7 myths about rolls and sushi that you shouldn’t believe

In the modern world, the boundaries between cultures and peoples have become less clear than in past centuries. Even national dishes are now becoming not a curiosity from an overseas country, but a completely ordinary dinner or lunch anywhere in the world. This happened with traditional Japanese sushi, which can now be bought at every turn.

But, despite the fact that sushi and its variety, rolls, have become widespread throughout the world, few fans understand the intricacies of this dish. You can start with the name itself, which is popular in Russia.

According to the Japanese-Russian transcription system, the word for this dish should be read as “sushi”. The Japanese consider this name to be more correct, but “sushi” is rejected by them. This pronunciation in Russia is explained by the fact that the fashion for sushi came to us not from Japan, but from the West, where the Japanese word was transcribed as sushi.

Myth No. 1. Rolls - a traditional Japanese dish

This myth is the most common misconception.
The association “rolls are a traditional Japanese food” is firmly entrenched in the minds of Russian people. In fact, rolls were invented relatively recently - in the 1970s, and the birthplace of the recipe is considered to be... the USA. Ichira Mashita, a Japanese chef working in Los Angeles, tried to invent a new interpretation of traditional dishes and... came up with the California roll. The Americans liked this dish and became very, very popular. Soon other chefs followed the trend, coming up with their own versions of the rolls. Today rolls are served in many Japanese restaurants, but it is still wrong to classify this dish as traditional Japanese cuisine.

Ordering rolls in Tokyo is the fashion of today

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Myth No. 2. Fish is the main ingredient in sushi and rolls

Of course, fish is an important element of sushi and rolls, but the main star is the rice. Japanese cuisine is filled with philosophy, and the ability to pay attention to the subtlest shades of taste is the key idea of ​​the Japanese meal. Cooking rice correctly is a real art. For the chef, it is important to choose the right rice , maintain the perfect balance between salt, sugar, red or white vinegar, and sometimes sake.

Sushi chefs have the opinion that anyone can buy good fish, but only a true master can prepare the right rice, highlighting its delicate taste and achieving the desired grain texture.

In Japan, raw rice is called o-kome, and cooked rice is called go-han. It is worth noting that the Japanese add the politeness prefixes “o-” and “go-” only before the words that are most important to them. It is no coincidence that in top-class restaurants rice is served only at the end of lunch.

Cooking rice for sushi and rolls is the main skill of a sushi chef

"Philadelphia"

This roll is similar in preparation to “California”. However, crab meat is replaced with salmon or trout. For this you need to stock up on the following products:

• round rice - 500 grams;
• special vinegar for sushi;
• salmon or trout (salmon can also be used) - 250 grams;
• nori sheets - 8-10 pieces;
• ripe avocado (it can also be replaced with fresh cucumber);
• fine grain salt;
• a little sugar;
• cream or cottage cheese.

Myth No. 3. Raw, freshly caught fish is always used for sushi and rolls.

Many sushi, rolls and sashimi are indeed prepared from freshly caught raw fish, but there are exceptions.

Traditional Japanese recipes contain certain types of fish that acquire a special taste after aging or a special marinating process. These are hirame fish , bluefin tuna, Japanese Madai grouper and fugu fish . Each fish has its own aging time and a way to reveal its unique taste.

In Japan, a whole system of purchasing and delivering freshly caught fish to restaurants operates smoothly, where special fish markets (markets) are an indispensable participant. Fresh fish is served to guests on the day of catch, and abroad (including in Russia) they often (very often!) use chilled and even defrosted fish.

To eat sushi and rolls with fresh fish, you need to live by the sea, for example, in Okayama, Japan

Tips from chefs

Learning how to skillfully prepare delicious rolls is quite difficult, but quite possible. Some will need a couple of weeks to do this, while others will study for years. Experts shared several recommendations that will allow you to prepare perfect sushi:

1. The most difficult thing about making rolls is cooking the round rice correctly. Sometimes 15 minutes is not enough for this. It should not be damp or, conversely, sticky. Experts advise covering the pan with a lid to prevent steam from escaping from under it. Then you will have the correct consistency of rice. Some chefs recommend covering the rice with a cotton towel while cooking.
2. Before cooking, put the fish in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to keep it cold.
3. The knife must be sharp. To prevent anything from sticking to it, you can periodically moisten it in rice vinegar.
4. For rolls and sushi, it is best to choose red fish. For example, salmon, salmon, trout or tuna. It is not recommended to purchase frozen fish. It's better to buy fresh.
5. Before cooking rice, add a little salt to the water.
6. The fish must be cleaned of small bones.
7. Under no circumstances should you replace cream cheese with processed cheese, as the taste of the rolls will be very different from the real thing. It is best to buy Philadelphia or Almette. You can also choose “Feta” as the most budget option.

