Last month was my first time to make sushi -- properly.
I have made a (probably) bastardized version on my own time, but in early October, I got a chance to make beautifully decorative and delicious futomaki-zushi. Or, thick sushi rolls which are traditionally sold at festivals, I was told.
Through my program, the Chiba-WI Assistant Language Teacher program, we have a partnership with a group of families in Chiba Prefecture. We get together in Chiba City a few times a year to share culture and language. We also do a fabulous Thanksgiving cooking event, too.
It was simply a matter of putting the traditional Japanese food together with care and love.
But this time, I got to learn how to make rose and plum blossom sushi. The women who taught us said their family has been making this sushi for about 100 years. They were very kind and gave us detailed instructions in both Japanese and English.
When I first saw the sample of the finished product, I didn't believe I would be able to craft it. But, broken down into small steps, it wasn’t too bad!
Of course, it helped that our Japanese counterparts prepped all the food and supplies. The main ingredient was rice. And, yes, the pink in the sushi is colored rice. Other ingredients included cheese, egg, ginger, cooked greens (for the leaf parts) and of course, seaweed paper or "nori." Each roll made about 10 pieces of sushi.
It was simply a matter of putting the traditional Japanese food together with care and love. It only took about 10 minutes or so. The end result was so beautiful I didn’t want to eat it — but who am I kidding — I did, and it was amazing, even if it didn’t include any fish!
After we got to make our own sushi and ate lunch together, the talented women showed us how to make butterfly and bear sushi. The process was more tedious than the other ones, but the finished product is impressive!
Making the sushi was a lively new experience that encapsulates what is special about living in a foreign country.
For more photos on the process of making this sushi, please go check out my photo article!
