Savouring sushi

Manpriya Singh 

Food is not a culture in Japan. It’s an obsession. Little wonder, that Japanese cuisine is one of the few national food traditions recognised by the UN for its cultural significance. Simply put, traditional Japanese cuisine is part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, which means that the preservation of Japanese way of eating is vital to the survival of the traditional culture. 

Signature dishes 

Sushi/sashimi Starting with what rings a bell instantly with most Indian foodies, rather foodies the world over, sushi and sashimi. Centuries before Japanese people were eating sushi, they were eating sashimi, raw fish without the rice.

Tempura  A dish of battered and fried fish, seafood or vegetables. Basically a Japanese version of fried snack made most commonly from seafood and veggies. However, tempura is made in bite-sized pieces. Served with one of the several Japanese sauces but mostly with Tetsuyu sauce. 

Ramen One of the other popular dishes of Japanese cuisine that’s more than a complete meal with everything thrown in one bowl. Wheat noodles bowl served with meat or fish broth, or miso soup. Several other ingredients are also put in the same bowl, including seaweed, spring onions, eggs and sliced pork. 

Chef Speak

While sushi has successfully made its way to any restaurant serving oriental cuisine, for instance Oko at The Lalit, Kylin at Elante; a few places in Chandigarh place a marked emphasis on Japanese dishes and style of cooking too. “Which is Teppanyaki,” Kailash Mukhia, Japanese master chef at Hibachi, Hotel Icon—8, Chandigarh gets us started. “Teppan means iron and yaki means grilled. It’s a very healthy way of cooking, there is fire or boiling so all the nutrients are intact. All that’s used are healthy sauces to prepare the veggies or seafood. No preservatives, no ajinomoto,” and with that he emphasises on the simple flavours and minimal seasoning that define the cuisine. The idea is to do as little as possible to bring out the natural flavour. Ingredients like miso, soy sauce, shitake mushrooms, seaweed, bonito, wasabi are the condiments that accompany small dishes spread over several courses. 

Did you know? 

Some things happen only in Japan. Restaurants in the country will often pour sake until it spills over into a saucer, a token of appreciation for the visiting guest.