Preparing sushi
When you invite friends over or for a
romantic dinner, tink sushi! They are perfect for many occasions
because they take little time to prepare. 
Exotic, sophisticated, savoury, sushi has eye-appeal as well as taste-appeal. There are hundreds of varieties of sushi, but they all use pretty much the same ingredients: salmon, shrimp, pollock, cucumber, daikon or Japanese radish, marinated seaweed, avocado, Japanese omelette, red or orange flying fish roe and tempura (fried batter).
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Step 1 |
Step 2 |
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| On the rough side of the nori, spread the sushi meshi leaving ½
in. (1.25 cm) along the top edge. |
Sprinkle sesame seeds over rice. |
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Step 3 |
Step 4 |
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| Lay cucumber sticks down the centre of the rice. | Roll up into a squarish cylinder. |
Japanese culture is endlessly fascinating. Quite different from ours, it has its rules of etiquette, with a whole set on the proper way to eat sushi. Follow the rules below for a more authentic sushi experience.
Offer your guests small moist towels at the start and end of the meal. Roll them up tight and heat them in the microwave. Everyone can use them to clean their hands.
Never lay your chopsticks down on the table. Rest them on a chopstick holder or a folded napkin.
Don't worry if you slurp your soup, noodles or tea; it's perfectly alright. It shows that you appreciate the food and are letting it cool.
You should never serve yourself to drink. Wait for someone else to serve you.
When someone offers you sake, lift your glass to make filling it easier.
The first step is usually to mix a bit of wasabi with a little soya sauce, then dip the sushi in the mix using your chopsticks or fingers. That’s right! Eating sushi with your fingers is very proper. Some people, preferring to keep the flavours pure, put a dab of wasabi on their sashimi before dipping it in soya sauce.
Having a bite of pickled ginger between pieces is recommended because it cleanses the palate so that you can better appreciate the subtle flavours of the various sushi. Nothing goes better with sushi than a glass of sake, served warm or cold. Green tea, Japanese beer, dry white wine, champagne or another sparkling wine are also excellent choices with sushi.
When serving sushi as hors d’oeuvres, allow 4 to 6 pieces per person; as a main course, figure on 8 to 10 pieces. Salad, soup and rice can round out the meal.
To enjoy their full flavour, take sushi out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Cover them with plastic wrap to prevent the rice from drying out. Sushi should be eaten the day of purchase for maximum freshness, but will be good until the best before date on the package.