Some people believe that Japanese people eat sushi all the time? Usually, I eat sushi only one or two times per year. Also I think most foreigners imagine makizushi (rolled sushi) and nigirizushi (hand-shaped sushi) as 'sushi', but actually there are many types existing, such as oshizushi (pushed sushi), chirashizushi (topping sushi), temakizushi (hand-wrapped sushi) and Inarizushi.
Especially nigirizushi (hand-shaped sushi) which is very common at sushi trains is hard to make at home. It looks simple but it's said that you need 10 years of experience to make a proper nigirizushi. It doesn't taste good just by grabbing the rice and putting some raw fish on it. The combination of the seasoning in the rice and the balance of hardness to hold the rice and the fish together is very difficult. So if the nigirizushi is good and the balance is found the combination will melt away in your mouth. That's why we don't make it at home.
Strangely, I had never made sushi by myself until I went to Germany when I was 22. Because everyone asked me to make sushi once they knew I was Japanese, I had to make makizushi (rolled sushi) many times for my European friends, remembering how my mum did... Even my mother makes rolled sushi once every few years though.
Today I am introducing Inarizushi that doesn't have raw fish, but uses "age" (fried tofu). You can find age next to tofu at any supermarket in Japan and it's cheap. Maybe you can also find at Asian/Japanese shops in other countries.
The combination of the age cooked with a sweet sauce and the sour rice is very nice and gentle.
-age-
age (fried tofu, 3)
soy sauce (2tbsps)
sugar (2tbsps)
water (150ml)
-rice-
rice (1cup)
vinegar (1/5cup)
salt (1/2tsp)
1- Put the age into some boiled water for a few minutes to get rid of the oil. Cut it in half.2- Boil water, sugar, soy sauce and put 1 in it. Cover with a drop lid and boil till no water.
3- Mix vinegar and salt, put it in the just cooked rice and stir well.
4- Open the age gently and put 3 into it.
Itadakimasu.
