The art of making sushi

An ancient art … The chefs at Nagoya hard at work preparing sushi for a number of patrons at their establishment.

The ancient Japanese culinary delight, sushi, is increasingly finding its way onto Free Staters’ plates.

Many are following in the footsteps of Welkom-born ZAR mogul and sushi king, Kenny Kunene, who set a trend when he ate sushi off a scantily dressed woman at his birthday party.

Bloemfontein socialite Sechaba Mokoqo has become known for hosting annual sushi parties in Kunene-style in Lesotho.

The Weekly visited a local sushi hot spot in Bloemfontein to find out more about this trend. At first glance, Nagoya in Westdene, Bloemfontein might appear a humble setting for such a delicate dish. However, the restaurant’s sushi masters attract patrons every night. It was a full house by 21:00.

“You would actually be surprised about how many people actually enjoy sushi these days. Over the past year, we have seen more patrons coming to enjoy a meal and marvel at our restaurant,” said Shunhuang Lin, who has been working as a waiter at the restaurant since 2009.

“You would actually be surprised about how many people actually enjoy sushi these days. Over the past year, we have seen more patrons coming to enjoy a meal and marvel at our restaurant.”
- Shunhuang Lin.

Sushi’s literal definition means ‘It is Sour’. While the chefs were busy chopping up the ingredients used in their masterpieces, Lin explained the history of the dish.

“In ancient times, the Japanese used to preserve fish in fermented rice. The fermentation allowed for preserving the texture and aroma of fish for longer and also lent a sour flavour to the rice.

This is how sushi basically started off. Over the centuries, however, it has undergone a total transformation and has evolved into a completely distinct class of cuisine.”

Sushi is no longer a synonym for raw fish. For the uninitiated, sashimi is raw fish.

Ready to enjoy … Pieces of delicious sushi.

The culinary delight is prepared with a vast choice of ingredients, very few of them raw. Two of the most basic ingredients that usually go into making sushi are sushi rice (produced by fermenting Japanese short grain rice with rice wine vinegar) and a nori sheet (a nutrient rich semi-toasted sheet of Japanese seaweed).

Once nori and sushi rice are spread on the bamboo mat (used for rolling), a world of options are available to entice the taste buds.  You can choose from cooked seafood such as tiger prawns, boiled fish, to cold cuts such as chicken, salami, and ham, while vegetarian options such as pickled radish, steamed carrots, and Japanese shitake mushrooms are also popular.

According to Lin, one of the popular items on their menu is Californian Rolls, which contain nori paper, sushi rice, thinly sliced avocado, imitation crab meat, and cucumber.

For first time sushi eaters, Lin suggests Maki, which is a simple, uncomplicated dish.

At Nagoya, the restaurant prides itself on its fresh fish.

“You cannot store raw fish in pre-packaged boxes for more than a few hours. It is going to mess up the taste. Sushi has to be fresh all the time, hence we order our stock every day.”

With so many varieties available, there is sure to be a type of sushi to suit your taste and budget. Prices range between R30 and R80.