcile eating white rice sushi from a taste or health perspective.

2. Sushi vinegar contains katsuo dashi (extract of dried tuna). Other ingredients used in sushi, such as pickles, umeboshi (sour plums), and sauces are also prepared using sushi vinegar and/or dashi. In fact, I discovered recently that the only food at most sushi shops that doesn’t contain fish extract is the powdered green tea!

I am not sure why many people seem to have difficulty eating brown rice. Westerners either eat it or they don’t, while Japanese who say they enjoy eating genmai frequently mix it together with white rice, so apparently they are eating it for its health benefits rather than its taste and texture, which I actually prefer.

Once I stopped eating sushi out, I still longed for a vegan substitute, so we began making temaki zushi (hand-rolled sushi) at home using vinegared genmai, nori (seaweed laver), and various fillings such as avocado paste, natto, umeboshi, cucumber slices, etc.

When there’s time, and for special occasions, we lightly pan-fry sliced eggplant (nasu), and eat it on top of sushi genmai as well. Warm (aburi), and dipped in a bit of soy sauce with wasabi, it tastes as good as otoro (fatty tuna), uni (sea urchin), ikura (salmon roe) or any other traditional sushi delicacy ever did!

So, if you think you can’t start a plant-based diet because you could never give up your favorite food, think again! There are infinite tasty plant-based alternatives if you will just start down the vegan road. I am not a nutritionist – just a guy with heaps of useful advice and encouragement to offer those considering eliminating meat and other animal products from their diets.

Until age 44, I’m certain my diet consisted of more eggs, milk, and red meat than the average American’s. I ate lots of chicken, too (especially liked parts with skin), low-fat yogurt every morning, and loads of cheese. While a plant-based diet may at first seem a sacrifice, I assure you it is not. Therefore, if you are contemplating it yourself, don’t let anyone discourage you. Give it a try and I assure you, you will begin to feel healthy and youthful. Take it from me – paying attention to the foods you eat (and don’t eat) is the best way to maintain good health, and a plant-based diet is a great way to begin. If you are interested in learning about benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, or attaining fitness through healthier diet and exercise habits, please check out my blog at http://www.VeganDietGuy.com

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You don’t have to be a native Japanese to serve the most authentic top quality sushi. Bourdain is pleasantly surprised the sushi presented to him was equivalent to some of the best sushi he had in Japan. The chef Michael and Daniel at Sushi Sebo are not only the great sushi chefs, but they are very informative about what they serve, satisfying the diners’ taste and quest for knowledge. Each item they serve cannot be more authentic.

This guy must be a pro the way he handles the knife and foods. So efficient!
The end result is beautiful. This shows that if you are creative enough, you can invent your own sushi and name it the way you like. A lot of rice is used in the process of making Futomaki. Great idea for potluck or sushi party.

Just when I thought I was old enough to have seen everything, this Sushi Popper shows up. This is way too far out! I wonder if anyone actually buy these things other than out of curiosity. No Japanese in the land of sushi with the long sushi history never dreamt of coming up with such concept. My hats off to the inventor to even venture into the market with this.

Make Restaurant Quality Sushi at Home With Japanese Chef Knives
By Michelle Simpson

A lot of people enjoy a night out at a restaurant with friends to enjoy sushi, conversation, and fond memories. But crowded restaurants can make the experience more of a chore than a relaxing night out. Now imagine having the same experience at home for half of the cost, with less noise, and plenty of room. Invite your family and close friends over for a “night out” complete with restaurant quality sushi as your main course. One of the secrets to making good looking and good tasting sushi is having the proper knife. With the proper traditional Japanese chef knives, and professional grade sushi knives you can make the same meal in your own kitchen.

Sushi knives come in many styles and sizes to make it easy for you to prepare great tasting and great-looking sushi to share with the people you spend quality time with. Traditional Japanese made sushi knives are designed by professionals and manufactured with the finest steel to hold the cutting edge necessary to prepare a delicate food. The Japanese have a long tradition of making the best sushi knives and thanks to the Internet these top-quality knives are available to you. In this article you will learn which sushi knives to buy for your kitchen so that you can start saving money on overpriced restaurant food. Take pride in making beautiful meals that taste like they were delivered from your favorite sushi bar right to your front door.

The Yanagiba sushi knife. The most commonly used sushi knife is the Yanagiba professional Japanese chef knife. The Yanagiba knife blades vary in length from 8 to 11 inches. The Yanagiba (or Willow leaf blade) has a long narrow blade with a single grind edge. The single grind edge leaves the bottom of the knife completely flat to allow much easier filleting. The specifically designed edge of the knife lifts the top layer of fish or seafood as you cut to separate it from the bones much faster. Designed especially for cutting raw fish the Yanagiba can also be used for other types of food. Yanagiba Japanese chef knives usually come with the traditional Japanese octagon or oval handle. Handle materials are usually cut from the finest hard woods such as sandalwood and Magnolia.

The Deba sushi knife. The Deba Japanese chef knife is similar to an American style kitchen cleaver but has a few blade features that make it especially useful when preparing fish. The Deba (also known as the Deba Bocho) has a single edge blade ground only on one side which is designed to cut the heads off of large fish without damaging the blade. The single edge blade also makes it easier to filet the fish because the flat bottom portion of the blade slides along the bones as the single edge blade lifts and cuts the meat off of them. The Deba is also used to cut other meats such as chicken or beef. It is not recommended that the Deba be used for cutting bones larger, or harder than fish bones because it can cause the edge of the blade to roll from the higher impact needed to separate the bones.

There are several other styles of Japanese chef knives that can be used along with the sushi knives to make food preparation easier and faster. The Gyuto is the Japanese all purpose chef knife that can be used for most of your cutting jobs in the kitchen. The Santuko knife is another multipurpose kitchen knife that can handle several different kitchen jobs. The Petty knife is the Japanese style paring knife for peeling and cutting smaller vegetables, fruits and garnishes. There is also the Usuba knife that is designed similar to a cleaver, but is specifically designed for the preparation of vegetables.

So now that you have more information about buying the right knives to make Sushi in your own kitchen, you can stock your kitchen with Japanese chef and Sushi knives and start having fun and saving money.

Michelle Simpson is the owner of Pro Knife and Tool, an online store specializing in the sale of top-quality kitchen knives, sport knives, and multi-tools. She lives in Oregon with her husband and five teenagers. Michelle enjoys living in the Rogue Valley because of the endless opportunities for outdoor recreation and the small town atmosphere. It is a great place to raise kids.

After years of working in a large retail chain store Michelle had the opportunity to start her own business, and jumped at the chance. Once she was finished with careful research Michelle was thrilled to find out there is a market for a product she is passionate about. Knives have been an interest of hers since a very young age and seemed like a great fit for her first online business. Michele has discovered a new hobby she can be enthusiastic about; writing about the products she enjoys selling. She is looking forward to posting more articles on your website, in her product newsletter, and other Internet article sites.

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