Sushi, That’s How We Roll.

Ja-Roen's Sushi Area.

 "You know, the kind with seaweed wrapping

I can never seem to get enough,

So get your hands off my sushi man

  Roll it up!

Got chopsticks to hold it up

Dip it in wasabi if you're bold enough

Cuz I love, I love sushi"

The Sushi Song

Song by Romeo Eats and Walk off the Earth ‧ 2021

 

When we hear the term “sushi”, automatically we think of Japan, raw fish, sticky rice, soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi.  Well, in the Cokenour household, we do, and when we have a craving for it, it’s to Ja-Roen Thai & Sushi, here in Monticello, that we run to.  But there is more to sushi than the simple items I just mentioned.

While Japan comes to mind immediately, the origin of sushi, or the art of preserving fish in fermented rice, began in the Mekong River region.  “Narezushi” spread to other countries that the river flowed through; China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam before reaching Japan by the 8^th century.  The more evolved presentations, that we see in today’s restaurants, developed during the Edo Period (16^th to 19^th centuries).  As England and America began to explore Japan, the cuisine of this mysterious new country was also investigated thoroughly.

Quick, when you hear the word sushi, what do you immediately imagine?  There are many types of sushi, and not all come in a rolled form.

Traditional Sushi Types:

Nigiri: A small oblong of hand-pressed rice topped with a slice of raw fish or other seafood.

Maki (or Makizushi): Sushi rice and fillings rolled in seaweed (nori) and sliced into rounds.

Sashimi: While often served with sushi, it is not technically sushi as it is just thinly sliced raw fish or meat with no rice.

Temaki: A cone-shaped roll with seaweed filled with rice and other ingredients.

Chirashi: A bowl of seasoned rice topped with a variety of scattered ingredients, often including fish and vegetables.

Uramaki: A type of maki roll where the rice is on the outside of the seaweed.

Inarizushi: Sushi rice in a seasoned, deep-fried tofu pouch.

Oshizushi: A type of pressed sushi made by pressing the ingredients into a mold, creating a rectangular block of sushi.

Gunkan: A type of nigiri with a band of seaweed wrapped around the rice to form a cup, which is then filled with soft, loose, or finely chopped ingredients like sea urchin or fish roe.

Temari: A small, ball-shaped sushi that is often made for special occasions.

Is sushi healthy?  Yes and no, and it all depends on, not just any illness you may have, like diabetes or gastrointestinal issues, but also the quality of the ingredients used.

Ah, the rice, it’s a main component when creating sushi, but can any type of rice be used? 

The best rice for sushi is short-grain Japanese (or "japonica") white rice due to its high starch content which makes it sticky enough to be molded into the correct shape.  If short grain is unavailable, medium grain can be used in a pinch, but using long grain rice ensures a total failure.

Master Sushi Chef Dos, and his wife, Fon.

 

Recently, I was honored to be able to take a sushi making lesson with Ja-Roen’s master chef, Dos.  He has been creating his masterpieces for 24 years, and can be seen working alongside his wife, Fon.  Palm, Ja-Roen’s most excellent manager, assisted with my lesson; hey, put a sharp knife in my hand and who knows where it will fly off to!  My hubby, Roy, chose the roll that I would be creating…The Spider Roll.  This is a soft-shelled crab (shipped in from Thailand), done up tempura style, slices of avocado and English style cucumber (less moisture, so holds its shape when cut).  Toppings over the roll are unagi sauce (aka eel sauce) and mayo; along with flying fish roe (bright orange-red color).

Hair tied back, gloves on (a dab of mayo rubbed on them keeps the rice from sticking to the gloves), makisu (the sushi mat) down, and a square of nori (seaweed sheet) on top.  Most important step begins with measuring the rice, 130 grams (approx. 2/3 cup), and using a food scale will get the perfect measurement.  It is placed on the center of the nori and stretched out to the left and right edges; half the rice is then spread upwards, till about a half inch from the edge, and a couple of bits of rice are mashed to the edge to create a type of “glue”.  The other half of the rice is spread downwards, again, about a half inch from the edge.  The rice should be spread that none of the nori is visible underneath without mashing the rice.  The crab, which was cut in half lengthwise, is placed in the center, and the legs should stick outside the end of the nori.  Two slices each, of avocado and cucumber, end to end, on top of the crab.

 

Soft Shell Crab

Spreading the rice.

Add Avocado and Cucumber Slices.

Now the scariest parts of all, for me at least, was the rolling and knife cuts.  Dos had already demonstrated each step, and I paid attention like a deer caught in headlights.  When it comes to the rolling, the trickiest part is making sure to do it evenly, and not put too much pressure.  Once rolled, then comes the knife cuts, and while I have very good knife skills, I am no master!  Estimate, as close as possible, the center of the roll, place knife down, begin to cut downward (not too much pressure!), then a sort of see-saw motion quickly.  Now there are two halves; with one half, cut off one section, about a half inch; then cut the remainder of the roll in half, and cut those two halves in half.  Repeat with second half of the original roll, and now there are ten sections, hopefully all evenly cut.  Being a nervous nelly, and being scared I would squash the roll, I sometimes did not cut the nori all the way through. 

