Morimoto's tips on good sushi

Who better than Iron chef Masaharu Morimoto to teach us about sushi! As one of the celebrity chefs invited recently to teach at the Culinary Institute in New York, chef Morimoto took the students on a step-by-step journey from gutting, deboning and slicing an entire tuna all the way to the finishing touches of what makes first-rate sushi. 

Photo by Laura Togut

Preparation:
1: The brighter the color, the fattier the tuna is likely to be.
2: Slice tuna filets in one long, clean stroke with a long knife.

Nigiri:
3: Sushi is supposed to be finger food, so use your hands.
4: Dip sushi fish-side-down into soy sauce so the rice doesn't sog up.
5: Eat your nigiri whole.

Maki (Rolls):
6: Dried sheets of nori have a shiny and dull side. Work dull-side-down for stability.
7: Shape the rice delicately. Don't press down hard.
8: If working from larger cuts of tuna, little scaps and end bits are perfect for maki.
9: Use a bamboo rolling mat after shaping by hand for best results. Don't use the map to shape the roll initially.

Photo by Laura Togut

Wasabi:
10: If using fresh wasabi, slice it for less heat and grate it for more heat.
11: The fattier the tuna, the more wasabi it can take. And DON'T mix your wasabi with your soy sauce!

Photo by Laura Togut

Tips from Serious Eats New York

Butter and soy: Japan's favorite mix

A very simple yet delicious pasta with soy, butter and mushrooms.

And not only is it a Japanese favorite, it's also one of chef Jean-George Vongerichten's favorite flavor combinations. Complementing each other to a tee, butter and soy can be used in many different ways, and with many different ingredients, such as this pasta with mushrooms recipe. Pan fried daikon with soy and butter is also terrific or mixing worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, and freshly ground pepper with this combo to make a delicious steak sauce. Lots can be achieve with these two simple ingredients; share your own recipe and we'll post it on our blog!


Butter and soy spaghetti:

Ingredients

1 lb dry spaghetti

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms

1/4 lb beech mushrooms (bunashimeji) or other Japanese mushrooms

1 tbsp sake

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp neutral oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

a handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1/2 cup pasta water

fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to the boil.

In a large pan over high heat, add oil, 1 tbsp butter and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes and add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add half of the parsley and mix well. Turn heat off and wait until the pasta is cooked. While the pasta is boiling, reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain your pasta and add to the pan of cooked mushrooms.

Turn the heat to low and add the remaining chopped parsley. Mix well and add soy sauce, butter and sake. Mix well again, making sure all the pasta is coated with all the ingredients. Add a good amount of fresh ground black pepper and a little bit of the pasta water to make the sauce more unctuous.

Serve with fresh parmesan.

Recipe taken from pickledplum.com

Sashimi - first order of your izakaya feast

You are comfortably seated at your table and ready to order a feast for everyone to share. So what is the proper way to order at an izakaya?

Is there an order to all these options?

YES.

Sashimi comes first.

Why you ask?

Because of its delicacy. Order sashimi first so your palate can fully enjoying the delicate and natural sweetness of the fish. Since most izakaya menu items are quite savory, we recommend you start with the most delicate items first and gradually move on to more savory dishes.

The cut of the sashimi is also important - the chef will decide what cut is appropriate for what fish. For example, chu toro, or fatty tuna is usually served in blocks so you can enjoy a hearty melt in your mouth bite, for full effect. Squid is served in strips because it's tougher, so a smaller and easier way to eat it is encouraged.


Don't ignore the garnishes!

Garnishes served with sashimi or sushi are there to be eaten. The most common garnishes are wasabi, shiso leaves, daikon and micro greens. Add a little on top of your fish to brighten up the flavors.


To soak or not to soak?

Do NOT soak your sashimi and sushi, that is considered a cardinal sin in the world of sushi masters!! The proper way to eat sushi is not to dip the rice, but rather flip the piece over and only dip the tip of the fish in soy sauce. The same is expected of sashimi.