Hochner Family Blog

Today, we started with the first actual examination. I didn't drink any booze last night (that was day three without any drink -- thanks to Patrick) but I only started to study the subject after the blog was uploaded. I didn't study for any kind of examination for quite a while and it was difficult to concentrate. After a long day of work at school, my effort couldn't last very long and I went to bed sooner than I was planning to.

There were 10 questions -- describe how to cut the fish and handle them for making Sushi, preparation of the workplace and actual positioning of the various tools and utensils, how to make Sushi Rice (Sushi's taste is determined by three factors, rice, vinegar and shoyu (soja sauce)), etc. I don't know the results of this test yet, but I finished last and I was too tired to work on Sushi after....

Today's special is the Inada  (looking for the proper English word)

When it grows older and bigger, the Inada becomes the Hamachi (young yellowtail tuna) and later it changes into the Buri (yellowtail).

Here is the way to prepare it:

Cut the head off,

Open the stomach, and take off the intestines,

Cut the right side of the body first.

The point here is to slide the knife while always touching the back bone.

then take care of the left side. The bony part of our Teacher is so well done, so clean.

Take off the bone around the stomach.

cut into two,

peel the skin off and the filet is ready.

Now we prepare the head. Off course, we eat the head too.

Open the head and cut off the gill with scissors.

The head was quite hard to cut. Cook it over the fire with salt around, or boil it with Shoyu, Sake, and Mirin is also good. I'll try it tomorrow. Little decoration with Ika (squid).

Once the Sushi is prepared, we always have parts left over. Out teacher quickly made a squid and a rabbit with squid. The eye balls are made up with Ikura (Salmon roe) and rabbit ear is made with tuna.

Here is today's lunch. Inada (Grunt), Tuna and Ika (Squid) with Miso soup with Salmon (yesterday’s left over salmon — nothing is ever lost!).

Today, I asked my teacher, Mr. Ken Kawasumi, to give us a special lesson to create special Sushi rolls. He is also known in Japan as a Master of “Decoration Sushi”. Here what he showed us today.

He also writes books 

This is the English translation of his book — Sushi for Parties. Maki-Zushi (Rolled suzhi) and Nigiri-zushi (known as a sushi) By: Ken Kawasumi, Publisher: Graph-Sha / Japan Publications.

You can see his home page at: http://www.sushiya.net. It's written in Japanese, but if you use one of the Internet translating tools (such as Google http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en), you can enjoy the art of Sushi.

Here is my school home page: http://academy.sushi.ne.jp

# posted by Famille Hochner @ 4:45 PM