SASHIMI and SUSHI PLATTER

SASHIMI:
Make sure to use clean chopping boards and a very sharp knife when preparing sashimi. You may use “Tako hiki” and “Yanagi ba” sashimi knives, if you don’t have any use a chef’s knife. Do not use serrated knives as this may tear some of the tuna meat.

(a) Maguro Sashimi – Slice a block of Grade A Yellow Fin Tuna into 2.5 cm (1") wide by 4 cm (1.5") long by 0.5 cm (0.2") thick fillets. Remember to cut on the bias and against the grain of the tuna.

Serve with “Shoyu” or soy sauce for dipping and paired with “Wasabi” or freshly grated Japanese Horse Radish. Some would also prefer some Lemon, Lime or Calamansi added to their Shoyu or soy sauce.

MAKIMONO:
The common ingredient in Makimono is the sushi rice “sushi-meshi”. To the following Makimono cook 3 cups of Japanese short grain rice in a rice cooker. Once cooked, transfer the rice into a “Hangiri” or rice barrel if you don’t have one transfer to a non-reactive pan since a vinegar mix will be used to flavor the rice. Mix with flavored powder vinegar “Sushinoko” to taste by sprinkling it over the rice. Use a “Shamoji” or wooden rice paddle to incorporate the Sushinoko into the rice. Fold it into the rice and do not mash or crush the rice. If you can’t find any Sushinoko, mix in bowl 2 cups rice vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, “Kombu” or dried kelp and 2 tsp “Sake” or Japanese Rice wine. You may only use the sushi rice once it has been cooled to room temperature otherwise it will wilt the “Nori” or seaweed wrapper. Cover the rice with a clean moist “Fukin” or kitchen cloth to keep the rice moist.

In handling sushi rice make sure your hands are always moist, not wet, but moist with water and a little bit of “Mitsukan” or rice vinegar. This will keep the rice from sticking to your hands.

Another ingredient is the Nori or seaweed wrapper which is mainly used in making sushi rolls. A good quality Nori is thick, smooth and has a bright green color. When the Nori is already dark green in color and tough it has been exposed too long in the open and has absorbed moisture and is no longer suitable for sushi rolls. A standard size Nori is 7.1” x 8.3” inches in dimension.

Another ingredient commonly used is the “Tamago” or sweet egg omelet. To make some you need 4 eggs (beaten), add ½ tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp Mirin, 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp salt. Using a “Makiyakinabe” or rectangular omelette pan heat ½ tsp oil and cook in batches and crepe like thickness the Tamago. Roll several layers of this cooked egg until you achieve a roll about 2 inches thick.

“Kampyo” or dried bottle gourd is commonly used in making Futomaki. To prepare these dried bottle gourds they are first soaked in water overnight as they are very tough. To flavor them for every 100g of Kampyo boil in a pot fully immersed in water. Add 4 tsp of brown sugar and ½ cup soy sauce. Boil until Kampyo is soft and a little translucent. Drain and set aside.

(b) Tekkamaki – is a Hosomaki type of Makimono that uses “Maguro” or Tuna as its single ingredient. Prepare cuts of Tuna ¾” x ¾” x 8.3” in thickness and length. Use only ¾ of a Nori sheet (cut lengthwise) and add a thin layer of rice on the dull side of sheet and not on the shiny side. Don’t pack it too tight since you will be rolling it anyway. Lay the Tuna in the center and roll the Tekkamaki using a “Makisu” or bamboo mat. Some prefer Wasabi paste together with the Tuna. Once rolled, the rice must cover the tuna entirely.

Cut the roll in the center and place the halves together to check if they have the same length. Cut the ends to achieve an even length of the halves. Cut the halves in the middle once more to make 4 rolls. Cut each roll again on the bias to achieve the desired cut in the picture. A single roll usually makes around 8 pieces of Tekkamaki.

Serve with Shoyu or soy sauce for dipping and pair it with Wasabi or freshly grated Japanese Horse Radish. Some would also prefer some Lemon, Lime or Calamansi added to their Shoyu or soy sauce.

