The Art Of Making Vegetarian Sushi In ‘Kanpai Sushi Restaurant-Style’

Kanpai Sushi – the Japanese delicacy. No, you do not need to visit an expensive restaurant to taste it. Just gather a bunch of easy ingredients and get ready to serve yourself the dish of Japan.

But before diving straight into the recipe, let us have a look at the history and complete story of Kanpai Sushi. How did it originate? How did Kanpai sushi gain its present popularity and how did it become an inseparable part of the Japanese tradition.

What Is Sushi?

The fresh and delicate flavor of sushi is probably what has gained it the fan base it has at present. People from all around the world love this Japanese dish made with vinegared rice, sugar, salt, and several other ingredients – raw seafood or vegetables.

Despite a variety of Sushi style BBQs available all around the world, the most common and famous ones are prepared with raw fish. It is also a staple in many traditions. Apart from Tuna which is the topmost choice to go with á good Kanpai sushi, fishes like Bluefin, Yellowfin, and Albacore are equally preferred by many.

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Where Did Sushi Originate From?

Today, Kanpai sushi menus have become a common thing not only in Asia but in many countries. The history of sushi goes back to the 1600s when the Japanese people used to ferment fish in the paddy fields with salt, rice, and vinegar. They would later throw away the rice. Eventually, around the iron age (neolithic period), people started to eat rice along with the fish which they called namanare or namanari (生成、なまなれ、なまなり), meaning “semi-fermented“. 

Namrae essentially referred to fish, kept partly raw, and wrapped in rice. It was to be consumed fresh before it changed the flavor. Earlier seen as a way of preservation, this had soon become a new form of the dish. The newly found way of consuming fish and rice had taken the people in awe and eventually grew in popularity.

It was traditionally made with white rice (medium grain) or sometimes brown rice (short grain). The most popular type has always been seafood. Even in ancient Japan and  China, the best ones were made with fish like salmon, eel and tuna, squids, crab meat. While these were predominantly the most liked, there are many vegetarian sushis too.

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Why Do Japanese Love Sushi?

It’s not just the Japanese people who are in love with Kanpai sushi but Japan serves as the Sushi hub for a reason. It is immensely popular in Japan that it’s no longer just a food item, it’s Japanese culture.

Sushi is the traditional dish of Japan. In fact, it is so popular that many mistake sushi as the invention of Japan. When the truth is the history of Sushi dates back to ancient China. But that does not change the fact that Japan has made the dish popular and its love is what had introduced the delicacy to the rest of the world.

For Japanese people eating fish on sushi is a better option than buying whole fish. Supermarkets tend to overprice fish in Japan which is why many people prefer having sushis. Sometimes, most would prefer fresh and prepared fish over having to cook all by themselves.

Japanese chefs are responsible for creating new and uniques dishes with sushis. Take Kit Kat Sushi for instance. Just like that, chefs from all over Japan have tried Sushi making with horse meat, and even burritos.

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A List Of Japanese Sushis

• Nigiri Sushi –

This sushi is known for its making style. It is a type of sushi that is pressed and shaped by a chef’s own hands. The vinegared rice is squeezed into an oval shape topped with fish – typically, tuna, salmon, sea eel, freshwater eel, Tamago, squid, or octopus.

• Maki Sushi –

This is one of the most common types of sushi found in Japan. The key ingredients used here are fish, vegetables, and other ingredients that are prepared by being folded with rice inside nori sheets.

• Chirashi Sushi –

Unlike most typical sushis, this one comes in a bowl. Yep. The bowl is decorated with beautiful sashimi set atop a bed of vinegared rice. Sometimes, the bowl comes with all the ingredients mixed. Well, needless to say, this does sound like the easiest of all to make.

• Narezushi –

At present, when there are many styles and ways to prepare sushi, Narezushi has managed to maintain its craze since the 10th century. It is a dish that has a whole fish covered in a certain sauce, arranged atop a bed of rice.

• Kaburazushi –

This one takes a lot of time to prepare. This is a variant form of Narezushi that is made with salted Buri wrapped in seasoned Turnips (Kabu). The dish is then Kouji or amazake.

• Hako Zushi –

Hako means box and Zushi means sushi. It is square-shaped and typical sushi packed in a box and available for quick takeaways. This sushi is also one of the rarest ones to find despite the fact a few can still be seen in the streets now and then.