Myth No. 4. The green, burning mass served in a restaurant with sushi or rolls is always wasabi

The history of wasabi as “Japanese horseradish” began in 1396 and continues to this day. The plant is a perennial herb, from the root of which the seasoning is prepared. Recent scientific research has proven that real Japanese wasabi can destroy most known bacteria in raw fish. Historically, wasabi was served with sushi for this very purpose before the advent of modern methods of food preservation and disinfection.

Real Japanese wasabi is quite expensive to bring to Russia, so the vast majority of restaurants use imitation in the form of a dry mixture of European daikon or “wasabi powder” of dried horseradish with mustard, to which starch and dyes are added. By the way, the taste of real wasabi is not so spicy!

In Japan, wasabi is added to sushi by the chef himself. Dip the sushi in soy sauce for a second or dip a ginger leaf in the sauce and brush the sushi with it. By the way, eating sushi with your hands is quite acceptable.

This is what real Japanese wasabi looks like

Short grain rice from Japan

For delicious sushi, you need to get a special rice called sushi meshi or, as it is also called, sumeshi. This is a special Japanese rice that has a high gluten content. It is typically flavored with sweet rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and sometimes sake.

The most important property that should be characteristic of such rice is its high stickiness. It feels a little tougher than the usual cereal, due to the fact that it is prepared in less liquid. In order for the rice to reach the desired consistency, it is instantly cooled and stirred sharply in a wooden bowl. Seasonings for the cereal can be different - it completely depends on the type of intended sushi filling, since in different countries they prefer different components that make up the dish.

Myth No. 5. According to tradition, sushi should be washed down with sake.

This misconception that Japanese people drink sake with sushi may have been shaped by movies and a lack of knowledge about other Japanese drinks.

The traditional drink for sushi in Japan is green tea. It helps cleanse your taste buds and enjoy the pure taste of every bite of sushi. In restaurants, rice balls are washed down with traditional genmai-cha - green tea with fried rice.

Sushi and rolls are traditionally served with green tea in Japan.

Recipe

Anyone can prepare a Philadelphia roll without much effort at home. For beginners, we recommend purchasing a sushi making kit. It contains a bamboo mat, nori sheets, round rice, special vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, wasabi and teaching sticks.

We provide a detailed recipe:

1. First you need to cook the rice. We wrote above about how to do this.
2. Next, you need to pour rice vinegar into a deep container, add sugar and fine-grained salt to it. The vinegar should be slightly warmed.
3. Then you need to pour the rice vinegar into the rice and let it soak.
4. Afterwards, peel the cucumber or avocado and cut it into thin slices.
5. You must first prepare a bamboo mat by covering it with film.
6. Next, take a sheet of nori, place the finished rice on it, and then turn it over.
7. Now you need to carefully grease a sheet of pressed seaweed with curd cheese, and then lay out the avocado or cucumber.
8. The last step is to roll the roll well and cut it. You can put pieces of salmon or salmon on top. It will be very tasty.

Myth No. 6. You can make sushi at home yourself

Sushi is a dish that reflects the aesthetics of Japanese cuisine. It is laconic and seemingly uncomplicated, but external simplicity is deceptive.

It is impossible to make traditional Japanese sushi at home on your own; it is no coincidence that the profession of a sushi chef takes decades to train. During this time, the chefs learn the basics of culinary art and the subtleties of preparing dishes. Of course, it is possible to recreate such recipes without proper experience, but the result will be extremely far from the original.

The Japanese themselves do not prepare sushi at home; they trust it to professionals. For the Japanese, sushi is not an everyday food at all, but a dish that is eaten in special establishments. In Russia, sushi and rolls have become a popular snack. These dishes are prepared at home by yourself, and more often they order delivery of “Japanese food” from a nearby restaurant or cafe.

Today, sushi and rolls can be bought on every corner, and they are prepared by amateur chefs. Of course, this helps to popularize Japanese cuisine, but on the other hand, the philosophy and understanding of the value of authentic dishes has been lost. Therefore, to eat real Japanese sushi and rolls, be sure to go to a good Japanese restaurant. Good sushi is expensive and a table at the iconic sushi must be booked in advance.

