“You have to taste a culture to understand it.” Food is the perfect gateway to gain a greater insight on another culture. Japan has influenced our culture in many ways, especially when it comes to food!
Serving the metro Atlanta community for over 50 years, Nakato Japanese Restaurant is no amature to the sushi game. And for rookies, like the DiG Team, Nakato offers a Sushi Making Class featuring a multi-course menu where participants learn how to create a variety of sushi rolls and sashimi.
The class is led by Nakato’s Executive Sushi Chef, Yoshifusa Kinjo, who is known for his artful craftsmanship and beautiful presentations. Chef Kinjo upholds the Japanese cooking customs from the training he received in his hometown of Okinawa, Japan. We may not be pros like Chef Kinjo, but he shared some of his best sushi assembling tips and tricks with us, and now, you can learn how we “roll”!
As you probably know, the California Roll is a classic among sushi lovers. The California Roll is a type of makizushi roll which is typically presented inside-out. The roll consists of seaweed, also called nori, rice, sesame seeds, cucumber, crab and avocado. Follow the steps below to roll your own California Roll!
Place a sheet of seaweed lengthwise on a clean, prepped surface.
Chef’s Tip: “Place the seaweed sheet facing the shiny side down.”
Gather a golf-ball sized amount of rice and form an oblong shape.
Chef’s Tip: “Use gloves or damp hands, to prevent rice from sticking.”
Place the rice on top of the sheet and gently spread it out until the seaweed sheet is completely covered.
Sprinkle sesame seeds generously on top of the rice.
Flip over the sheet so that the rice side is now face down.
Assemble crab, cucumber and avocado fillings lengthwise on the middle of the seaweed sheet.
Chef’s Tip: “Neatly line up the ingredients so each will be displayed for presentation.”
Roll the ingredients together into a tight cylinder form so that the filling is completely enclosed.
Lay the sushi mat, also called a makisu, around the roll and apply pressure to mold the shape.
Cut the roll into six equal portions and garnish with additional sesame seeds.
Decorate the plate with embellishments like bamboo leaf, ginger and wasabi.
Chef’s Tip: “Have fun and get creative with the process. Food is edible artwork.”
When you work hard, you play hard…and work up an appetite. Boy, did we enjoy ourselves after all that work! This experience was an amazing outlet to learn about another culture and unleash our inner artist. Besides, we’ll take any excuse to express our creativity, especially when it involves food! We are “soy” ready for round two!