Sushi Art Cookbook: The Complete Guide to Kazari Maki Sushi

400 Pages·2017·21.26 MB·English

by  Ken Kawasumi

SUSHI ART
COOKBOOK
The Complete Guide to Kazari Sushi
KEN KAWASUMI
TUTTLE Publishing
Tokyo | Rutland, Vermont | Singapore
What is Kazari Sushi?
A morikomi mixed sushi arrangement that celebrates the spring season.
I coined the term “Kazari Sushi”—literally “decorative sushi”—to
describe traditional or decorative sushi made into artful shapes with
various methods, including saikuzushi layered sushi, nigirizushi sushi
nuggets, chirashizushi scattered sushi, and oshizushi pressed sushi. Even a
single roll or serving will be a welcome addition to a dish, and these
festive sushi rolls are a great way to celebrate by incorporating seasonal
or event-based themes. As an innovative way to enjoy sushi, it’s certain
to be a much-appreciated epicurean delight for both the chef and the
guest.
A Note for Sushi Professionals Kazari Sushi will enhance your
menu offerings for seasonal events and celebrations. Making an entire
platter of decorative sushi for a party may be too time-intensive; still,
creating, for example, a single roll featuring the Chinese character for
“celebrate” will yield four impressive slices. By placing one slice in the
center of each five-serving platter, you can embellish twenty servings’
worth of sushi. A panda design may be great for kids, and a flower motif
could complement a wedding or anniversary celebration. For an older
person’s birthday, the Chinese character for “crane” might be
appropriate. These decorative additions will be cause for much fanfare
and commemorative photo-taking. Kazari Sushi is a great way to elevate
any occasion.
Sharpening Your Skills Kazari Sushi can range from easy to
complex. Start with a simple roll and gradually work your way up in skill
level.
Attempting a difficult design from the outset could result in an
outcome that is less than ideal, which may be discouraging. Begin with
basic skills such as rolling a circle, making a mountain, and forming
curved contours. As you practice the various types of sushi, they will
become second nature.
Layered sushi and other creative sushi expressions require just a few
extra steps that sushi chefs are already using on a daily basis. Whenever
you have a few spare moments, experiment with ingredients on hand and
test out different flavor combinations as you acquire new skills.
Kawasumi-Style Kazari Sushi Some sushi chefs may wonder
whether making Kazari Sushi or layered sushi will negatively affect their
bottom line, or whether the lack of seasonal ingredients in these rolls will
diminish their appeal. Others may exclaim, “Sushi should be simple!”
I believe in upholding the culinary traditions of Japanese sushi in the
form of decorative sushi that can be easily prepared in restaurant
facilities. First and foremost, though, my aim is to amaze and delight my
customers with a meal that’s delicious.
To achieve this, preparations and proper steps are important.
Calculate the consumption time, select ingredients that will hold up over
longer periods, maintain the temperature of the sushi rice, and add the
raw ingredients at the end. Keeping these factors in mind will ensure
that your sushi creations look and taste wonderful. And experiencing
this unique creative expression of sushi will make customers and sushi
makers alike into fans of Kazari Sushi.
My ultimate goal is for Kazari Sushi customers to declare it beautiful
and tasty. In that sense, I am still learning and developing my own form
of decorative sushi. Feedback from users of this book, and learning about
their creations, will help me to continue developing my skills. These days
it’s easy to acquire fresh seafood and sushi-specific cooking supplies, so
the enthusiastic home cook will have no trouble delving into the Kazari
Sushi techniques. I hope this book will bring joy to everyone involved in
the creation process, from those who make it to those who consume the
edible art.
Ken Kawasumi Director of Kawasumi Kazari Sushi Association
Contents
Before You Begin
Handling Equipment and Ingredients
Basic Recipes
Ingredients and Substitutions
CHAPTER 1 Basic Sushi Rolls and Simple Shapes
CHAPTER 2 Amazing Decorative Sushi Rolls
CHAPTER 3 Creative Sashimi, Battleship Rolls
and More
CHAPTER 4 Sushi Arrangements