(c) Futomaki – are thick, large or fat rolls usually 1½ inches in diameter and have around 3 or more ingredients. Prepare the following: 4 pieces Nori, 12 pieces Cumber sticks about 2½ inches in length and ½ inch thick (remove seeds), 4 pieces Tamago ¾” x ¾” x 8.3” in thickness, 8 pieces crabstick, 8 pieces ripe Mango strips 2½ and length and ¾ inch thick, 4 strips of Kampyo with each strip covering the length of the Nori and several tsp of “Oborro” or pink fish powder.

Use only 1 Nori sheet and add a thin layer of rice on the dull side of sheet and not on the shiny side. Don’t pack it too tight since you will be rolling it anyway. Leave at least ½ inch clearance from the bottom of the Nori and at least 1 inch from the top help close the Futomaki later on. Lay 2 pcs crabstick in the middle of the sushi rice. Below the crabsticks add 2 pcs Mango strips and above it add 3 pcs of Cucumber sticks (make sure the Cucumber is skin side down). Add some Oborro powder above the Cucumber sticks. Add a strip of the Tamago between the Cucumber and the crabstick. Add a strip of Kampyo between the crabstick and the Mango strips. Make sure the edge of the Nori and Makisu are aligned before you start to roll the Futomaki. Using both hands grab the ½ clear edge of the Nori and Makisu with your pointer and thumbs roll away from you while holding the rest of the contents with your other fingers. Press the clear edge of the Nori against the edge of the layer of rice at the top. Roll using the Makisu and make sure that it is firm. Do not press too hard otherwise the insides may spill out from the sides.

Cut the roll in the center and place the halves together to check if they have the same length. Cut the ends to achieve an even length of the halves. Cut the halves in the middle once more to make 4 rolls. Cut each roll again in half to make around 8 pieces of Futomaki.

Serve with Shoyu or soy sauce for dipping and pair it with Wasabi or freshly grated Japanese Horse Radish.

(d) Ebi Nigiri – “Nigiri” types of sushi are hand-formed sushi which consists of an oblong mound of sushi rice that is pressed between the palms of the hands, usually with a bit of Wasabi and a topping draped over it but in my case I used some Japanese Mayo to attach the topping to the rice.

Wash some large white shrimps the quantity is dependent on how many you plan to make. Cut off the heads for better presentation and run a thin barbecue stick along the legs up to the tail. Do not pierce the tail section. This is to keep the shrimp from curling up when you cook them. Cut off any excess stick leaving at least some to easily remove the stick once the shrimps are cooked.

In a pot, boil some water and add 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp Mitsukan for every 500g of shrimp. Place the shrimp into the pot and wait for it to cook in about 3 to 3½ minutes. Drain and shock the shrimps in ice water. Remove the sticks and peel off all the skin or you may opt to retain the tail segment for presentation. Butterfly the shrimps by using a knife by cutting along the bottom of the shrimp making sure not to cut all the way through but just enough to spread out the shrimp.

Mould some rice in your hands into an oblong shape with the following dimension 1½” x ½” x ½”. Place some Wasabi or Japanese Mayo on top and place the shrimp on top and press between your palms again. Do not press too hard or you will crush the Nigiri.

Serve with Shoyu or soy sauce for dipping and pair it with Wasabi or freshly grated Japanese Horse Radish.

(e) Ebiko Gunkan – “Gunkan” or warship roll, is a special type of Nigiri with an oval, hand-formed clump of sushi rice that has a strip of Nori wrapped around its perimeter to form a vessel that is filled with some soft, loose or fine-chopped ingredient that requires the confinement of Nori. In this case “Ebiko” or flying fish roe (also called “Tobiko”).

Mould some rice in your hands into an oval shape with the following dimension 1½” x ½” x ½”. Get some Nori and using the marks on the sheet cut into about 1” thick strips. Wrap the Nori around the perimeter of the rice and press to close. Fill the Gunkan with Ebiko until it forms a mound.

Serve with Shoyu or soy sauce for dipping and pair it with Wasabi or freshly grated Japanese Horse Radish.

(f) Spicy Maguro Gunkan – Just follow the recipe for Ebiko Gunkan but instead of using Ebiko use diced tuna mixed with sautéed tomato pulp (without seeds and skin), garlic, salt, sugar, chopped spring onions and Tabasco sauce.