Sensational Sushi
by Stephanie Raymond

In the past decade sushi has exploded in popularity throughout the western world. And, while this craze for cold rice, wrapped in seaweed and garnished with raw fish may have initially been driven by its exotic, crisp taste; sushi has become a healthy alternative to the traditionally fatty North American diet.

Can Sushi Prevent Lung Cancer?
In Japan, where smoking rates are comparable to those of western countries, lung cancer rates are significantly lower. Scientists from the Aichi Cancer Center in Nagoya, Japan believe the only explanation for this surprising contradiction appears to be the large amount of sushi (including raw fish) consumed in the traditional Japanese diet.

But, the health benefits of sushi don’t stop at the lungs. In addition to providing the body with a myriad of nutrients, sushi has also been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce signs of depression and aid in weight loss.

In fact, everything about sushi is good for the body. The vinegar use to prepare the rice has antiseptic properties that can lower cholesterol. Wasabi, the green horseradish often used as a condiment, is more powerful than ultraviolet radiation in killing bacteria.  Nori, the seaweed sushi is wrapped in, has high levels of Vitamin A, B-complex, Niacin, Iodine and Vitamin C. Finally the pickled ginger, eaten to cleanse the palette, is a noted antibacterigen.

Sushi - A Brief History
When most people think of sushi, they usually think of raw fish, but sushi is actually rice flavoured with vinegar. Raw fish (sashimi) is often used as a topping for sushi.

Although sushi is commonly linked to Japan, its origins are in China.  During the 7th Century the Chinese discovered that they could speed up the fermentation process by rolling fish in rice that had been soaked in vinegar. This process took only a few days, while the tradition fermentation process of  pressing fish between layers of heavy salt took several months.

Originally the rice was thrown away and the fish was eaten, but eventually, facing drought and food shortages, the Chinese began consuming the rice as well as the fish and sushi was born.

Making Sushi At Home
In addition to being extremely healthy, sushi is also quick and easy to make. The following is simple recipe for a basic sushi roll..

Equipment:
Bamboo Sushi Mat (can be found at most large supermarkets)
Sharp Knife
Damp Towel
A Pot or Rice Cooker

Ingredients:
1 cup Japanese Rice (regular long grain white rice will suffice)
1 Sheet Nori (Roasted Seaweed)
Toppings (get creative with your toppings The toppings can be slices of smoked or raw salmon, raw tuna, squid, ikura (salmon eggs), large prawn tails, (can be cooked first), and non-fish types e.g. thin slices of cucumber, tamago-yaki (a very thin omelette rolled up and cut into slices) or scrambled egg.


1. Cook rice (approximately 3 cups for 4 people).

2. While rice is cooking mix half a cup (5 tbs.) of rice vinegar with 2 tbs. of sugar and 2 tsp. of salt.

3. Transfer rice into a large bowl

4. Gently add the vinegar mix (a little at a time) mixing it into the rice with a wooden spatula. Using a slicing motion, don’t stir or beat it.

5. Allow rice to cool by covering the bowl with a clean, damp tea towel for about 30 - 60 minutes.

6. When the above vinegar-rice is cold, make it into small rectangles, about 6 cm long x 2.5cm wide and deep.

7. Put a nori sheet on top of a bamboo mat.

8. Spread the cooled sushi rice lengthwise on the nori sheet. Only cover half the sheet.

9. Place the ingredients lengthwise on the rice.

10. Roll up the bamboo mat, pressing forward to shape the sushi into a cylinder.
 
11. Press the bamboo mat firmly and remove it from the sushi.

12. Cut the rolled sushi into bite-sized pieces and serve. You can cut the sushi better if you wipe the knife with a wet cloth before you slice it. Serve with wasabi, soy sauce and grated ginger.