Sushi rice balls

Sushi rice balls

This side dish is based on one of the earliest elements of Southeast

Asian cuisine: simple, hand shaped sushi rice balls, which are eaten

with the fingers, with or without first being dipped in soy sauce. 

To spice up the taste of the rice, you can sprinkle them with green shiso

leaves, furikake, toasted sesame seeds,or finely chopped umeboshi plums. 

Another possibility is to wrap a salted green shiso leaf around the rice ball. As sushi rice balls can be eaten either warm or cold, they are super in a bag lunch. They can also be turned into onigiri by wrapping them

in a piece of nori. Because it absorbs moisture, the seaweed should

be wrapped around the rice ball only just before it is to be eaten.

Rice balls (temari) wrapped in salted green shiso leaves.

Rice balls wrapped in shiso
leaves.Soak salted, green shiso leaves (ao-jiso) in water, dry them, and lay them out on individual
pieces of plastic wrap. Place a rice ball of suitable size on each leaf and then wrap the shiso tightly around the rice ball by bringing the corners of the plastic wrap together and giving them a twist. Remove the wrap carefully and serve the rice balls with the leaf side up.

Rice balls with thinly sliced green shiso

Rice balls with green shiso.

Hand shape balls about 3-4 cm (1½

inches) in diameter from sushi rice.

Cut green shiso leaves into very thin strips and sprinkle them on top. The rice balls can be served

either warm or cold arranged in a rowon a narrow platter. If the rice balls are very warm, the shiso leaves should be sprinkled on just as they are to be eaten,otherwise the fresh shiso will turn brown

and look unattractive.

Sashimi – just plain raw


Sashimi is easy to prepare because it generally consists of only
sliced raw fish and shellfish. With a fresh fish at hand, you can make
sashimi in a matter of minutes. It sometimes occurs to good friends
of mine who go fishing to slice up fish that they have just caught,
right in the boat, and eat them on the spot. This is probably exactly
what our distant ancestors did in prehistoric times.

All fish and shellfish which can be eaten raw can be made into
sashimi. Given that sashimi by definition indicates something that
is cut up, oysters cannot, strictly speaking, be classified as sashimi.

Also, there are fish and shellfish which cannot be consumed raw,
but which must first be cooked, salted, or marinated. Cases in point
include shrimp, cuttlefish, and mackerel. Slices cut from these seafoods
can also be used for sashimi.

Preparation of sashimi, however, amounts to more than just cutting
up pieces of fish and, as in many other things in life, the devil is in
the details. The precise way that various types of fish and shellfish
are sliced, the combination of ingredients, and especially the presentation
are all elements that elevate sashimi to the level of art.
A professionally arranged platter with sashimi is a feast for the eyes.

Often the fish is presented on bamboo leaves together with thin
strips of fresh radish (daikon) and small ice cubes. The interplay of colours can be enhanced by a careful choice of decorations – different
types of roe, a pair of green shiso leaves, or a small fan of finely  sliced avocado. Fish that is unskinned, for example, shiny mackerel,  adds a special dimension.


Soft fish, such as salmon and tuna, are cut into thicker slices than
firm fish, such as flatfish and ocean perch, or octopuses.
Ikizukuri is a particular, slightly bizarre type of sashimi, which some
might consider rather off-putting. To make it, a fish that has just
been killed is cut up and artistically reassembled on the skeleton
before being served.
Sashimi can also be prepared as tataki. The fillet of the fish is
first lightly seared on all sides and then sliced. Tat aki  is especially
impressive if made with red tuna because the deep red of the raw
fish really stands out against the cooked brown edges where the
myoglobin of the muscles has lost its colour.
Often sashimi makes up the first part of a Japanese meal; it is typically
served before the sushi. It is eaten by dipping the individual
pieces in soy sauce into which wasabi has been mixed. Between
bites, the palate is refreshed with a little picked ginger, gari.

Tuna (maguRo)

Tuna (maguRo)

Many people regard tuna as the king of sushi. The tuna family
consists of at least fifty different species, of which about ten are
used for sushi. The bluefin tuna (hon-maguro) and yellowfin tuna
(kihada) are especially well-suited for making sushi. Tuna can live
for up to 30 years and grow to great size, up to 3-4 metres in length.
The price commanded by a fine tuna can exceed that of the highest
quality beef. Tuna can be caught year-round in different parts of
the world.
Bluefin tuna, which is about five times as fatty as the yellowfin and
consequently has a stronger taste, is regarded as the best for sushi.
Tuna has about ten times as much fat in the belly muscle as in the
back muscle. The latter are, therefore, red, whereas the former are
paler and have less firm layers of connective tissue.
Fish stores do not always have fresh tuna on hand, but frozen fillets 
can certainly be used, even if they might have lost a little moisture
and taste. For nigiri-zushi you should make sure that you purchase
a fillet that is sufficiently wide to permit you to cut off pieces that
are an appropriate size for placing on the rice balls.

