The winner gorging mind-boggling 99 California rolls in ten minutes gets to go to Japan. What I’m really wondering is what happened afterwards. Did the sushi stay in his stomach? Perhaps I don’t want to know. The recognition and the trip to Japan must have been well worth the pain and suffering. I hope the winner still want to enjoy sushi in Japan.

If you haven’t tried sushi before and you are ready to venture into the world of sushi, this video helps you get started. Angela Chan explains that a California roll makes a perfect starter for a novice as it has all cooked ingredients. Probably the biggest preconception for people who are reluctant to try is that sushi is raw fish and if it’s raw, it must be fishy and smelly. On the contrary, the fresh fish does not smell at all. Before you venture into the hardcore items such as maguro (tuna) or ika (squid), there are many other items that are cooked. Tamago (egg), inari (tofu pouch stuffed with sweet rice), tekka (cucumber roll), and futomaki (egg and goard) are all cooked and contains no fish. Even the salmon and shrimp served at any sushi restaurant are not served raw. The salmon used for sushi is usually slightly smoked and shrimps are cooked.

American Sushi Variations
By Joseph Devine

Sushi has become a popular dish in North America. Chefs are created new dishes specifically designed to suit the American palate. Many of the dishes such as the California roll while very popular in the US is practically nonexistent in the east.

The California roll was the original American sushi variation. It includes avocado, imitation crab, and cucumber. It is typically made uramaki, so that the rice is on the outside with the nori inside. Similar to the California roll is the Caterpillar roll which adds unagi. The Rainbow roll is a California roll topped with sashimi.

They Dynamite and Crunchy rolls are often confused depending upon location. The Dynamite roll consists of yellowtail, carrots, bean sprouts, chili, and a spicy mayonnaise. The Crunchy roll is a California roll that is deep fried and topped with a sweet eel or chili sauce.

The Spider roll uses real soft shell crab and has other fillings such as cucumber, avocado, sprouts, roe, and spicy mayonnaise.

Salmon is a popular sushi ingredient and has inspired many creations. The most common is the Philadelphia roll which has smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber. The Salmon roll has grilled salmon, sweet sauce, and cucumber. Lastly, the Seattle roll contains smoked or raw salmon, cucumber, and avocado.

Other common ingredients in American rolls are scallops, spicy tuna, beef, teriyaki chicken, vegetables, okra and cheese. Sometimes brown or black rice is substituted for the traditional sushi rice.

Sushi rice is short-grained, white Japanese rice that is mixed with a dressing. The dressing contains rice vinegar, sugar, slat, and sometimes sake. It is served at room temperature. The rice consistency is very important. It must be sticky but not mushy or dry.

The seaweed wrapper used in sushi is called Nori. Nori is an algae that was originally cultivated in Japan’s harbors. It is scraped from the docks and rolled into sheets dried in the sun. In Japan, the Nori may not be toasted. However, in the US it typically is. It is a commercial product and can be eaten as a snack by itself.

Raw fish must be of a higher quality than cooked fish. Sushi chefs are trained to recognized important aspects such as color, smell, and firmness that may not be discovered in commercial inspection.

If you would like more information about sushi, visit http://www.cdkitchen.com today for kitchen advice and recipes.

Joseph Devine

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