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Of sushi and tempura
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Fish caught in nets and baskets is not right for sushi, the Japanese style of eating fish, says sushi expert Hiroko Shimbo
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Photo: Priyadershini S.
Fine dining Food consultant Hiroko Shimbo
Fascinated as she is by the way fish is caught at the Chinese nets in Fort Kochi, sushi expert and food consultant Hiroko Shimbo says that fish hauled in nets is not right for sushi, the Japanese style of eating raw fish. A consultant with Japanese r
estaurants in America and Europe, author of two cookery books, ‘The Sushi Experience’ and ‘The Japanese Kitchen’, Hiroko says, “Japanese food is amazing because of sushi. You can find sushi in Russia too and it is coming to India.”
The reason for the spurt in popularity of Japanese cuisine according to her is, “the Japanese way of cooking is very different from other cuisines. We don’t use much oil. The most popular way of cooking is grilling, boiling, braising or steaming. We don’t start with oil in a wok as for in a curry or as in Italian or Spanish food. So Japanese food is very light.”
And the fish curries in India? “Here you have wonderful spices but we don’t have any. So when we eat fish we get the real taste of the fish, its flavour.” But the curry is special to Hiroko. Comparing it to a musical orchestra she says, “It’s a very clever way of cooking, almost like an orchestra playing where different notes combine in harmony.”
Preparing sushi fish
But it’s the sushi that Hiroko is an authority on. And she explains. “The fish needs to be very fresh in sushi. The fisherman angles and brings the fish aboard gently. The fish is kept alive till middleman sell it to sushi chefs. There is a special way to kill the fish. It is killed in one stroke and another gash is made towards the tail. The fish is then plunged in water and allowed to bleed. After the bleeding is complete it is sent to the restaurant.” And she goes on to explain about the expertise needed by a sushi chef to fillet the fish and serve it at the right point.
“It takes 20 years of hardwork to become a sushi chef, for he has to know when to fillet and serve the fish.” The trick to it according to Hiroko is, “The flavour of the fish peaks during rigor mortis, after which the fish begins to spoil. Only an expert sushi chef knows the time when the flavour of the fish peaks and serves it then.”
And what goes best with sliced raw fish (sashimi). “Oh, no chilly, no chutney, just Japanese soy sauce and a sweetened, smoky flavoured sauce based on Soy.”
And what does she attribute the popularity of sushi or raw fish to? “Eating uncooked fish is a completely different experience and when people started eating it they loved it. The Nigiri sushi or rice and fish was invented in the middle of the 19th Century in the city of (Edo)Tokyo. Eating raw fish started after the WW II because that is when refrigeration came. Before that fish was boiled or cured in vinegar and salt.”
When sushi came to America in the 70s the quality of ingredients available was poor. The Inside Out sushi was invented in California and was an innovation by American sushi chefs. Its filling is king crab, cucumber and avocado. This is called the California Roll and when this went back to Japan the purist chefs were horrified. But the young and trendy chefs accepted it and it soon became fashionable to have the Inside out, where the rice is the outer covering of the roll”
The only fried food the Japanese eat is the tempura, close to the Indian pakoda. This, says Hiroko, is a legacy of the Portuguese when they came to Japan for trade. The Tempura dip is made of kelp or seaweed, dried fish flakes and very delicate stock flavoured with mirin ( sweet cooking wine) and salt.
Presentation of food is very important in Japanese cuisine. “The crockery used is of different types for different foods. In spring time we serve in light coloured bone china with cherry blossom prints. In autumn it changes to dark earthy colours and in winter the bone china gets thicker. The portions too depend on the season.”
And Hiroko gives an example of serving spinach in summer and in winter. “In summer the portion is small while in winter it is heaped like a mountain, garnished with golden rind of orange. The contrast is very nice and warm. We try and incorporate the five colours in a dish while serving. Sometimes the colour of the plate is one from green, orange, brown, black and white.”
Japanese fast food?
Any fast foods in Japan? Not many says Hiroko perplexed and thoughtful at the query. “No, sushi is definitely not fast food. In fact dining is a slow and elaborate process there. But yes buckwheat noodle, udon and soba are fast foods if you can say so.”
Japan has only wheat noodles and not rice like all other Asian countries, maybe because rice is so precious for us.
Hiroko who appears as guest chef on television and lectures at food events across America and Europe is married to an Englishman, James Beitchman.
And tell her that sushi is an expensive habit she says, “Any fish, expensive or inexpensive can be used in sushi but it must be of top quality. Beside the expertise required to serve good sushi is not easy to come by and so sushi joints are expensive.”
PRIYADERSHINI S.
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