“For those who love sushi and want to try their hand in making nigiri-zushi, onigiri and maki-zushi, ‘Fun & Fancy Sushi’ shows you how to make it with ease thanks to its simplicity of teaching the beginner through understandable instructions and photography showing each step. Easy to understand and a sushi book worth owning!”
(c) Images courtesy of JAPAN PUBLICATIONS TRADING CO., LTD/GRAPH-SHA
TITLE: FUN & FANCY SUSHI (Expanded Edition)
AUTHOR: Seiko Ogawa, Ine Mizuno and Ken Kawasumi
PUBLISHED BY JAPAN PUBLICATIONS TRADING CO., LTD./GRAPH-SHA
PAGE COUNT: 82 Pages
There are many sushi preparation books in the market and there are simple books that are effective in detailing the steps and preparations specifically for the beginner and then there are some that may have good photography of the sushi but not really beginner-friendly steps on preparation.
So, I was definitely willing to see how “FUN & FANCY SUSHI” compares to other sushi books. With Seiko Ogawa, Ine Mizuno and 2-time winner of the “All Japan Professional Sushi Contest” (courtesy of TV Tokyo), was definitely interested to see how the three would prepare their book.
The book is broken down to the following chapters and in those chapters a good number of recipes of different types of sushi.
- NEW WAVES OF ONIGIRI (RICE BALLS):Â Make Onigiri more appetizing – Canape style Onigiri, Substancial rice and side dish (Side-dish Onigiri) and variations with Tempura
- TRADITIONAL ONIGIRI: Rice mixed with a variety of ingredients, Accompaniements to Onigiri for Lunch Boxes
- NIGIRI-ZUSHI (Squeezed Sushi): How to make Nigiri-zushi, Gunkan-Maki (Battleship Wrap), Variations of Nigiri-Zushi, Mini-nigiri and Animal-Nigiri
- FANCY ONIGIRI: Four variations of Inari-Zushi
- COOKED ONIGIRI: Toasting, Deep-Frying, Steaming, Boiling
- FANCY MAKI ZUSHI: Basic fancy Maki-Zushi, Fancy Maki-Zushi Calendar
- ONIGIRI STORIES – History of sushi, nutritional value and more
Right off the bat, this book definitely has a good presentation with its overall layout and introducing the various types of sushi. Many don’t have all the pictures, nor do they go into detail. As you can see from the image above on “Canape-style Onigiri”, the writers not only feature the pictures of the Onigiri but also showcase what is inside it and overall method of preparing the different types of Onigiri.
It’s very important to sushi preparation book where you can see the visuals of the sushi. Not paired with other sushi but separately and also showing you what is inside and giving you a clear idea of what you may want to make.
So, that’s one positive about this book that it’s detailed by showcasing the various types of sushi.
The next positive that I give to this book is in the actual recipe and preparation. Like most cookbooks, you get the step-by-step instructions but “FUN & FANCY SUSHI” also displays the actual preparation while things are getting mixed, cooking in a pan, etc. These photos are a nice touch to the full color photos of the sushi that is presented.
For example, the chapter on tempura. The writers showcase a basic onigiri with tempura but then show a picture of the prawns and salt being sprinkled. Then beating the egg with cold water and flour and then dry patting the prawn and putting it into the pan and then making a rice ball. These are not just copies of text, there is an accompanied photograph and this is very important for the beginner.
One chapter even goes as far as showing how to make rice, washing out the rice and when it’s ready. So, that’s what I mean by user-friendly. Really simple steps that the beginners need to know and fortunately, the writers include that. Many sushi cookbooks don’t go that far into detail on the basics but this is another positive for this sushi preparation book.
Another chapter is “nigiri-zushi”, this is the type of sushi that you would most likely find at a restaurant (pre-prepared). This book shows step-by-step with the actual hands of how much rice is in a hand and then how the fingers are used to flatten the prawn or shellfish right on top of the rice. Again, very simple!
And for maki-zushi fans (rolled up sushi), the same goes with this chapter on pictures showing how each step is made.
“FUN & FANCY SUSHI” is actually a very well-done sushi preparation book and targeted towards beginners and intermediate sushi makers. The step-by-step photography and it’s simple communication towards the beginner is what makes this book shine.
Not only does the book go into basic sushi but a few delicious and advance style of sushi as well but again, the instructions are concise, straightforward and beginners will be able to understand it. Again, there are photos with each step to help the beginner along the way.
As a person who owns a few sushi cookbooks, “FUN & FANCY SUSHI” is probably the best sushi preparation book I have seen targeted towards the beginner. I’ve spent money on quite a few sushi books that don’t have photos for it’s step-by-step instructions. Just the usual high-res photo of the end product and how it should look like and next to it, a verbose instruction that sometimes goes over my head.
So, I was definitely pleased with this book. A lot of positives reasons to buy this book for anyone interested in making sushi and many different types of sushi as well. Highly recommended!