Further ingredients

Vinegar (Su)

Rice vinegar undoubtedly is the most important spice concerning the preparation of Sushi. You should absolutely use rice vinegar, for wine vinegar or apple vinegar is much too intensive in taste - they would conceal every other taste. The rice vinegar is used to spice the cooked rice. You may also disinfect the raw fish with it.

Ginger (Gari) · ガリ

Root

In the whole Japanese cooking, ginger plays an important role, also in preparing Sushi. Pickled ginger is always served with Sushi and normally eaten between the single bites to neutralize the taste in your mouth so that every mouthful shows to advantage.

The pickled ginger is cut in very thin slices, having a good effect on digestion and being very stimulating.

Horseradish (Wasabi) · ワサビ

Root

Japanese horseradish is green and much more aromatic than the European one. Therefore it is not possible to replace Wasabi by European horseradish. It is nearly impossible to get fresh Wasabi here, which is rubbed delicately with a grater before using. You may find it in the form of powder or in tubes. The powder is stirred with water to a thickened paste, Wasabi being in tubes can be used instantly without further treatment. If you make Nigiri-zushi you will absolutely need Wasabi. Many people appreciate it if it is put additionally into soy sauce. Therefore you stir a small amount of Wasabi into soy sauce before serving it to Sushi. However, you should be careful with using Wasabi. Like the European horseradish, it does not leave much to be desired concerning its pungency.

Seaweed (Nori/Kombu) · 海苔/昆布

You will need Nori (海苔) for rolled Sushi. Nori sheets are pressed from dried seaweed that was cut into small pieces. They are lightly roasted, tasting discreetly salty. Nori is also used to build a cup for the different sorts of fish eggs (Gunkan-style).

Kombu (昆布) on the other hand is a special sort of seaweed which is dried in whole pieces before being used for cooking. Kombu is rich in calcium, iodine and iron and also containing natural glutamate which intensifies the taste. You should not wash Kombu but only wipe it with a damp tea towel, as the white powder on the surface is responsible for a substantial part of the taste. Kombu contains that much iodine that you should not eat a lot of it at once.

Sesame (Goma) · ゴマ

Sesame seed is used as a refinement for some Sushi. It is used above all with the different types of Maki-zushi. Together with ice cream tasting vanilla or green tea it will make a simple, delicious dessert.

Soy sauce (Shoyu) · 醤油

Soy sauce exists in two variations, being pale or dark. For Sushi you take the dark sauce. At the beginning of the meal you put soy sauce in a small bowl, possibly mix it with some Wasabi, and use it to dip the separate Sushi bites in.

Rice wine (Mirin) · みりん

Mirin (みりん) is a sweet wine, made out of different sorts of rice, being often used in the kitchen for marinades. There are two types of rice wine, hon mirin and shin mirin, slightly different in taste. For the preparation of Sushi you may use both.

Flat cake of tofu (Abura-age) · 油揚げ

You need fried flat cakes of tofu for Inari-zushi (稲荷寿司). Therefore you sweeten the cakes and fill it with the vinegared rice.

Bonito flakes (Katsuo-bushi) · 鰹節

Bonito is a fish related to the tuna. Because of its very individual taste it is hardly used for Sushi. In Japanese cooking there are the so-called bonito flakes (Katsuo-bushi) used as a spice. For making them, the bonito is cooked at first. Next it is smoked and dried several times until it has become very stiff. With a special tool the flakes are then cut off the fish. The flakes are among other things one of the two main ingredients for Dashi stock.

Shichimi tōgarashi

The main part of these very spicy mixed herbs is chili-pepper. Added are orange peel, seaweed and sesame seed. Togarashi is a seasoning used at the table. It gives soups and noodles a piquant touch.