Tip 1: Dip the fish or other sushi topping in the soy sauce instead of the rice ball!
There's a practical reason for this -- dipping the sushi rice ball into the soy sauce will result in the rice ball falling apart, making quite a mess. The rice will also tend to absorb too much soy sauce, drowning out the delicate taste of the sushi rice.
Tip 2: Avoid overloading on soy sauce
Soy sauce is meant to enhance flavors, not smother them. Instead of soaking your sushi with soy sauce, just lightly dip it in the soy sauce.
Tip 3: Don't put wasabi in soy sauce
When eating sushi, don't mix wasabi in your soy sauce. Instead, ask your chef to put extra wasabi in the sushi itself. Eating sashimi is the exception. When eating sashimi, you can mix a bit of wasabi in soy sauce without being improper.
Tip 4: Do eat sushi with your fingers
Finger sushi started out about 200 years ago as a street snack meant to be picked up and eaten with your fingers. You can use chopsticks to eat sushi, but fingers are still perfectly acceptable.
Spotting A Fresh Fish
Tip 1:
Look for fillets that are bright in colour, not dull or darkened or dry looking.
Tip 2:
Buy loins or thick fillets about 2.5cm thick, not steaks because they are much better for slicing.
Tip 3:
When choosing whole fish, make sure they are firm to touch and not squishy.
Their eyes should be bright, not cloudy or discoloured. In addition, the scales must look fresh and bright; not dull and they should be intact, not loose.
Handling Chopsticks
Tip 1: Never cross your chopsticks.
Always hold the upper chopstick with the index finger, the middle finger, and the thumb. Put the other chopstick between the bottom of the thumb and the tip of the ring finger. Move the upper chopstick only when you pick up food. Never hold it like cross.
Tip 2: Do not wave your chopsticks
It is rude to wave chopsticks above food dishes, stick them into food, suck them or stick them vertically into a bowl of rice. Food should not be passed from your chopsticks to somebody else's chopsticks.
Choosing and Drinking Sake
Sake is brewed in many styles, ranging from light and fragrant to smoky and full bodied. They can be drunk chilled or warm. Premium sake is served chilled, never warm so as to allow its subtle flavors to be appreciated.
First timers may want to try Momokawa Junmai which goes well with sashimi. Beef dishes are best accompanied with Hakkaisan Ginjyo.
Pairing Sake with Food
Tip 1:
For food that contains sugar or sweeteners or uses potatoes or other sweet, starchy ingredients, a sweet sake will match very well. Both will be emphasized.
Tip 2:
For food with heavy and rich seasoning, choose a full-bodied, rich sake. This will bring out the full flavour in both the sake and the food. Conversely, a lightly seasoned dish should be eaten with a lighter sake.
Tip 3:
A dry and refreshing sake will go well with salty food giving it a synergistic and well-balanced effect.
Tip 4:
Food that tastes strongly of fish or shellfish will go well with a rich, full-bodied sake.
Tip 5:
While acidity can add to the flavor of a dish, it can be unpleasant when it is too strong, making the dish too sour. To harmonize the acidity, choose a sweet sake which will go very well with it.
Tip 6:
For blander dishes such as appetizers, choose a high quality sake such as Ginjo to enhance it.
Tip 7:
A refined or aged sake will go well with oily foods, "washing away" the greasiness of the food.
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