Let's make '-zushi'

OK dear sisters, are you ready for your next cooking lesson from chef Jaime? After our stress-releasing mochi pounding lesson, this time we are going to do some zushi massaging, ok? What massaging, you say, "You can't even spell? It's sushi, silly!" Hehe, that's what I thought too. Sushi is actually a general term, each specific type of sushi is called xxxx-zushi.


We all share our love for sushi not only for its freshness in taste, but also for its nutritional value and beautiful presentation. The origin of sushi can be traced back to the 4th century in Southeast Asia and China. Raw fish was preserved in layers of salt and rice weighed by a stone, and was named nare-zushi. Hehe, remind me of those Chinese salty fish I ate when I was a young girl.

Sushi had gradually evolved to its present form in the 18th century and developed into 2 styles : Osaka style from Kansai (west) and Edo style in Kanto (Tokyo). The most popular sushi that we eat nowadays is the Edo style called nigiri-zushi. I attended a nigiri-zushi class recently, and dear cloudnine is nice enough to join me (since I am sure she's a very accomplished cook already).

Our classroom took place in this bright and airy lounge

with a spacious and efficient kitchen to match

Now, the very first and most important thing in sushi making (or in any cooking) is : clean hands. Japanese are the cleanest people around and I love that :) We were first asked to wash our hands, then sterilized right before we touched any food, moreover there were anti-bacterial wetnaps and clean towels placed all over the table. I figured out I must have shed off at least a layer of skin that morning :)

Our sushi sensai showed us how to cool off the hot sushi rice in a cutting motion inside that big wooden trough.

Then we began to press and squeeze those rice into a small lump. Sorry sisters, no picture on that cause my fingers were all stuck with rice :( So I took a picture of the instruction sheet instead. Hehe on a tired day, don't you wish you're that sushi to be massaged like this? :)

Now, the practice is over and the real test begins ....

It is actually not as easy as it looks. Our sensei said it takes 10 years to perfect the skills of sushi making! I thought to myself : I have an easier way, take 1 bite of raw fish, 1 bite of rice, mix it all up inside the tummy, called it minced-zushi :)

Roll the drum please ..... Ta Ta, this is my first production! You all know the familiar hand roll is called temaki-zushi, the battleship-shaped sushi is called gunkan-zushi.

The nice surprise is we could stay and enjoy our finished product in this beautiful lounge

Cloudnine and I picked our private upper floor lounge :

complete with a stunning view of Tokyo

The homemade miso soup is cooked by the staff, oishii desu yo! I so wish hubby could see and taste my first sushi. So here, Bon Appetit!

Hehe chinggu, I know you are going to 'press and squeeze' me like a sushi as I am stepping into your territory of expertise. You think HRH is into sushi? I know MinHyung is :)