Apply Even Pressure.

 

Begin Rolling.

 

Ready to be Cut.

Lining up the pieces next to each other, the mat is used to “repress” them into the proper shape before plating.  That was fun, making the pieces stand or lean prettily, decorating with the sauces and roe, but the best part of all was…the eating!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut Roll in Half.

Cut 1st Piece off 1st Half.

Cut Pieces Evenly as Possible.

Plating. 

Now for the condiments and sauces.

Begin Plating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pickled Ginger and Wasabi in one corner.

 

Unagi Sauce and Mayo.

Sprinkle on Flying Fish Roe.

 

My Spider Roll (front view)

 

My Spider Roll (back view)

 

All in all, what I thought would be a scarily difficult food creation ended up being much easier, and definitely less terrifying, than I thought it would be.  Chef Dos and Palm were very patient, and most excellent instructors.  It made me feel so much more confident to hear Chef Dos say, that, for a first time, I didn’t do too badly.  Oh, the spider roll…this was the most delicious one ever, especially since I had made it.

In the mood for sushi, after reading this; Ja-Roen Thai & Sushi (380 S Main St, Monticello, UT 84535; (435) 587-4000) are open Mon-Wed: 11am-3pm, 4pm-9:30pm, and Thurs-Sat: 11am-9:30pm.  Last seating is at 9pm.

Cucumber Roll pairs nicely with Spider Roll.

 

 

 

 

Cucumber Roll

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, Ja-Roen has extended their drink menus (see photos below) and locals get a 5% discount!

Coffees, Tea, Juice, Water.

Boba(Bubble) Tea, Soft Drinks, Non-Alcoholic Beer.

 

 

When it comes to excellent service, atmosphere and Thai/Japanese cuisines; you MUST check out Ja-Roen Thai & Sushi.

Mary Cokenour 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewing Japanese Desserts.

It has been a long while since I have attempted a book review of any type.  Usually, if interested in a book of any genre, I will read the reviews already written.  Depending on the amount, most either regurgitate reviews from the back of the book, or simply say, “I liked it.”, or “I did not like, or even finish it.”  Typically, depending on my own personal conclusion, it will get one to five stars on Goodreads or Amazon as I have nothing new to add to the many reviews already written.

 

So, bear with me as I review Sweet and Easy Japanese Desserts by Laure Kie.  In past articles I have written often of Japanese foods, and a sweet treat named mochi.  This baking book gives step by step instructions to create, not only mochi, but matcha, sweet buns, the doughs to create these, and delicate cakes that melt in the mouth.  The photography is clear and detailed, with many recipes depicted in step-by-step photos. 

When looking for a baking book related to Japan, I found that many used measurements in the metric system only.  In this book, both systems of metric and imperial are given in each recipe, and there are conversion charts in the back pages.  For those of us who know the term “metric”, but not “imperial”; the International System of Units or SI (the modern form of the metric system), the British imperial system, and a third one popped up in my research, American “customary”, but it looks the same as “imperial”.

In the beginning, there are sections on fillings, flours, utensils and even how to wrap the desserts for gifting.  When it comes to fillings, red bean paste and green tea matcha are popular names you might have heard.  Since we live here in the southwest, and read “red bean”, you might automatically presume it is the same type of beans we have in this area, namely kidney or pinto.  The Japanese use a red bean named adzuki, aka red mung bean, which primarily grows in Asian countries.  The dried beans are soaked in water for twelve hours, drained and covered in fresh cold water, then boiled for two hours until very soft.  The beans are cooled and crushed into a paste; smooth or chunky depending on the dessert that is to be created. 

Now many of us have used dried beans to create soups, stews or side dishes using the soak, drain and cook method, but on desserts?  The bean paste is combined with sugar; oh, yellow mung beans and white beans, called shirohana can be used for paste making also.  Do not fret, if the authentic Asian varieties cannot be found, local varieties of your area work just as well.  Yes, but how does sweetened bean paste taste?  Personally speaking, it was unusual at first; a unique flavor that kept getting better, especially combined with whatever outer layer contained it.  That is where the different flours come in, and whether a cookie, cake, or bun have been created.

Now this is supposed to be a book review, but here I am going on about making bean paste.  Guess what, I believe the review is working out well, as I am showing you how excited the descriptions and photos can make the reader.  Basically, if I was showing you the book, in person, it would be, “Look, look at this photo, I want to eat some of that right now!”, “Oh, and look at the recipe, that is so easy!”.  In essence, whether a novel or a cookbook, if it gets the reader excited, it must be doing something right.

