With the Christmas season well underway, it’s probably time to start preparing those festive dishes, whether for dinner parties or for your ravenous family. So if you’ve got lots of hungry mouths to feed, sushi might be the way to go. While it might be worth relying on a sushi delivery service that delivers straight to your door, there’s nothing wrong with having a go yourself. And despite the skill required in preparing sushi dishes, there are easy recipes which allow amateur-chefs to produce perfectly acceptable and delicious creations. So instead of relying on a professional sushi takeaway in London, why not try your hand at Japan’s most famous cuisine. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results and your guests will most definitely show their appreciation for your efforts.
The art of sushi
Before you begin, it’s worth remembering that sushi preparation is a craft. Professional training, which is extensive and rigorous, can turn a trainee sushi chef into an artisan – the kind of handmade sushi London offers from professional outlets like ourselves is made at a level of mastery that is simply unattainable without years of training. So if this is the first time that you’ve attempted this yourself, don’t set your expectations too high. Instead, focus on dishes that require basic techniques. Don’t be put off though – as you’ll see there are plenty of dishes which can be easily created at home.
Roll your own
The Makizushi (rolled sushi) is perhaps the most well-known type of sushi in the West. Countless restaurants, as well as those who offer sushi delivery in London, serve up all kinds of variants on this classic Japanese dish. By way of an introduction to sushi preparation, we’ll create a Westernised version of the sushi roll that integrates traditional and non-traditional ingredients.
Getting the right gear
If you feel confident enough, it might be an idea to invest in traditional Japanese cooking accessories. Working with the right gear can vastly improve the end product provided you know what you’re doing. For the makizushi, all that’s required is a bamboo mat. However, for beginners it’s probably best to rely on your hands when creating your Christmas roll. Rolling mats can sometimes prove a hindrance for the less experienced.
What is the Maikzushi?
The Maikzushi is cylindrical in shape and is usually wrapped in nori (seaweed). However, soy papers Perilla leaves and even thin omelette can also be used. Fillings can include tuna, crab-meat and a variety of vegetables. However, for our Christmas sushi roll, we’re going to use Turkey as a filling. Not only is it seasonal, but there’s often large quantities left over after Christmas dinner. In addition, we’ll include red pepper flakes, pickled beetroot, spring onions, diced rocket, cream cheese and deli turkey. A soft, flour tortilla will be used as a wrap.
Ingredients for Four servings
2 table-spoons of diced rocket
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 pinches of red pepper flakes
1/2 spring onions chopped
2 flour tortillas
½ pound of sliced deli turkey meat
2 table-spoons diced pickled beetroot
Step 1: Mix the diced rocket, pepper flakes, spring onion, beetroot and cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl.
Step 2: Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the top of each tortilla leaving approximately one tablespoon of the mixture so that you can seal the shell.
Step 3: Place the turkey on both tortillas just below the cream cheese mixture.
Step 4: In order to roll the tortilla start at the top-end which contains the most cream cheese. Then roll it around the filling and seal the ends together. You could use the bamboo mat, but if you’d like to keep things simple, your hands will be fine!
Step 5: Cut half-inch slices so that you have a selection of turkey rolls and serve.
If you follow the above directions, you should be left with a tasty, albeit westernised, sushi Christmas roll that even some professional sushi delivery specialists would be proud of. It’s not that difficult to create although beginners are best advised to forgo a traditional rolling mat. However, if you’d prefer leaving it to the experts, you can always place an order for sushi delivery with us!
