Memoirs of a Sushi Man-New Blogs every Mon-Thur

Word of the Day!!

Today’s word of the day… isn’t a word of the day due to nothing in my repertoire of knowledge beginning with J and having to do with Sushi.

So I shall bestow upon you my favorite Sushi Rice recipe and ask for yours. 

Also, Expand my knowledge if you know any sushi terms beginning with J :)

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked glutinous white rice (sushi rice)
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Rinse the rice in a strainer or colander until the water runs clear. Combine with water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Rice should be tender and water should be absorbed. Cool until cool enough to handle.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, oil, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool, then stir into the cooked rice. When you pour this in to the rice it will seem very wet. Keep stirring and the rice will dry as it cools.

I give credit to Lucy Delrey for this amazing Sushi recipe!

Does anyone have a favorite recipe or sushi term beginning with J?

Word of the Day!!

Today’s word of the day is Ikura!! 

Ikura is ,simply put, Caviar. Yummy yummy delicious caviar. Ikura is specifically retrieved from Salmon and has a nice beautiful red,glassy color. 

Ikura originated from the Russian word “ikra” which means Caviar.

Ikura at it’s finest. I just can’t get over the salty taste and creamy texture. So GOOD!

Have you had Ikura? What is your favorite kind? Where did you get it?

Word of the Day!!

Today’s word of the day is Hamaguri!

My mouth is already watering thinking about Hamaguri!

Simply put, Hamaguri is clam. Hamaguri is usually a Meretrix Lusoria clam though.

This is a Meretrix Lusoria.

Hamaguri is almost always served as a Nigiri sushi and the clam is first simmered in broth, drained, and cooled. Finally the clam is brushed with a sweet “tare” sauce.

The finished result looks like this absolute delicacy.

MMM MMM Good!

Have you had Hamaguri? Was it served in this way?

Word of the Day!!

Today’s word of the day is Gari!!

Any sushi enthusiast’s out there probably have had Gari. Pickled vinegar ginger is in every Sushi bar. Some of you may have not known, however, that it is called Gari. 

It is made from thinly slicing young ginger and marinating it in sugar and vinegar. The reason it is pink is because it is artificially colored with beet juice.

Gari is used to cleanse the palate in-between Sushi rolls.

Gari can come in multiple different colors as well.

Did you learn anything new about Gari?

Word of the Day!!

Today’s word of the day is Fugu!!

Fugu is the Japanese word for pufferfish. Fugu can literally be lethally poisonous if incorrectly prepared and that is definitely part of the excitement and adventure in this tasty delicacy. 

The poison in Fugu is a sodium channel blocker which paralyzes the muscles if consumed and the victim will literally stay conscious and die from asphyxiation. 

You must have a license to prepare fugu and the meal will generally run you upwards of $100-$200, but it’s worth trying once to say you’ve done it!!

Fugu in it’s LIVE form

Fugu in it’s RAW form

Have you had Fugu before? Are you willing to try it?

Word of the Day!!

Today’s word is Edamame!!

Edamame is a very popular appetizer at any and pretty much all, Sushi bars.

Edamame is boiled soybeans which are left in the pod. The literal Japanese translation for edamame is “twig bean”. 

Most sushi bars serve Edamame with salt on top, although some sushi bars will top Edamame with Wine Dregs(highly fermented grain residue)

Have you tried Edamame? Where and how was it served?

Word of the Day!!

Today’s word of the day is Daikon.

Daikon can be used in multiple ways. Daikon is often shredded and used in sashimi boats. Another common use for daikon is pickling. The Japanese will pickle the daikon known as Oshinko and put it in a nori wrap with sushi rice. Dipped in Wasabi sauce Oshinko can turn into a very spicy roll quickly.

One last common use for Daikon is to be made into Ponzu.  Shred your daikon finely and mix with soy sauce and yuzu juice to make a wonderful tasting dip. 

Have you had daikon? In what have you used it / eaten it with?