There is a reason so many people have jumped on the sushi bandwagon. It's low-fat, full of healthy ingredients and delicious. But there are still those out there who have yet to try sushi, either because they're put off by the thought of eating raw fish, they aren't quite sure how to eat it, they don't really know what's in it, or some combination of the three.
But with so many options available, people shouldn't be afraid to try it, said Jerry Chu, manager of Sake Café Japanese Restaurant in Lufkin.
Denise Hoepfner/ The Lufin Daily News |
Sushi comes in a variety of different shapes and colors.
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Denise Hoepfner/ The Lufkin Daily News |
Andy Lin, sushi chef and owner of Sake Cafe, prepares a sushi dish. Lin prides himself on serving only high quality, fresh fish, like the selections shown here.
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The word "sushi" refers to the specially prepared vinegar rice on which other ingredients, usually fish, are placed, rather than the fish itself.
"A lot of people misunderstand and think that sushi is raw fish," Chu said. "What we call "sushi" is typically raw fish over rice." A customer who comes in and orders salmon sushi, for instance, will get a small bundle of sushi rice with a slice of raw salmon placed on top of it.
Often mistakenly called sushi, are sushi rolls — sushi rolled in sheets of seaweed (or soybean sheets, for those who don't like the taste or texture of seaweed) and cut into slices. Sushi rolls can include cooked or raw ingredients, Chu explained. Sashimi are slices of raw fish eaten alone.
How is it possible to eat raw fish safely? It's all in the processing, explained Chu. "The fish has to be frozen at a certain temperature to kill all the bacteria, then they can sell it," he said. "You have to go through a government-regulated process."
Sushi chefs are trained to recognize high quality fish and select only the freshest, which should have good color and no smell. "We always use the best quality fish," said Andy Lin, sushi chef and owner of Sake Café. "Freshness is number one (in importance)."
Next in importance is presentation. "They make it look pretty and then you see it and want to eat it," Chu said.
Often, it is the thought of eating something raw that deters someone from trying sushi, said Chu. "You think, 'This is raw so I'm not supposed to eat it,'" he said. "A lot of people eat rare steak. You can see that it's barely cooked at all. But for fish, it's a 'mind' thing."
The most popular sushi ordered at Sake Café is the salmon sushi, with tuna next in popularity. Even the more exotic fare, like eel and octopus have a following, Chu said. "I have one customer who will say, 'Now I will have my dessert,' and I know he wants the eel sushi — that's his dessert."
Hesitant beginners looking for a place to start might try the crunchy roll, said Chu. "Right now this is the number one seller," he said. "Inside is (cooked) snow crab with avocado and 'crunchy' (tempura batter flakes)."
Other rolls with cooked ingredients include the Boston roll (boiled shrimp), and the California roll, although the outside of the California roll does include roe (fish eggs), which can be left off at the customer's request. Also on the menu are vegetable rolls, which contain no seafood at all.
Customers should feel comfortable asking their server to explain the ingredients of menu items or point out which rolls contain cooked or uncooked foods, Chu said.
For those who just can't acquire a taste for sushi, but want to join their sushi-loving friends for lunch, Sake Café also offers several popular Chinese food menu items.
How to eat Sushi
When your meal is served you will likely notice a few extras on your plate.
"When you go to a Japanese restaurant that serves sushi, they will have ginger and wasabi," Chu said. Wasabi is a green paste that has a bite like that of horseradish. It is mixed with soy sauce to make a dipping sauce for sushi, sashimi and sushi rolls. Gari, pinkish slices of ginger, is used to clean the palate between bites.
To begin eating, pour a little bit of soy sauce into the small dish provided. Add wasabi to taste and stir. Because sushi is served with wasabi already in it, adding extra is optional.
It is perfectly OK to eat sushi and sushi rolls with your hands, or you can choose to use chopsticks or a fork, Chu said. Sashimi is best eaten using chopsticks or a fork.
Dip the sushi into the soy sauce mixture fish side down, to prevent the rice from falling apart.
Sushi is meant to be eaten in one bite, but if the piece is too large for you to do so, it can be eaten in two bites or it can be cut in half before dipping.
For sushi rolls, you can request the chef cut the rolls into eight pieces, rather than the traditional six, to make them smaller.
In between bites, try a slice of ginger to clean your palate and prepare you for the next sensation.
Some people will place a slice of ginger atop their sushi or sushi rolls rather than eat it separately.
As you become more familiar with sushi, start trying new menu items, making note of what you did and didn't like.
