April 2015
There are hundreds of types of sushi, and sushi is not raw fish, that's sashimi. Most sushi is vegetarian, but almost every kind of food is used. The one ingredient that nearly all types of sushi contains is short grain white or brown rice. Short grain rice has a sticky/glutinous quality that holds the sushi together. After cooking rice for sushi it is seasoned traditionally with brown rice vinegar and mirin (sweet rice cooking wine). They are what give sushi rice its sweet/tangy flavor and pearly sheen. Regrettably today, cheap vinegar and refined sugar are replacing the wonderful complexities of a proper mellow vinegar and a sweet traditional mirin. After cooling the sushi rice is combined with the other ingredients like vegetables, pickles, seafood, natto fermented soybeans, fried tofu or egg omelet, meats, and sometimes even fruit. A genuine shoyu soy sauce and select condiments such as wasabi and pickled ginger are common accoutrement flourishes.
New types of sushi continue to be developed as sushi manifests in various cultures around the world. The more common types found at sushi bars are: norimaki or makizushi - cylinder rolls wrapped in nori sheets; inside out or reverse rolls such as Alaska and California rolls; nigirizushi - hand-formed oblong mounds of rice; temaki - hand rolled cones; chirashizushi - rice salad; inarizushi - deep fried, rice-filled tofu pouches; and oshizushi - pressed sushi resembling a sandwich.
Fine Ingredients are Vital
Choosing the right ingredients is key to making sushi that delights and satisfies. By design sushi features and accentuates the taste and asthetic of each ingredient used. Food artistry and taste are what have made sushi popular. Where authentic flavor and the pleasing-of-people are desired, the best sushi ingredients in the Western world are EDEN Sushi Ingredients. They are culturally authentic and supremely delicious. The quality of ingredients chosen will fix taste, texture, and appearance of the sushi.
Recently, and consistent with the food industry as a whole, traditional sushi ingredients and seasonings have been replaced with quickly and artificially made, cheap imitations laden with refined sugar, chemical dyes, chemical additives, and toxic flavorings. Such ingredients are very low cost but best avoided. Making good sushi with them is impossible.
EDEN sushi ingredients are excellent examples of traditionally made, macrobiotic quality foods. They embody every characteristic and value that made them popular.
EDEN sushi ingredients include:
- EDEN Brown Rice Vinegar — traditional ancient methods
- EDEN Mirin — sweet rice cooking wine
- EDEN Sushi Nori — convenient, pre-toasted sheet
- EDEN Umeboshi Paste — pureed pickled plum
- EDEN Pickled Ginger Slices — a garnish flourish or filling
- EDEN Wasabi Powder — Japanese wild horseradish
- EDEN Shoyu — traditionally brewed soy sauce
The use of vinegar, pickled vegetables, and wasabi preserves sushi and aids digestion. Nori and other sea vegetables provide valuable nutrients and flavor. EDEN Sea Vegetables contain essential trace minerals that are not found in land vegetables, a delicious umami flavor, and the proper appearance and texture for sushi.
6 Easy Steps - Color Photos & Instructions
Sushi preparation requires a little practice, but it is easy to master. The step-by-step color photos and instructions in Eden's Art of Sushi instruction sheet are clear and helpful. The Art of Sushi instructions make rolling sushi fairly easy. It includes sushi facts, recipes for cooking rice, suggested fillings, and variations.
The EDEN Sushi Gift Basket was rated “Best Overall” by staff of the Wall Street Journal. They rated sushi baskets based upon the food items, utensils, and instructions. The WSJ wrote of Eden's basket, “...it had enough extra elements to provide hours of experimentation...” and “... the kit was impressive, from the sturdy mat to the step-by-step instructions, illustrations with color photos. It's our Best Overall.”
Handy and Elegant
Whether simple or lavish, sushi presentation is important. Do not overcrowd or over garnish its serving dish. Sushi should be the main focus. Its simple elegance will attract attention. A few pickle slices, a small mound of wasabi, a single slice of citrus, or a small leaf or flower is all that is needed.
While presentation is key, each ingredient must stand on its own and speak for itself, this requires selecting fine quality ingredients.
Little things make big differences. Sushi is an art of little things.
