Contents
This time you will learn:
- Is sushi healthy?
- How are uramaks different from hosomaks?
- Where to buy sushi – Biedronka or a reputable restaurant?
- Is it possible to make tasty and healthy homemade sushi?
We will also explain why sushi is relatively expensive and to taste it you have to pay a bit more than for a “typical Polish dinner” in a restaurant.
What is sushi, is it worth eating?
First of all, it is worth knowing that it is a traditional, a Japanese dish that dates back to the eighth century AD. The construction remains relatively simple to this day – most often it is a combination of raw fish, rice and seaweed. Everything is properly rolled up and then cut into round pieces. In this form, sushi is supposed to fit in the mouth “at once”. Interestingly, sushi is also gaining popularity in the vege form, i.e. without fish.
As it usually happens, there are those who love this dish and there will also be staunch opponents. One of the age-old battles waged by both factions is the fundamental question: is sushi healthy?
The answer is definitely yes, but not necessarily. We already explain! As in many other cases, it is worth taking into account individual ingredients. Good sushi must be made primarily of fresh and properly stored raw materials (definitely fish) that come from ecological farms. Cheaper meat (such as tuna) can contain mercury and other harmful toxinsto be avoided. The quality of the food, as we have mentioned many times and will continue to repeat, plays the first fiddle here.
Another question that raises doubts is the composition of the rice mortar, thanks to which we can form our rolls. Well, such a basic mortar consists of ingredients such as sugar, rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. For 100 g of rice, these are not large amounts, but for larger portions, we are talking about a few tablespoons of each of these ingredients. Alternatively, when preparing the touch-up yourself, it is worth using xylitol or erythritol and giving up salt.
However, when we look at whether sushi is healthy from the point of view of fresh and high-quality ingredients, the matter is clear. Here’s what you can count on:
- in the case of fish is a great source of protein and unsaturated fatty acids, selenium, phosphorus and vitamins B and D,
- as for rice, you can find a lot of protein, vitamins B, C and E in it again, as well as provide the body with energy in the form of complex carbohydrates,
- nori seaweed on the other hand, it is an ideal source of iodine, protein and other valuable minerals.
Condition? We emphasize once again – the highest quality ingredients, properly processed by an experienced manufacturer.
Types of sushi
Moving on to the practical part, most people are probably aware that sushi is traditionally eaten with fingers or chopsticks, and not with a knife and fork. On the other hand, the naming itself is sometimes troublesome. So let’s explain what they are:
Flour
This is the simplest general name. Maki sushi is loosely translated from Japanese simply … rolls. They are rolled up with a bamboo mat and, of course, consist of rice, seaweed and filling.
Uramaki
While poppies are characterized by the fact that the seaweed is on the outside, uramaki is distinguished by the opposite of this situation – nori lands inside and rice on the outside, often with the addition of sesame sprinkles. The American type of uramaki is California maki, created with the use of crab sticks.
Hosomaki
This is the most common variety, the smallest and quite cheap compared to the more fancy rolls. Hosomaki is rice, seaweed and fish (or veggie ingredient), closed in a diameter of max. 3 centimeters. The variety with cucumber is called Kappa maki.
Futomaki
Futomaki differ from hosomaki in that they are larger in volume, which increases their diameter, even up to 6 cm. Inside the roll there are perfectly composed four ingredients (and sometimes even more). The base is usually fish, and the side dishes – vegetables.
Cursed tempura
Sushi restaurants very often offer an extremely tasty variety of sushi in tempura, a special Japanese dough.
In addition, the menu also includes sashimi, i.e. sushi stripped of rice, temari, inari, oyakomaki, kaburamaki, gunkan maki and others. If you want to learn more about all types with their calorific value, let me know in the comments! Meanwhile, we move on to another important topic.
The best places to buy Japanese specialties
Here the matter is simple – definitely avoid market ready-made items. Firstly, because their path from preparation to eating is quite long, we therefore lose the freshness aspect and gain the undesirable effect of visiting refrigerators and cold stores by serving. Sushi and Biedronka? Of course it is possible, but the taste will be incomparably worse than what an experienced sushimaster will prepare in front of our eyes. We don’t even mention the quality.
It is also worth choosing carefully among restaurants, it is often worth relying on the recommendation of people with more experience and understanding. Although nowadays most of these establishments strive for the highest level of customer service – that’s a good sign. The most important variables are the skills of the chef, often acquired through many years of experience, and above all, the source of supply.
You also have to take into account that the prices, e.g. per kilogram of the best salmon, can be really dizzying, and this affects the final amount for the ordered set. In Poland, sushi is not cheap, on average you have to pay about twice as much for it as for a classic dinner in a restaurant.
How to make sushi at home?
The only remedy to reduce costs is to learn a new skill – how to make homemade sushi. The task is not easy already at the stage of choosing the ingredients – you need to buy the right rice, seaweed and fish, or more recommended in this case ingredients adequate for the veg variety: smoked tofu, carrot, cucumber, avocado, sweet potatoes …
There are many possibilities here, and by the way, it is worth bearing in mind that the processing of raw fish is not easy (it is easy to get infected with bacteria, parasites), so if you do, then better to opt for a cooked version.
The next step, learning to roll, is through trial and error in preparing the rice. The biggest difficulty is that it has to be sticky enough so that the whole thing remains firm, but also not overcooked if we want to get the right taste and sensation while eating. So you have to be prepared that home sushi will not be perfect the first time …
Do you like sushi, or maybe you are a sushi-skeptic? Can you afford an average of 300-400 calories from one roll of this delicacy (a roll usually consists of 5-6 pieces)? And what was your most interesting adventure connected with it, maybe it was preparing home-made sushi for which you have a special recipe? Share your opinion in the comment! 🙂