Top Japanese chefs put as much importance on the beautiful presentation of food as they do on excellent flavours and textures.
Beautifully displayed maki, nigiri and sashimi are carefully prepared to look mouth watering and often presented on ornate serving dishes in the shape of boats, bridges or even on people.
But, of course, the Japanese have taken their dedication a step further creating sushi rolls that are carefully constructed to be nothing short of works of art when they are sliced up. Pandas, animals, dragonflies and flowers are among some of the stunning designs you can create in the middle of your sushi.
It’s not just the sushi either. I have been to restaurants where the wasabi has been crafted into an ornate green dragon, designed down to the last scale. You almost feel guilty disturbing and eating something so beautiful that has been crafted with such love.
The undisputed master of sushi art is Japanese chef Ken Kawasumi who has written several books on how to transform a simple maki roll into a jaw dropping visual masterpiece. Kawusami has more then 30 years experience of making sushi and is the head of the prestigious Tokyo Sushi Academy. He divides his time between training students at the Academy and travelling the world to demonstrate his artistic sushi skills, known as kazari maki-zushi.
Among his masterpieces are a recreation of Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers with sushi and a platter of sushi rolls based on US President Barack Obama. The Platter featured a sushi replica of Obama’s face – his skin was made from amis (small shrimp), his hair made from black sesame and fish paste made the teeth for a dazzling smile. The platter also featured an American flag made with red tuna and raw squid for the famous stripes.
Making artistic sushi does require a bit of patience and skill but there are lots of books and online videos to talk you through step by step and it is the ultimate way to impress dinner guests with your culinary skills.
If you don’t feel up to making it yourself I can recommend having a look online at some of the amazing designs that people have managed to create with rice, seaweed and fish. You never know, it might inspire you to have a go yourself.
inari sushi
Inari is a God of the Japanese Shinto religion and a fitting namesake for these delicious stuffed pouches of tofu.
Inari sushi(stuffed sushi) is quite different to seaweed wrapped sushi. The pouches are made of deep fried tofu, sometimes known as aburage. The texture is a bit like omelette but the pouches are sweet and savoury in taste. They are usually filled with just rice but this recipe adds few more flavours and is very tasty.
Cook your sushi rice – preferably in a rice cooker – and leave it to cool before mixing in a rice dressing made of 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of mirin, 2 teaspoons of castor sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of Gomashio (roasted black sesame seeds and sea salt).
Finely chop a carrot and a large handful of mushrooms and cook in a bamboo steamer for a few minutes until tender.
In a large bowl, mix the vegetables with some sesame seeds and a glug of seasame oil and leave it to cool down.
Add the rice and some daikon radish (Takuan), chopped finely again, and give it a light stir. Some recipes like to use a dash of lime juice as well but it’s optional.
Now comes the messy (but fun) bit. The Inari pouches come ready to serve so all you have to do is fill them up with the rice and vegetables and then firmly press the sides together to seal them up.
That’s all there is to it. All that you have to do them is spread them on a serving dish and serve with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce.
I have been looking for some gifts for my sushi loving friends who already have everything they need to whip up their favourite Japanese meals.
There are some weird and wonderful sushi products available ranging from the relatively normal to the outright bizarre and there is something for every room of your house.
You can decorate your kitchen with all sorts of sushi nick nacks like fridge magnets shaped like sushi. Or, brew a nice cup of Japanese green tea in a sushi tea cup with pictures of your favourite food.
For the bathroom, there is a tray of sushi soap – California rolls, nigiri, gunkanmaki with soap roe – to keep you clean and fresh or wash up after handling raw fish for your real sushi. If you cut yourself with a super sharp sashimi knife then you can dress the cut with sushi plasters.
Some of the products look scarily realistic, like sushi USB sticks. You can have a delicious looking nigiri hanging out of the side of your computer; just be careful not to mistake it for lunch or you might lose a tooth.
If you are bored in front of the television, you can knit some sushi. Yes that’s right knit, as there are patterns and kits to whip up a woolly platter and one website even has a pattern for a sushi toilet roll cover. And super fans have been known to pass the time by knocking up sushi shapes with their kid’s Lego.
Not content with just eating sushi themselves, the dog crazed Americans have invented sushi shaped dog biscuits. They may be even more expensive than eating real sushi but your canine friend will love you for it.
And for the sweet toothed fanatics you can buy chocolate sushi made from white and dark chocolate, fruity butter cream and crispy rice carefully moulded into a mouth watering delight.
And that’s not all, sushi tyre covers, sushi erasers, sushi Christmas tree ornaments are just the tip of the iceberg. It seems there is no end to the sushi madness you can buy. It’s worth a look but be warned – don’t do it on an empty stomach unless you have a good supply of rolls to snack on.
Yokohama sushi kit
Christmas is coming whether you want to admit it or not and if, like me, you are bored with buying the usual socks and smellies, why not add some sushi to your present list.
Obviously fresh sushi is out of the question, though it might make a great alternative to canapés at your Christmas parties, but there are lots of original gifts you can buy for foodies or keen cooks.
For beginners, sushi kits are a great start. There are lots to choose from with everything from the basic ingredients to sushi machines and tableware. A sushi kit has literally everything you need, bar the fresh ingredients. For a change from sushi, try a different Japanese dish like Katsu Curry and rustle up a tasty meal by just adding chicken, pork or vegetables. The Tokyo Sushi Kit is the ultimate kit for whipping up a sushi storm in the kitchen. It has so much amazing sushi making stuff that it would take too long to list it all here.
If you are a dab hand with a rolling mat and want to take things to the next level, a rice cooker or a sushi magic machine are the idea gifts to ensure your sushi is perfect every time. Imagine the best sticky fluffy rice and the ultimate rolls with no hassle.
The ideal gift is easy even for expert sushi makers. How about some beautiful ceramic tableware to serve their food on or a unique bridge or boat platter? Or, choose a set of super sharp sashimi knives to slice up some fresh nigiri toppings.
If you are lucky enough to know someone who has everything they need to make fantastic sushi every time then a quality Japanese cookbook may well be the ideal gift a sushi mad friend to find some new recipes and flavours (just make sure they remember to try out them out on you.)
Everyone has foodie friends who like to try something new or improve their culinary skills and would enjoy a unique and unusual gift this Christmas. So forget about the showergel and sling the new slippers and get a superb Christmas treat Japanese-style.