The most famous place in Japan is a 10-seat restaurant in a subway passage, where 90-year-old Jiro Ono . The restaurant received 3 stars from the Michelin guide, the film “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” was made about it, and the recording was a month in advance. For $320, Jiro creates 21 pieces of sushi right in front of you. They need to be eaten immediately, while they remember the warmth of the master’s hands. Jiro is one of those Japanese who believe that perfection can be achieved only by doing one thing for many years. Talent is important, but honing your craft is the most important thing. It is no coincidence that Jiro-san buys the ingredients for his sushi from sellers who sell only one type of product, but an excellent one!

Real Japanese sushi and rolls can only be made by a professional

Species diversity

Sushi

There are quite a large number of types of sushi, it is very difficult to understand them, but we can highlight the most popular and memorable ones:

• Makizushi are classic rolls that we so often mistakenly call simply “sushi.”
• Temaki is not often found in our cafes and restaurants. These are cone-shaped bags made of nori seaweed, and inside the filling is, of course, rice plus fish and other seafood.
• Gunkan is an oval of rice, wrapped around the edges with a sheet of nori, and topped with filling and a lot of sauce, such as caviar.

Gunkan

• Pressed sushi - their preparation method is based on the ancient method of preserving fish, when it was tightly packed into wooden boxes with rice diluted with vinegar. Today, using these boxes, each layer of sushi is pressed and then cut into portions through special holes in the box.
• Stuffed sushi (inari - very unusual for us. Most often these are bags of nori (or bean curd - tofu), filled with rice and a variety of seafood.
• Chirashizushi does not at all resemble the classic type of sushi. This is the so-called sushi for the lazy. Rice is placed on a plate, fish and other seafood are placed on top, and chopped nori sheets are also added.

Temaki

Rolls

Rolls, as we wrote above, are a subtype of sushi and they, in turn, are divided into:

• Hosomaki are small sushi rolls usually made with only one filling - tuna and salmon (though many also include avocado, carrot or cucumber) and are wrapped only in nori on the outside. The most popular types: kappamaki (with cucumber), tekkamaki (with salmon and tuna), negitoromaki (with tuna and onions), tsunamayomaki (with tuna and mayonnaise).
• Futomaki is distinguished from other types of rolls by its size: usually five or six centimeters. You definitely can't eat them in one bite. Usually they are “stuffed” with 3-4 ingredients. Vegetarian futomaki with cucumbers, mushrooms, avocado, carrots and omelette are common. Non-vegetarian futomaki is made with crab or raw tuna.
• Norimaki is a sheet of nori on the outside of the roll, uramaki is rice on the outside of the roll, the sheet of nori is curled inside.

Futomaki

Myth No. 7. Cheap soy sauce served with sushi

Due to the fact that soy sauce is always served with sushi, many people think that this product is cheap and has no gastronomic value. But in fact, this sauce deserves our respect, because it is more than three thousand years old, and during this time the technology of its production has remained virtually unchanged. Modern soy sauce is a fermentation product that is produced using traditional technologies from soybeans, wheat, a special fungal culture, water and salt. During the process of natural fermentation, yeast and other microorganisms change the color of the soybean to a darker one, and the taste to a brighter one: the sauce acquires that “fifth” taste - umami and a pleasant spicy aroma. Real soy sauce takes a long time to prepare—from four months or even longer.

Each bottle of natural soy sauce contains the experience of generations, the careful work of many people and natural strength. Therefore, such a product cannot be cheap.

Sushi is always served with soy sauce.

Preparation

Let's make delicious rolls with crab meat together. We provide a step-by-step recipe for you:

1. First of all, you need to rinse the rice well under cold water.
2. Next, place foil on the bottom of the pan and pour round rice into it.
3. Then you need to pour in enough water to completely cover the rice. Then you should put it to cook. When it boils, you need to let it sit for 10 minutes and then drain the water.
4. Afterwards you need to prepare the dressing for the rolls. You need to add fine-grained salt and granulated sugar to the rice vinegar and mix well until the grains are completely dissolved.
5. Then you need to pour the vinegar into the boiled rice and stir.
6. Next, you need to take a bamboo mat and cover it with cling film. Then place a sheet of pressed seaweed on it.
7. Spread the finished rice evenly over the surface of the nori, leaving 1.5 cm from the free edge.
8. On top of the rice you need to put red caviar, which is called “tobiko”. The sheet must be turned over so that the cooked rice is on the outside.
9. The surface of the nori should be covered with a thick layer of cream cheese.
10. The avocado must be washed, peeled and pitted, and then cut into slices. It should be placed on top of the cream cheese.
11. Next, you need to cut the crab meat and put the avocado on top.
12. You can begin to form “California”. You need to roll the roll into a roll by pressing on it. Then cut and serve with ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.

California is ready! Bon appetit!