Today - Sushi and Beef, 2 Busy Classes

Classroom 1: Sushi

It's all about the rice - sweet, sticky, glutenous, zushi rice, sushi rice

Nigiri Sushi: little fingers of rice topped with wasabi and a filet of raw or cooked fish or shellfish; Generally the most common form of sushi

Maki Sushi: rice and seaweed rolls with fish and/or vegetables. Most maki place the nori on the outside; some (California) place the rice on the outside

Other Terms:

Anago: salt water or conger eel [Unagi: fresh water eel]

Bonito: also known as Skipjack tuna

Daikon: giant white radish, grated as garnish to sashimi

Dashi: basic soup and cooking stock made with kombu and bonito flakes
Fugu: puffer fish, considered a delicacy; contains large amounts of poisonous tetrodotoxin; in Japan only licensed fugu chefs are allowed to prepare

Gari: vinegared or pickled ginger; sushi garnish

Hamachi: yellowtail tuna [amberjack]

Hijiki: black seaweed; tiny threads

Mirin: sweet rice wine used for cooking

Miso: soy bean paste

Nori: sheets of dried seaweed used in maki

Tobiko: flying-fish roe

Uni: sea urchin

Sashimi: raw fillets without rice

Shoyu: Japanese style soy sauce

Tofu: bean curd

Toro: fatty tuna, O-Toro considered finest grade

Wakame: dried lobe-leaf seaweed in long, dark green strands

Wasabi: Japanese horseradish [not true horseradish but functions as such]

Classroom 2: Meat Fabrication

Today's class was focused on fabricating an entire short plate as well as a full leg (round)

Lots of knife skills practice.

Utilized cuts; skirt steaks, brisket and short ribs as well as inside and outside rounds, eye of round, and knuckle.