…and here I go again with some excitement, I just found the recipe, page 84, for Japanese Cheesecake.  This cheesecake is not the typical dense variety that has to cool overnight, and you hope the top does not crack.  It is a light, airy, sponge-like variety obtained by mixing in whipped egg whites, and is also called "jiggly cake" due to its tendency to wobble or jiggle when touched.  It is not super sweet and simply melts in the mouth; great accompaniments are whipped cream and fresh fruit on the side.  For those of you who might be Pokémon fans, the character Jigglypuff is not named after this cheesecake.  His name, in Japanese, is actually Purin which translated to custard pudding; still a dessert, but not cheesecake.

Recipe sharing in this article?  Oh no, instead, if you are truly curious and want to delve into the realm of Japanese baking, buy this book.  Careful though, you may become so addicted to all the new sweets and treats, that your usual snickerdoodles will not taste as good any longer.

Mary Cokenour 

Sweet Rice is Not All About Pudding.

Let’s play one of those “name this” games.  Name a dessert made with rice.  Bet your answer would immediately be “rice pudding”.  Most folks would also consider this dessert’s origin to be either the United Kingdom, or America itself.  That would make you lose points in my game, as we will be going back to Asian culture instead.  Actually, way back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, of 1047 BCE, China. This country is known to be the first cultivator of rice, and rice pudding is called “eight treasure”, or” eight jeweled”, rice porridge.

Sweet rice, aka sticky rice, is more glutinous than your average, every day white rice.  It can be compacted more tightly around a sweet or savory filling, and served as appetizers, side dishes or desserts.  A one cup serving contains 37 grams of carbs which is about 2 and ½ servings; very little protein and fiber.  So why is it eaten, on a daily basis, in many countries, not just Asian cultures?  Sticky rice has antioxidant properties that help lower oxidative stress, and is rich in minerals like zinc, magnesium, copper, phosphorus and selenium.  Health benefits include increased bone density, decreased inflammation, and improved heart health.  The con side of all this is, what the rice is eaten with of course.  If you make a large batch of deep-fried rice balls that contain a mixture of chocolate and caramel, then eat the entire batch.  Oh boy, are you going to get yourself seriously sick, and just might end up in the hospital.  In other words, no matter how healthy something is, still have to keep in mind that annoying little word, moderation.

Is all sweet rice the same, no matter what country it is grown in?  Surprisingly not.  Here in Monticello, we have Ja-roen Thai Restaurant (thankfully still open, and everyone wishes the sushi would be brought back…but I digress).  In Moab, there are several Thai restaurants that are of high quality as well.  One dessert that is typically on menus is Mango with Coconut Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang).  The rice used is whiter, less opaque and longer than that used in Japanese restaurants.  After the rice is prepared, it is combined with full-fat, sweetened coconut milk, and left to rest to soak up the milk.

 

 

So, it is no surprise that Roy and I are super fans of Asian cuisines, and he benefits from all my attempts at creating many of our favorite dishes.  Lately, I have been on a mochi kick.  Say what?  Mochi which is made from a Japanese grown short grain, opaque form of sweet rice.  The traditional method of making the mochi paste is to steam the rice, then pound it out inside a wooden bowl with a wooden mallet.  The paste is then formed into balls that can be eaten as is, or the paste is formed around sweet or savory fillings.  Nowadays, the flour can be purchased, water and sweetener added, and the paste simply stirred up in a bowl.  For those truly interested, you can learn, in six easy steps, to make your own homemade mochi, with your purchased flour, at: https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Make-Homemade-Mochi/

 

Purchasing premade mochi, online, is available, shipped in from Japan, and most vendors have reasonable prices.  The products may have a filling, or you can purchase just the simple mochi balls that resemble mini-marshmallows covered in powdered sugar.  But wait, if you happen to be in Monticelli, stop in at Blue Mountain Foods, go to the ice cream section and you can purchase “My Mochi”; mochi wrapped around frozen balls of rich and delicious ice cream (my favorite flavors are green tea and double chocolate).  Remember though, these little goodies are high in carbs, so one is a perfect serving.  Roy and I, though, had a fun time taste testing all the products we could find; in moderation of course (wink, wink).

What does mochi taste like?  Similar to a marshmallow, but not as sweet, and the texture is similar, but gooier.  Oh dear, now another warning that sort of ruins some of the fun of eating mochi.  Do not put an entire mochi in the mouth and attempt to eat it whole.  Mochi must be eaten in small bites and thoroughly chewed before swallowing.  Due to its glutinous makeup and dense, thick, sticky texture, it can cause a choking hazard.  If not chewed, but simply swallowed, the sticky mochi gets stuck in the throat, and can lead to suffocation. 

Please do not be turned off by this warning, since common sense dictates that anything eaten must be in manageable bites anyway, but can still cause a choking hazard. 

Roy and I dream about traveling to the various Asian countries someday, but until then, we can enjoy the cuisines, either in a restaurant, or making it at home.  Try it, you just might surprise yourself, and truly like it!

Mary Cokenour