Stunning Sushi

By Julie McCaffrey

At last - a fast food that's good for us, tasty and getting more popular by the day. Sushi, with its fresh fish, seaweed and rice, is low in calories, high in omega 3 fatty acids, gluten-free and packed full of protein, minerals and vitamins, and health experts can't praise its virtues too much. And because the dish is exquisitely and artistically created, it's deemed stylish enough to be seen on supermodel and celebrity lips, all helping boost the popularity of sushi bars across the UK. But despite looking divine and tasting delicious, few people dare to make the delicacy at home. Now, thanks to a new book, Sushi: Taste and Technique, you can make sushi simply and just the way you like it. One of the book's authors Kimiko Barber reveals she just had to write it after enjoying a meal made by co-author Hiroki Takemura, who trained as a sushi chef in Japan for ten years and headed the famed restaurant Nobu in London and New York. Barber realised that Takemura's fresh and handmade sushi made supermarket and take-away versions pale in comparison. She explains: "Although I'm happy to see sushi gaining in popularity, I am filled with a mixture of delight and sadness when I see it in a supermarket - refrigerated and prepared by machines in factories, as it is a far cry from what sushi is meant to be. "I am not dismissing take-away boxes or conveyor belt sushi, but with fresh ingredients and a little care, you can make your own sushi at home and it will taste far better than anything you could buy ready-prepared." And the book offers much more than recipes. It gives clear guides on the equipment and ingredients required, essential instructions on how to clean and prepare fish, etiquette tips for eating and serving and a list of top sushi bars around the world. Not a fan of the raw fish idea? Don't worry. There are many recipes for meat sushi - try seared beef fillet and red onion sushi - and veggie sushi, such as sun-dried tomato and mozzarella sushi. But you won't get far without the right utensils, and the list isn't as long or expensive as you'd think. Barber suggests buying hair-splittingly sharp knives, a wooden rice tub to cool and gloss rice, a bamboo strainer, shellfish tools, a pressed sushi mould and a bamboo rolling mat. The tools may sound unfamiliar, but Barber says: "They're all available from kitchen sections of large department stores and are inexpensive." Some ingredients may sound alien too - not everyone knows what kombu, kampyo or wasabi is - but again Barber assures us they're as common in Japanese supermarkets as cornflakes are in Sainsbury's. Good sushi begins with good quality rice. The rice is first cooked, then flavoured with a mixture of vinegar, sugar and salt which gives it a slightly sticky texture and glossy look. So if you're serious about sushi, start with perfecting the rice, progress to a simple recipe like omelette parcels - and you'll be making white fish roses and prawn fantails like the best sushi chefs in no time. :: Sushi: Taste and Technique by Kimiko Barber and Hiroki Takemura is published by Dorling Kindersley, priced £12.99.

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