Make sure that you trim away any connective tissue membranes thatmight be found between the larger muscle fibres. Cut the musclefibres crosswise or at an angle so that the slice does not come apart
along the  myotomes.

The red muscle bundles of the tuna are surrounded in several
places by looser layers of muscle that are richer in fat and serve as
insulation. Sushi lovers regard the fatty belly muscle ( toro) of the
tuna as a particular delicacy. It is very expensive, but it melts in the
mouth and is often the fi rst piece eaten at a sushi meal. As toro is
soft and has loose fi bres, it can easily fall apart when it is sliced, so
this must be done extremely delicately.

When tuna is eaten as sushi or sashimi, the amount of soy sauce used should be decreased as
the fattiness of the tuna increases.

Salmon (sake)

Salmon (sake)

Fresh salmon is always good for sushi, especially the fatty part of the 
fillet – in general, the fattier the fish, the better the taste. There can
be a great variation in the flavour of salmon from different waters,
with wild salmon often being tastier than that raised in fish farms.
Pieces of salmon for nigiri-zushi can most easily be cut from a whole,
trimmed fillet, but salmon steaks can also be used. Be sure to ask
for those that have been cut farthest from the tail.
Avoid slicing the salmon lengthwise along the muscle fibres (myotomes).

Instead cut the fillet at an angle so that it results in a crosscut with a fine,

wavy pattern formed by the white connective tissue.
Trim away the dark muscles which lie near the skin, especially along
the side. These trimmings can easily be used in a soup.

Salmon for nigiri-zushi is normally cut in thicker slices than other types of tane
because it has a very soft consistency.



Some sushi bars use smoked salmon for nigiri-zushi. In this case
the slices must be thinner than the ones for fresh salmon. Although
I am personally very fond of smoked products, I do not think they
go with sushi. The smoky taste detracts from the flavour nuances of
the rice. If one absolutely must incorporate smoked fish into sushi,
it should be eaten last.

Sushi ...!

Sushi and Zen 

Sushi is a food that nourishes the body, enriches the

brain, and is a delight for the eye. Sushi is a healthy food,

in which the quality of the raw ingredients, the taste,

the chemical composition, the physical texture, and the

aesthetic presentation are inseparable entities. 

Sushi is a food where the pleasure taken in its preparation and the

artistry of the presentation are just as important to the whole experience as the meal itself. Sushi encompasses passion, science,and wellness. Sushi is Zen. 

There is a common saying in Japan that every meal should incorpo-

rate “something from the sea and something from the mountains”.

The ocean supplies fish, shellfish, and seaweed, while rice, beans,

and other plants come from the mountains. 

Science is the tool used to satisfy the curiosity of a person who

wants to look beyond the physical manifestations of objects and

phenomena and, one glance at a time, to recognize and understand

inter-relationships which those who are uninterested or uninformed

will never comprehend. Science poses questions and the mere

process of formulating those leads to a measure of insight even if

they remain unanswered. Good, in-depth answers elicit new questions,

which in turn lead to further insight and recognition that

can intensify the haiku moment. Questions may relate to colours,

shapes, and patterns and their transformation in time and space.

Why is the flesh of salmon and tuna reddish, while that of flatfish

is white? What happens when rice is cooked and fermented? Why

are some teas bitter and feel harsh on the tongue while others have

a smooth, well-rounded taste? How can one preserve vegetables

and fruits so that they retain their flavour?

Here we are concerned with chemistry and the chemical reactions

that take place between ingredients, with the physical properties

of raw ingredients and tools, and with the biology of those living

organisms which we use for food. One can easily prepare sushi 

nd enjoy the haiku moment without knowing the answer to these

sorts of question, to say nothing of not even posing them in the

first place. But I maintain that asking such questions will serve to

sharpen the senses of intellectually curious individuals and that

gaining knowledge of the science underlying the ingredients and

the techniques employed in their preparation can greatly enhance

the overall sushi experience.