TURNING JAPANESE-AH!

What’s so awesome with the Japanese besides Anime..it’s their sushi!

And I had the opportunity to try the real deal when we visited Kobe, Japan! With the help of a Japanese friend he taught me the intricacies of these delights!

   First on the table is the Gunkan-Ikura which is cucumber, salmon eggs and rice wrapped in seaweed! Gunkan meaning wrapped and Ikura meaning salmon eggs..I always taught that eating sushis should always be accompanied by the fiery wasabe but as my friend told me it depends on one’s preference. He prefers sweet ones like this to be with light Kikkoman soy sauce only, and he explained to me that the Filipino way of mixing the wasabe with soy sauce is not their way. They put some wasabe on the sushi and then dip it a little in soya! Well when in Rome do what the Romans do! In this case eat Japanese style! A little soya and there goes the gunkan-ikura! Sushis are small because they are meant to be eaten in one chomp! You don’t nibble sushis!

   One down the chute! The first thing you taste is the sweet flavor of the eggs popping in your mouth then the bit of saltiness of mang Kikko then the flavor of the Japanese rice! And then it’s gone! Just like that! It’s like it was there but wasn’t there..get what I mean? You have to get another one! That’s what my brain is telling me! How can you resist? Got 3 pieces in a jiffy….on to the next..

   This one is called  Nigiri-Unagi! Nigiri meaning on top and Unagi meaning Eel.So this one is rice topped with eel.  As advised by my friend, I added a little wasabe on top, then dip it in soya and poof! If you’re a first timer with wasabe for sure you’ll gag with the quick assault of this green fire to your senses! Eyes will water and nasal vessels will contract! As for me, this still applies even though I’m not a virgin wasabe eater! There’s just no way around it! After the initial hot wiring of your taste buds, then you get the smoky feel of the eel then the beautiful rice to complement everything! As with the Gunkan-Ikura one is not enough!!  2 please!!

 

   Nigiri-Hotate….Hotate is scallops! It’s in the family of clams and oysters..on a side note scallops are hermaphrodite..meaning they have the capability to self produce all by itself!.hmm….where’s the fun in that? J Back to the hotate…after the wasabe, the scallops gets you by it’s texture while you’re eating it..like marshmallows of the sea..just wonderfull! Speechless!! Just give me more!! Oh by the way the Gari which is flavored Japanese raddish ( this is the one on the left-most of the picture beside the nigiri-hotate ) should not be dismissed lightly . It will get you by it’s tangy-sweet taste that is just delightful to eat non stop!

 

  This one is Nigiri-Bin Toro which is Bottle Fatty Tuna! Say those first two words in the human world and you’ll be called and inconsiderate SOB! Guess you can’t hurt the feeling of the tunas since they don’t understand our language. J

I’m a big fan of this tasty fish! Fry it, grill it, make it a soup or just eat it raw as in this case, nothing beats this giants of the sea! Lay it on top of some tasty Japanese rice and bingo! You can it eat til you drop dead! Case closed! What more can I say?? Go go Japan!!