Sushi Story

I discovered sushi last year! And before you fall about laughing at this statement I need to explain that I am allergic to soy and its products and for a long time have not eaten any food that contain soy. I used to love Chinese food and had to cut it out of my diet. Now I am not sure if you are aware as to how many products in the oriental recipes have soy as soy sauce, miso, tofu, edamame beans, Tamari, Tempeh as well as being used as meat substitute and emulsifier. In fact, now days it is hard to pick up a product in any supermarket without any form of soy in it. It is used to enhance protein content cheaply and also as milk supplement, cheap oil and emulsifier.

But I digress and so back to finding sushi. I had not come across it as such when I lived in UK and never had an opportunity to try it. Also I was concerned about soy that could be in it. While in Australia there are so many sushi bars and I managed to look at the menus and think, ‘oh yes there is some veggie ones here that I could have’. A year on here and my husband started work in a place where there are some food places for lunch in the building. Yes, you guessed it he started having sushi for lunch and telling me how nice it was. I wanted to try some but was hesitant and wanted to be able to talk to someone who was making it before I ate it.

Then, one day at my supermarket there sprouted a sushi kiosk! Right there in the middle between the fruit and veg and the bread areas. There are couple of staff making fresh sushi and the counters display all the beautifully made sushi. Of course there were vegetarian sushi as well as all kinds of fish and meat ones. In the first week or so they had a try-me table with tuna, salmon, chicken and veggies sushi. Staff promoting the sale was helpful and explained the ingredients and whether any soy was in the recipe. They assured me that there was no soy sauce used in the making and was generally provided separately. So I was able to try the veggies one and was hooked.

The sushi can have separately or in combination carrots, cucumber, avocado, tomato, peppers, lettuce (another thing I have to avoid), asparagus ……things I have got so far. It can come as wrapped in nori and rice or with rice outside, white, brown or red rice or even soft rice paper, indeed now I also get quinoa instead of rice. There white or black sesame seeds sprinkled over it. The strangest is small bit of fried onions sprinkled on it. Well why I consider it strange I have no idea but I guess have not heard that one before. Must say it does have a nice crunch to it. So I bought the first round of veggie sushi with pink pickled ginger and wasabi sauce. Best meal ever …………. the sharpness of ginger with the heat of wasabi was all perfectly balanced.

And rest as they say is history. I was telling my niece about it and she was not very enthusiastic. Then one day at the airport on her way to visit me she tried some in the restaurant there. While she is not a fan of fish she was taken with the veggie, chicken and beef ones, and so started her love of sushi too.

During her time here, we went to one of these sushi bars where the small train goes round the table and one picks the plate of what they want. Since there was no rush (we started one by going in there) the chef was able to explain what the dishes were and assured there would be no soy in the veggie dishes. In addition to the sushi there usually is a seaweed salad and boiled edamame beans which my niece and husband had. The seaweed is generally shredded and sprinkled in sesame seeds. So nice to pick a dish….. have a few morsels… then pick the next one… something of the tapas effect I should think. Finally it was topped off with black sesame ice cream. Oh My! Again something that was so delicate not very sweet and yet delicious.

The only other variation I have had is a sweet one and you could say it would do nicely as dessert for it had fruits in it. The flavours were clean and that pickled ginger just gave it a nice touch. 

What can I say about wasabi? It is one of my favourite heat producing root right there with chillies but a little different. When I first got the taste of wasabi it was from wasabi peas that I bought as a snack when I came to Australia on holiday. You can also get wasabi roasted beans and macadamia nuts. So when I saw a sauce bottle of wasabi in the super market I thought, ‘oh yes that will do me fine!’ Oh boy was it terrible - very much a mayonnaise like sauce with barely any heat of wasabi. Needless to say that whole bottle was trashed. Then I found the authentic sushi wasabi which is good and now a permanent resident in my fridge. I found that some sushi places have even hotter wasabi sauces. The heat just explodes at the top of the mouth and flashes through the nose and into the sinuses. Even though it is strong enough to clear your sinuses and bring water to your eyes it is momentary and does not stop you from taking that next bite.

So that is the story of my love with sushi. Many people do not like the idea of cold rice but eating it on a hot summer afternoon or evening it is just right. It is filling but not heavy. There are a variety of fillings for all to choose from. My niece has already invested in paraphernalia for making sushi and is urging me to do the same. I am seriously considering this and will share with you the outcomes and recipes – if and when. If you have never tried sushi for whatever reasons, do not hesitate at the next time you come across this dish. Take the chance and tuck in and let me know if you enjoyed the experience.