25 Aug |
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 Times have changed though, and nowadays you can buy a tray of sushi – of varying quality – anywhere from airport departure lounges to your local supermarket. The Eat Out restaurant guide lists over 200 sushi eateries countrywide, and I’m willing to bet there are 200 more out there somewhere. I’m a big fan of sushi, but if it’s been a lean month in the salt mines of freelance writing it’s not always possible to blow a few hundred rand on a platter of nigiri and California rolls. The solution? Learn how to make it myself, which is how I ended up on the sharp end of a knife held by a man named Bubbles. The ever-garrulous Bubbles – he just rubbed his rotund tummy when I asked him about his name – is the head sushi chef at Wasabi, in Cape Town’s Constantia Village. Popular with the Constantia horsey-set, Wasabi has been making top-notch Asian food for over a decade and their sushi is often rated as some of the best in town. So it’s a good place to learn the ins and outs of maki, nigiri, salmon roses, California rolls and fashion sandwiches; the itinerary for our two-hour journey into the world of rice and raw. The weekly courses take place up at the sushi counter, with a tub of prepared rice ready and waiting. Alongside; a slab of salmon, a few steamed prawns and a handful of crabsticks await their fate at the hands of novice sushi samurais. After a (too brief) brief talk on how to make the rice properly we get stuck in to the easy maki rolls. Hands are dipped in water to keep the rice from sticking and we spread a layer over our individual nori (seaweed) sheets. ‘Inside out’ California rolls are a similar affair, and a saltshaker sends a shower of sesame seeds – nutty and toasted to shades of caramel and coffee – onto the sausages of white rice. Pretty. A big plus is that we each have our own small workspace, so the emphasis is – literally – on getting your hands sticky as you get to grips with the fine art of rolling and slicing. “When cutting through your roll, you never apply pressure. All that’s doing the cutting is the action of running the blade back and forth,” reminds Bubbles. “You also want to keep the blade moist at all times, otherwise the starch in the rice will stick to it and end up pulling the whole roll apart.” Next up is nigiri, where the trick is in the one-handed shaping of a ball of rice into a fat slug to be topped with fish. They’re not my first choice on a sushi platter, but they are certainly attractive when the delicate fillet of fish is cut correctly. “The best fish for this is salmon, but it needs to be sliced carefully. The soft shoulder of the fish is best for nigiri,” explains Bubbles. “And you always want to cut across the grain, so that you can really see the layers of white fat between the meat.” Last on the menu is the always-impressive fashion sandwich, which turns out to be far easier than it looks. Layers of rice, mayonnaise and rich salmon make an impressive mouthful when cut into the dainty sandwiches. “Now when you’re slicing a fashion sandwich you have to forget what I said earlier,” says Bubbles. “The trick here is to use a little more force. If you just saw away at it softly, you’re going to pull everything out.” Our sushi is plated, wine glasses refilled and we sit down to tuck in to our first attempts at the Japanese art of sushi. Not bad, is the general consensus, but you shouldn’t expect to turn into Nobu overnight. Apart from picking up some useful tips serious chefs might find this once-off course a little simple, but for sushi-lovers eager to try their hand it’s an informative and fun evening out. Wasabi sushi courses run most Sunday evenings from 6pm to 8pm. The course costs R350pp. Visit www.wasabi.co.za or call 021 764 6546. First published in Food&Home Entertaining magazine; August 2011 Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites            |