Be prepared. It’s a busy week for foodies in Osaka. Tomorrow crepe days. And the day after Setsubun Japanese Spring Day. This year, Setsubun (the bean nd giant maki day) is February 3rd, and Rishun the rise of Spring is February 4th.
These ugly oni invaded this blog (and all Japan)…let’s fight them with BEANS !
Read more about Setsubun beans
And horoscope sushi :
Are not visitors disappointed ? A food blog from Osaka with so few sushi… It’s Japan, so we are supposed to eat some at every meal.
That’s not really the case, but we have some. I don’t try to replicate the restaurant style, but anyway what we are proposed here tends to differ from the horr… , I mean, the offer, in the West. There are many regional variations. I try to prepare the original home-made ones…
Definition : vinegared rice, with toppings.
If there is no rice or nor no vinegar (citrus juice/fermented sake), it is not a sushi. Consider using another name. Well, the concept is large enough to play around with shapes and toppings.
Personal opinion : what makes a good sushi, is :
ONE : the rice, quality (Japonica or Arborio, which is a Japonica anyway) and good preparation.
TWO : there should be a way to distinguish a sushi and a hamburger (I mean no ketchup, no cheese, no fries…)
Enjoy the visit…
Osaka sushi
They are the oldest style, before the custom of eating raw fish.
shime-saba and unagi
chakin sushi (egg wrapped)
meharizushi (leaf wrapped)
Edo-mae (“standard”)
Tokyo-style.The classic, famous around the world.
nigiri (hand-shaped)
gunkan-maki (war boats)
hosomaki (thin rolls)
Chirashi-zushi
Display sushi, not shaped, served in a wide dish for many guests.
yuzu chirashi (with tuna) yuzu chirashi (with goya)
radish chirashi
natsu chirashi (Summer style)
panda style
rose sushi
Different techniques :
Oshizushi. Pressed in a box, like those of Osaka
inari-zushi (tofu pockets)
Aburi-zushi (flamed)
Maki-zushi
The big rolls…
hatsuga genmai healthy salmon sushi
ehomaki (horoscope sushi)
rolling a makizushi
Fancy :
mini-cup sushi
chicken chirashi
egg sushi in a verrine
TO BE CONTINUED
Eating maki-zushi on Setsubun day is a popular Japanese tradition.
Setsubun is the start of Spring in old Japanese calendar. Throwing mame (beans) to bring luck is another tradition of the day.
They are futo-maki, big fat rolls richly filled… The Spring roll is symbol of fertility.
Sushi rice. Yes, mine is not white due to black rice vinegar.
Nori seaweed.
Gu (fillings).
Roll. If you don’t own a makisu mat, it’s terrible ? Nope, when I don’t find mine, I use any thick towel or a piece of flexible plastic (of plastic table cloth). That’s the same.
Cut. Serve as usual with soy sauce, grated wasabi, pickled ginger, green tea.
I won’t hide you the truth : the aliens have landed in Osaka yesterday… On my window.
(photos from wikipedia and this blog )
This is the most idiot-proof recipe of sushi :
稲荷寿司 inari-zushi. Rice bag sushi.
I don’t know how popular their are abroad, but there are one of the most common sort here. Rectangle shape in Kanto (Tokyo), triangle in Kansai (Osaka). It’s a pocket of abura-age, usu-age (the thin ones) :
It’s fried tofu. It’s sold that way in tofu stores or the tofu shelf of larger shops. The thing is they make a few sorts… and today, I didn’t pick up those you need for inari-zushi.
So normally, you flatten your abura-age with a baker’s pin. Then you pass them in boiling water to clean a little the oil. And you simmer them in a sweet broth (classically dashi, mirin, soy sauce, sugar).
I don’t like mine too sweet, so it’s soy sauce, sake and skin of yuzu citrus.
Steamed good rice (koshihikari), add (black) vinegar sauce.
Inari-zushi are often very simple and vegan. I made some with sesame, and others with carrot (red kintoki carrot).
You mix. And you fill the pockets of abura-age.
EA-SY ! A 2 yr old can do that.
BUG !!!!! I was unable to open my abura-age in pockets. They are 1 layer. No way !
So the abura-age had to be wrapped around, or nothing.
A monster is born. Sushizilla !
A female…
A herd ? MUUUUUMMMM !!!! We are invaded !?
The shape… well. It didn’t affect the taste. Fried tofu + sushi rice is a magic pair.
They were really delicious with a few drops of soy sauce nama shoyu on the back and a little wasabi between the ears. With a good pot of genmai cha tea to reheat that.
4 pieces (= 2 servings of rice)
Cal 549.5 F17.8g C74.2g P19.8g
I took the photos outside for the light, that’s why you can see the street in the back.
GOURMANDE in OSAKA 
