Sushi Vocabulary

Sushi

Vinegared rice is the heart of all sushi. Despite what Americans

think, sushi does not mean "fish" in Japanese but rather signifies

any vinegared rice dish. The fish is sashimi. Wrap the two

together in portions and sell it as sushi, and the name still

refers to the rice, not the fish. Sushi is indeed the term for the

special rice but it is modified, in Japanese, to zushi when

coupled with modifiers that describe the different styles of this

most popular dish.

Useful Phrases

Ama Ebi o kudasai - please give me sweet shrimp.

Anago o kudasai - please give me salt water eel.

Arigato - thank you (informal).

Arigato gozaimashita - thank you very much (at the end of the

evening).

Domo (DOH moh) - thank you.

Domo arigato (ah ri GAH toh) - thank you very much.

Dozo (DOH zoh) - please. Gochiso-sama [deshita], this phrase

traditionally closes a meal.

Hai (high)- yes. Spoken abruptly with a glottal stop at the end,

almost swallowing the last vowel.

Itamae-san - the sushi (or other Japanese) chef.

Kampai - to your health.

Konbanwa - good evening.

Konichiwa (koh NEECH ee wah) - a greeting, roughly "how are you"

or "how do you do?".

Okanjo - bill/check.

Omakase - asking the sushi chef to choose what you'll have next.

Slang

Gyoku (means jewel) - tamago.

Murasaki (means purple) - soy sauce.

Namida (means tears) - wasabi.

Oaso - the check.

Sabinuki - no wasabi.

Other Sushi Terms

Aburage - fried tofu pouches prepared by cooking in sweet cooking

sake, soy sauce, and water.

Chakin sushi - vinegared rice wrapped in a thin egg crepe.

Chirashi sushi - assorted raw fish and vegetables (usually nine,

nine being the Japanese lucky number) over rice.

Daikon - giant white radish, usu. served grated as garnish for

sashimi.

Edomae sushi - same as nigiri sushi.

Gari - vinegared ginger.

Kampyo - dried gourd that comes prepared in long, translucent

brown strips like fettuccine.

Maki sushi - vinegared rice with insertions, rolled up in Japanese

seaweed. Most maki places the nori on the outside, but some, like

the California roll, place the rice on the outside.

Nigiri sushi - pieces of fish, shellfish, or fish roe over

vinegared rice balls.

Odori-ebi - live "dancing" shrimp.

Oshibori - rolled up hot towel served to sushi bar customers.

Oshinko- Japanese pickles.

Sashimi - raw fish served chilled, sliced, and arranged without

rice.

Shoyu - soy sauce.

Tekka-don- pieces of raw tuna over rice.

Temaki sushi - hand rolled cones of sushi rice and/or vegetables

wrapped in seaweed.

Wasabi - Japanese horseradish.

Various Rolls of Sushi

A Cucumber roll contains just that. Likewise, a tuna roll or tekkamaki contains

only tuna (raw). These rolls are made similar to the California roll. The

tuna should be cut into long pieces about 3/8 inch square in cross-section, and

placed end to end. The cucumber is sliced into thin "squarish" strips, as for

the California roll, and enough are placed on the rice to make the equivalent of

a 3/8 wide and high pile of them (called kappamaki.)

A Campbell roll contains salmon, asparagus, and mayonnaise. Use the smallest

asparagus spears you can find, or cut larger ones into smaller strips like the

cucumber. Cut the salmon into long strips about 1/2- inch wide by 1/8-inch

thick. The packages of smoked salmon you see in the deli sections of

supermarkets is perfect for this. Spread some sushi mayonnaise along the edge of

the roll. Place the salmon on top of this, and the asparagus on top of the

salmon, and use an amount approximately equal to the salmon. Sushi mayonnaise is

hard to find, but any rich mayonnaise can be used in its place.

A Virginia roll contains crab, eel, mushrooms and seasoned shredded cod fish

(pink powder.) Virginians prefer to use real crab meat, but imitation will work

just fine. At the starting edge of the rice, sprinkle some pink powder. Add the

crab and eel, like the California roll above, with the eel replacing the

avocado. Mushrooms are then placed like the cucumber is above. Use Portobello mushrooms (slice thin and sauté in a small amount of butter or oil)

Hints and Tips When Preparing Sushi

1. The number one hint or tip is this: rolling sushi is a self-correcting process.

If your first roll does not turn out quite right, eat it to hide the evidence

and roll another, which will be much better. If it has been a while since you

made a roll, the first one may leave something to be desired, but it will all

come back to you, like riding a bicycle or playing a piano (if you knew how to

do those activities in the first place).

2. Rice doesn't stick to nori, or the roll does not stick together when rolled.

You most likely did not use enough vinegar in your rice. The rice should be very

sticky, annoyingly so.

Roll is too thick, or does not hold together well. You probably used too much

rice, or packed it down too tightly. The rice should be spread on the nori to

within about 5/8-inch of what will be the outer edge, should not be squished

onto the nori, and should not cover the nori completely. You should be able to

see nori between the rice kernals, perhaps 1/4 to 1/3 of the space should be

open to the nori below the rice.

3. Cucumber can be cut into larger chunks, which are easier to work with.

Try quartering the cucumber lengthwise, removing the seeds, then cutting

the flesh into a few large pieces about 1/4-inch thick by 3/8- inch wide.

The length of the pieces should be half the width of the nori.

4. The thick-skinned black avocadoes are easier to work with. Cut in half and

remove the pit. Then cut each half into half again. Using a paring knife, slice

the avocado in the peel, then run the knife just under the peel to cut the

slices from the peel. It is easier and faster than peeling the avocado and then

slicing it.

5. Place a square of plastic wrap on between the nori and the bamboo mat when

making rolls. This will keep the rice and messy ingredients out of the mat and

make it last longer. (Washing a bamboo mat is NOT recommended, it warps when it

dries.) Peel the plastic wrap back with the mat as you roll. When you are

finished, wrap the roll in the plastic wrap and put the roll in the

refrigerator. When you are finished making several rolls and are ready to serve

them, unwrap them and slice them.

Check out some of the recipes for Sushi and after becoming an Itamae-san,

you can experiment with your own recipes for your Sushi.