Friday, August 31, 2012

Few Important Things About Sushi

By Crystal Salazar


When they want to have sushi Calgary residents can visit one of numerous Japanese and sushi restaurants, or just order a delivery. Calgary Sushi, Fuji Yama, Sukiyaki House or Ajisai are just few of those restaurants offering all kinds of Japanese delicacies. Maybe you would like to find out something more about their popular meals.

Sushi is a simple dish with numerous variations. Basic ingredients are Nori algae, rice and raw fish, or any other sea food. The rice has to be very sticky, and the best nori is shiny and dark green. Bite sized pieces are served with different sauces, and soy is the inevitable ingredient.

Modern sushi is a little different than the ancient one. A long time ago, Japanese folks used to eat only the raw fish inside the roll, and the rice was prepared differently. It would be very strange to throw away everything else today, especially because people really developed taste for those little snacks.

The most popular fillings are raw fish, eel, shrimp and crab, as well as all kinds of shellfish. Vegetables can be added raw or pickled, and cucumber is quite popular for its fresh taste. Vegetarian versions often contain fruits. Some recipes contain wasabi paste in the filling, and some are using it for making dipping sauces.

Wasabi is made from very hot and spicy root of the Wasabia Japonica. There are some substitutes made from horseradish, but they don't have the same qualities. It is usually in the form of paste, but you can buy wasabi powder and make your own paste at home, just adding some water in it. If you mix it with soy sauce, you will get extremely hot dipping.

Soy sauce just cannot be avoided. Made of soy beans, it is used in the majority of Japanese and Asian foods. This very salty condiment is full of aroma and taste, and you should dip only the topping in it, not the rice.

Another popular sauce is Unagi. The base for this dipping is soy, of course, with the addition of rice wine and sugar. It may be served with different food, but it tastes great with eel. Ponzu is a tasty mixture of soy, Dashi, rice vinegar and lemon juice. Kewpie is a Japanese version of mayonnaise.

Because the main ingredients are low fat, but with high vitamin and Omega 3 level, this kind of food is considered to be dietary food. Lot of minerals, proteins and carbohydrates make it nutritionally valuable. Well, if you add fatty ingredients like Kewpie, maybe not so dietary.

Among other condiments mentioned before, one of the most popular ones is also Gari. It is actually pickled ginger, and it is very good for your digestion. Green tea is usually served with this type of food.

You can find all kinds of other ingredients in sushi Calgary restaurants are serving. Takuan is a pickled daikon radish, there is also avocado, different pickled vegetables and even sweet corn. If you want to prepare this tasty meal yourself, buy quality, perfectly fresh ingredients only.




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