Attempting Sushi and Sashimi

 

We love Japan, don’t we? And we are that much closer to getting there now as AirAsia X will be flying to Haneda, Japan this December! Many of us at Koolred have been excited way before the outbreak of this news, and now our dream has come true. We’re all ready to feast on sushi and sashimi… “Oh NOOO!”, did we hear you exclaim? Wait… are you one of those type of eaters who dread the smell and taste of raw meat? To be honest, it’s all about finding the right kind of Japanese dish for yourself.  Not to worry, we’re here to help:

 

If you cannot stand the taste of raw meat:

Some people stay away from Japanese food because they are afraid of the uncooked meat not being fresh. In truth, Japanese restaurant kitchens must abide to health guidelines when preparing and serving the dish. If you don’t like raw meat, opt for fried dishes like ‘tempura’ (battered and deep fried seafood or vegetables) or ‘maki’ (short for ‘makizushi’ – sushi rolls wrapped in seaweed, tofu skin or ebiko/ fish eggs). 

Tempura, maki... they are all safe bets

You love salmon, but can’t seem to get the taste right when it comes to salmon sushi/ sashimi:

Dip your sashimi with some soy sauce and wasabi. Some people are too afraid to go near wasabi, but we think the green root is what makes Japanese food so exciting! Remember the key to mixing the two elements is by taking a bit before piling on scoops of wasabi to your small saucer (don’t overdo it… it’s part of dining etiquettes in Japan to eat and take things in moderation). If you think you can take the taste one notch up, take another tiny scoop. The sauce is usually used to flavour fish, so if you take sushi make sure you do not dip the side with the rice down. Furthermore, your rice would fall apart and into the soy sauce mixture. 

 

 

 

Japanese dishes look so tiny… how can I ever get full without having to splurge?

 

Solid food is easy to find in the menu. There are many restaurants that serve value-meal boxes (the bento set) where it consists of ‘shinmai’ (that mushy Japanese rice), ‘gari’ (pickled ginger), a meat dish, miso soup (broth) and slices of watermelon (Japanese love having the fresh fruit for dessert). You can also go for dishes with the word “Don” in them (short for ‘donburi’ which means Japanese rice bowl). Sizable tasty meat like beef fillet, fried chicken strips or fried eel (unagi) is topped on the plentiful of rice in a large bowl. Don't like rice? No worries, go for 'ramen' (noodles served in broth) instead. 

 

You do not necessarily have to select only dishes from the belt, opt for the ala cartes in the menu that might entice you to try. There are sushi restaurants that have interesting dishes that are worth trying like salmon sashimi salads, Italian-and-Japanese fusion dishes (heard of a pizza laden with salmon, or pasta served with egg and teriyaki chicken?) and more.