Sushi essentials

If you are a sushi lover, there is only so much sushi you can eat in one serving, right? And because of your gastric limitations, you may want to save your sushi for the next day. One question that sushi lovers tend to ask restaurateurs, chefs or even search engines, is “how long does sushi […]

Choosing the right rice cooker for you In recent years, we have seen technology that makes the cooking process easier and rice has been a big beneficiary of this. Nowadays, there are various brands offering superb rice cookers that will…well, cook your rice. However, it does much more than rice because it opens up a […]

  The myth As it turns out, what is sold in many restaurants and stores as wasabi paste is often no other than horseradish mixed with mustard and other ingredients. If you are lucky, it might include some wasabi at the very bottom of the ingredient list. Sounds bizarre right? But that’s true nonetheless. For […]

What’s Kewpie Mayonnaise? Kewpie mayo is a special type of Japanese mayo. Arguably the best mayo you will taste, Kewpie is made with the combination of egg yolks, vegetable oil, monosodium glutamate, spice and seasoning, all in a mixture of apple vinegar. Kewpie mayo is by far different from regular mayonnaise. The remarkable traditional Kewpie […]

 How to make Unagi sauce at home? To make Unagi sauce at home you’ll need: 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine) 1/4 cup sugar Instructions: Mix ingredients together, and pour into a small pan. Put on low heat and simmer for a few minutes until sugar dissolves, while stirring with a […]

What is Ponzu sauce? Ponzu is a type of Japanese sauce, usually served with Sashimi or Tataki. You can make Ponzu sauce at home from Soy sauce, lemon juice, rice vinegar and Dashi.

What is Soy Sauce? Soy sauce, as its name suggests is a dark, salty sauce made from fermenting soybeans. Soy sauce is traditionally used in many Asian cuisines, and Japanese in particular. A small bowl of soy sauce (per person) is a must in sushi dinning since you dip almost any kind of sushi in […]

What is Tobiko? Tobiko isn’t very expensive in comparison with alternative Caviars which makes it very popular among sushi chefs. Tobiko is quite a newfangled ingredient, even among the sushi masters of Japan.  How is Tobiko harvested? Tobiko is harvested from saltwater fish, so it has to be done in the East China Sea, usually […]

The origin of shiitake Shiitake is a mushroom that has been used in China and Chinese food for a long, long time. The first written reference cropped up in 1209 – which was during the Chinese Song dynasty. That reference is simply a 185-word passage in which shiitake cultivation was described at length. That passage […]

What is black sesame? Black sesame is a kind of salted & toasted sesame used to decorate and enrich flavor. There isn’t much to elaborate on the matter of using it, simply sprinkle as much as you dare on top, or all around an inside out sushi roll to create the desired ratio of black […]

What is Panko? Panko are basically Japanese breadcrumbs. It is used in all kind of dishes, and can be found mainly in those that include fish and seafood. Panko is commonly related with deep-fried dishes. One of its most common uses in sushi, is soaking an inside-out roll in tempura, then rolling it in panko, […]

What is Tempura? Tempura is a kind of japanese batter used as coating for deep fried vegetables, fish and seafood. One popular dish using tempura is deep fried, tempura coated carrot and sweet potato chips. As delicious as that dish is, our main interest in tempura regarding sushi comes in two other forms of tempura […]

Oshinko Oshinko (also “Takuan”) is a Japanese pickled radish. It has a strong flavor, and so can serve as a single filling in a small (hoso) maki roll, or as an addition to other fillings in Foto-maki, or Ura-maki rolls. Since pickled, the Oshinko can be stored for long periods in the fridge, even after […]

What is Inari? Inari is a wonderful thing in the world of sushi – crispy, delicious, soft, and utterly unique. We adore them whenever we’re cooking or even going out for sushi. To learn a little more about the wonderful food, we’ve broken down some key pieces of knowledge for you here. History Inari sushi […]

What is Kombu? Kombu (or Konbu), is a sort of dried kelp (which is a sort of sea-weed) used in many Japanese cuisines including sushi. Kombu is considered to be an important ingredient in creating Umami (savouriness). You probably already know that Umami is a loanword from Japanese meaning “good flavor” or “good taste”.  How […]

What is nori? Nori, the Japanese name for dry edible seaweed sheets is made from red algae (though it looks green). The red algae species used to make Nori are porphyra yezoensis and porphyra tenera. It is gotten from the sea, washed with fresh water and then passed through a shredding machine that reduces it […]

What is sushi Gari? Gari are thin slices of pickled ginger. Commercial Gari is usually colored pink, and sometimes can be obtained in its original color – yellow, as the inside of ginger is. Gari is served with every meal of sushi. It is usually consumed between different sushi dishes, or sushi piece in order […]

What is sushi wasabi? Wasabi, also known as “Japanese horseradish”, is a hot Japanese spice root and an important item on any sushi table. Some like to mix it with soy sauce bowl for future dipping, and some rather place it directly on the sushi just before they eat. For more information about the origin […]

What is an avocado? Avocado is one of the most common fruits used in sushi. It is cholesterol free, and blends perfectly with the look and feel of the sushi roll. Because of its natural “fatty” taste and feel, the avocado is an ideal substitute for the raw fish commonly used in sushi. The best […]

Why sweet potato? Sweet potato works extremely well in sushi. It does so especially when used as topping for an inside-out roll. Its color is naturally vivid and thus contributes much to the aesthetic effort. Sweet potato can also be used for sushi roll filling, with or without tempura – it works very well, especially […]

The sushi rolling mat (or Makisu) A makisu or bamboo mat is a mat woven from bamboo and cotton string which is used in food preparation. Makisus are mostly used to make makizushi a kind of rolled sushi, but are also used to shape other soft foods, and to squeeze excess liquid out of food. […]

Wooden rice bowl (or Hangiri) A hangiri (also known as a sushi oke) is a wonderful cooking device: it’s a Japanese wooden tub that’s used in the final steps of preparing sushi rice. While that might be a fairly humble description (a tub that’s used to make rice), the hangiri is actually very well designed […]