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Temarizushi can also be intricate and more creative in its designs. This type of sushi is similar to nigiri in that raw or cooked seafood is placed on top of rice, except that temarizushi is in the shape of small balls.Ĭooked or raw seafood is common, sprinkled with sesame seeds, but vegetables and fruits like avocado may also be used. You can leave it out of the dish if desired. Nori or seaweed in this type of sushi is mostly just used as a topping. More often than not, “scattering” means elegantly arranging ingredients so that the beauty of the sushi bowl reflects its delicious taste. However, this does not mean that ingredients are just randomly thrown on top of the rice randomly, like when you throw together a quick dinner bowl in 10 minutes or less.
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The Japanese word “chirashi” means “scattered”. It is not that difficult to make at home and can be beginner-friendly. Vinegared rice is topped with cooked or raw seafood and then sprinkled with other toppings. ChirashizushiĬhirashi is essentially a sushi bowl. Nori or seaweed does not feature in this dish, except when made nigiri-style.Ī beginner-friendly recipe for tamagoyaki can be found here. It can be placed on top of vinegared rice nigiri-style or served by itself. But at its most basic, it is just basically pillows of eggy goodness. Some versions contain dashi and some versions can even contain seafood. It is sweet and custardy and commonly served for breakfast in Japan. Tamagoyaki is a Japanese egg omelet made by rolling layers of beaten eggs together. I prefer it with nori but can also have it without. My favorite nigiri is actually very simple, Tamago (Japanese omelet), on a lump of rice. Most of the sashimi we mentioned above can be turned into nigiri by just adding a lump of rice. It features raw or cooked seafood (or egg) on top of vinegared rice, with or without a ribbon of nori around it. Nigiri is probably the most common image of sushi (and the sushi look I was going for when I made that costume for my dog). Maguro tuna is one of the most highly prized fish in the world. Often confused with tuna but is actually fattier and some believe, has superior flavor. One of the most highly prized fish in the world The quality and flavor of the seafood are the stars of the show. Because it is “riceless sushi”, it is also seaweed-less sushi as there are no other ingredients that need to be kept together. Sashimi is thinly sliced raw seafood or cooked seafood. Given its dual purpose, it may seem like nori is an indispensable ingredient in making sushi (when I made my dog’s sushi costume one Halloween, I said that he must have a seaweed belt otherwise he wouldn’t look like authentic sushi!) but the fact is, there are types of sushi that do not feature it at all. Nori adds flavor and holds sushi together.
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