• Oshizushi –

These days when plastic molds have become common in food making, chefs use wooden frames to shape these sushis. These are stacked with alternating layers of rice, condiments, and toppings.

• Temarizushi –

Alright, so Temarizushi is spheres. Small rice spheres topped with fish, shrimp, tuna, etc, and even vegetables.

•  Sasazushi –

Sasazushi is made with ingredients like weed then which may be a surprise to you. Sasazushi is a type of sushi that comprises sushi rice, condiments, and toppings such as bamboo shoots, zenmai, wasabi, and pickled vegetables.

• Temaki Zushi –

This one doesn’t look like sushi at all. Unlike all the types of sushis discussed here, Temaki Zushi/Sushi is rolled like a cone. You can see all the ingredients spill out from the wider end. It’s a sushi cone.

•  Inarizushi –

Every sushi has a unique feature. Well, this one drops out the Nori sheet and uses aburaage or deep-fried tofu instead. And that tastes sweet and salty. The sushi is basically layers of vinegared rice and toppings stuffed inside an aburaage pouch.

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Downsides Of Consuming Sushi

Although Kanpai sushi is rich in nutrients like vitamin D, B1, C, and E, Zinc, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Iodine, Sodium, and many more. Sushi is without a doubt loaded with benefits but as different types of sushis feature various sauces and condiments, it might be right enough to say that we do pose some health risks.

The biggest threat Kanpai sushi poses is the possible presence of bacteria and parasites. Since the fish is used and eaten raw, there is no way to get rid of harmful elements like tapeworms and other such parasites. These can enter our bodies easily through sushi consumption causing health issues and potential dangers.

Research has claimed that although the fish is frozen to help kill the bacteria, it does not help lessen the contamination. Around 64% of the fish had some sort of harmful microorganism present in them. Some even contain mercury which is especially dangerous for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Soy sauce – a popular sushi topping is very high in sodium that is responsible for heart failure and kidney diseases. 

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Did You Know?

1. Although sushi is strongly associated with Japa, it was invented by Hanaya Yohei, a Chinese who made Narezushi – a dish consisting of fish and rice.
2. Sushi rice, which is now an irreplaceable ingredient, was once considered trash and thrown away.
3. There was an earthquake in 1923, as a result of which, the property rates declined. And street food vendors who could not afford Kanpai sushi restaurants were able to purchase brick and mortar.
4. There are around 4000 sushi restaurants in the US alone.
5. The oldest type of sushi stinks a lot.
6. Sushi might be as small as a mere bite, but it takes about 10 years to master the art of sushi-making.
7. Originally, women were forbidden to learn sushi making. They were not allowed to make sushis. But that is not the case anymore.
8. Around 80% of the bluefin Tunas caught in the world are used for sushi making alone.
9. There’s a Kanpai sushi day celebrated on 18th June 2009. Crazy, right? But its main purpose back in the days was to spread awareness about and to encourage people to eat sushi.

Mostly Asked Questions

Pro-Level Tips And Tricks For Making Sushi

• While making Kanpai sushi, one of the most irritating things can be the sticky rice. But there’s a way to avoid that. Make sure to keep a bowl full of water near you. Use it to dip your fingers to avoid the rice sticking to your hands.
• Prefer plump and short-grained rice for sushi making as many Kanpai sushi restaurants also use the same. Make sure to rinse the rice thoroughly. Gently squeeze the rice to scrunch it up a little. This will help in better wrapping and avoid the spilling of rice from the sushi.
• Keep the knife a little wet while cutting the sushi rolls. This will help in avoiding the knife sticking to the sushi and in turn will in clean cuts.

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Conclusion

Kanpai Sushi making has been in existence since around the 10th century and has evolved into various styles and techniques. It is an exquisite little dish that doesn’t require you to visit a certain restaurant to enjoy it.

It may be advisable to keep in mind to not consume excessive amounts of sushi as it may pose some health risks. But a decent amount of fresh and clean ingredients can aid in health benefits. To avoid the parasitic trait of Kanpai sushis, you may opt for a vegetarian sushi roll instead of those containing non-vegetarian ingredients.

Follow the recipe shared and have fun!