in Sushi Land: Japan

Circa 2000: The thought of eating raw fish in any form would seem repulsive to no end.
Circa 2011: A few trips to US and a couple of Delhi Japanese eateries later, the earlier repulsion turned to a great liking for the simple yet flavorful Japanese cuisine

So, when a client workshop was hosted in Tokyo, I knew the trip was going to be remembered not for work but for the pleasure of food. Not only did I eat every possible fish in Japanese waters, also bought authentic ingredients to prepare Sushi at home. Here goes the highlights of my tryst with the Yen side of eating

Sashimi: Raw fish of different varieties eaten with a touch of wasabi and Japanese soy sauce. It's hard to convince someone that this tastes unbelievably good and you only have to try it to believe it. It's usually served over an ice bed and may also include other sea-food like eels. Now, for us Indians grown on masalas, how to enjoy this apparently bland dish. I found it most useful to mix a tiny portion of wasabi into the soy sauce, and completely dip the fish in it before having. Hard to believe but its actually lip smacking

Rice and Miso Soup: Another trademark Japanese combo that is usually served towards the end of a meal. Well, at the expense of digressing, I must say that Japanese eat very long meals with the longest I had consisting of 8-9 dishes served one after the other; lasting around 2 hours. Anyway, this surprisingly almost veg combo works well for its simple flavors and melts in your mouth tofu. The version I had, also placed fish eggs on top of the rice. These eggs break as you eat and disperse sweet fishy flavors. Sounds eeew unless you are eating with those chopsticks

Home cooked Sushi: Now I won't give out the detailed recipe of the dish, since its basically a simple roll up of rice and fish into the sea-weed paper, but I would say that its very simple to make at home if you have the right ingredients. Although we made it from stuff procured from Japan itself,  INA market in Delhi is a good source too. The wifey has become a great fan and now can't go too many days without having one. Her liking was also enhanced by the ginger pickle served by the side

So here was addition of another cuisine to our menu. The most healthy and unique so far and the one I would truly recommend everyone to start indulging in!

P.S. Nothing accentuates a Japanese meal better than Sake (Japanese wine) or Soju (South Korean vodka) available in most south-east Asian countries