Ginger – gari, ガリ

 

 

There is always a small pile of pickled ginger – called “gari” in Japanese – accompanying sushi.  They are meant to be eaten in small amounts in between different kinds of sushi, as it refreshes your mouth and prepares you for a new flavor.  Maeda’s gari is lighter in color and less syrupy than the version commonly served in typical Japanese restaurants.  That is because Maeda marinates them himself with salt, then a mix of vinegar and sugar.  It works perfectly well to cleanse your palate with its pungent, yet deep spice.  The antiseptic gari also helps in digesting, making it a perfect companion to sushi.

“Anybody with money can buy a fresh piece of tuna.  But often years of training and experience is required in less obvious things like gari.  Bad, sugary gari can ruin a perfect piece of tuna sushi.”  Chef Maeda

 

Hikarimono – Shiny Fish – 光りもの

 

The pictured are sayori (halfbeak), kohada (gizzard shad/Japanese herring), and aji (horse mackerel).  Japanese categorize fish with shimmering skin as “Hikarimono.”  Literally translated, it means shiny things.  The group includes; mackerel, kohada (gizzard shad), aji (horse mackerel), sayori (halfbeak), sardine.  In Edo-mae, or Tokyo style sushi, the chef’s skills are truly tested in the preparation of hikarimono, because they tend to be very sensitive fish that are quick to deteriorate without the application of proper curing technique.  Maeda uses salt and vinegar of various kinds on each fish to bring out the natural flavor.  The methods and timing used are different for each fish and requires intimate knowledge derived only from years of experience.  The result on your plate is a work of art.  It is beautiful to look at, and once in your mouth, you will find a harmony of flavors.

People tend to stay away from the unknown.  Because it requires such delicate work to be able to serve them, hikarimono are often omitted by the restaurants without skilled chefs.  As a result, many sushi fans in the area have missed out on this delicacy.  Please feel very confident that you will receive hikarimono of the highest quality from Maeda. 

“One can understand how important hikarimono is to us (chefs) if you know that a traditional sushi chef seasons sushi rice to match the flavor of his kohada and other hikarimono.  It can decide the taste preference of a particular sushi bar and restaurant.”  Chef Maeda

 

Sushi Rice – 酢飯

No matter what you may order at a sushi restaurant, there are things that remain constant.  One of them is rice.  One of the surest ways to find your favorite sushi restaurant is to carefully taste the vinegar seasoned rice – maybe even more so than the fish.  That should explain why cooking and seasoning of the sushi rice – called “sumeshi” or “shari” in Japanese – is one of the most important and painstaking tasks for a sushi chef.  It is a process where he distinguishes himself from others, and Maeda is no exception.

It starts with the highest quality short grain rice available from California.  Since it is a farmed product affected by natural conditions, it has unique characteristics year to year.  The water content of the rice is also effected by whether if the rice used is still fresh from harvest in fall, or “old” crop that has been stored.  Maeda makes subtle, but important adjustment accordingly to achieve the consistent result.  Factors that change the resultant sumeshi includes the amount of water used during cooking, timing, the content and amount of vinegar mix used in seasoning, and the technique used to incorporate the vinegar mix with the rice.

The cooked rice is placed in a wooden tub called “hangiri” and the vinegar mix is added.  Maeda lets the rice and vinegar come together evenly, while letting extra moisture evaporate by an action somewhere between cutting through and quick chopping, using a wooden paddle.  He is also careful not to squash each grain of rice.  In precise and calm motion, Maeda gets this crucial process done in a couple of minutes.  The rice is cooled down while the vinegar settles in, before it’s ready to be used for sushi.

“I avoid using new crop as much as possible because it contains too much moisture and gets too sticky.  But when I have to, years of training in proper technique pays off as I am able to coat each grain with vinegar and get the desired stickiness and flavor.”  Chef Maeda

 

Yubihuki – 指拭き、茶布巾

 

When you sit down at Maeda Sushi Restaurant, a server will hand you an oshibori, a moist, warm towel for your refreshment, and sanitizing.  If you are at Maeda’s sushi bar, and like to eat nigiri sushi with your hands, then our server will provide you a yubihuki.  Please use this small sarashi cloth inside the ceramic container to clean your fingertips in between the bites – just pinch the towel and rub without pulling it out of the holder.  The green holder is made by Tatsuko Kishida like many of our other ceramic potteries and tablewares, which should be a subject for future posts.  By the way, eating nigiri sushi with your hand is encouraged at Maeda Sushi.  Maeda communicates with the customers through his sushi…wouldn’t you think handling sushi would bring you closer?

 

Maeda Special Sushi – 特上寿司

Ten pieces of sushi and a Tuna Roll…

Depending on seasonal availability, it usually consists of:

Fatty or Medium Fatty Tuna, two pieces of Tuna, two kinds of white fish, one Yellowtail, one clam, one Eel, one Sea Urchin or Salmon Roe sushi, Egg sashimi, and one Tuna Roll.

 

Deluxe Sushi – 上寿司

Nine pieces of sushi and a Tuna Roll…

Depending on seasonal availability, it usually consists of:

Fatty of Medium Fatty Tuna, two kinds of white fish, one Tuna, one Egg, one Salmon Roe, one Shrimp, one Yellowtail, one Salmon sushi, and one Tuna Roll.

 

Chu-Toro – Medium Fatty Tuna

 

Chu–Toro is the moderately fat meat of a tuna.  A blue fin tuna yields Akami (red meat), Chu-Toro, and Oh–Toro (pink meat with a large fat content), and chu-toro is usually found near the skin on the back and belly.  Many connoisseurs prefer chu-toro because it combines the lighter but deep, slightly bitter flavor of an akami with the sweet tenderness of an oh-toro.  Sometimes you will find a cut of chu-toro with a gradation of red from the deep red to pink (lean to fatty). 

“Many think the oh-toro from belly of a tuna is the best, but I love the chu-toro from near the back of the body.  It has great flavor and not stringy at all, just smooth.”  Chef Maeda

 

Fluke – hirame

The Japanese refers to all flat fish with eyes on the left side of the head as hirame, which is called fluke in the U.S.  The best fluke for sushi is the kind called turbot, which is caught in Europe from the Black Sea to the Mediteranean Sea, and up the Atlantic Coast here in North America.  Probably the most popular white fish along with red snapper, fluke is available year round but best in fall and winter.  Refreshing, light, and subtly sweet, fluke sushi usually starts an omakase (chef’s choice) sushi at the bar.

“I like to use the fluke that comes up in the Long Island Sound, more than the Atlantic ones that come up around Boston.  It has the fine, sensitive texture and flavor I prefer.”  Chef Maeda

 

Maeda Sushi Restaurant is OPEN

Maeda Sushi Restaurant is now open in Simsbury, Connecticut.  Owner/Chef Yasuo Maeda brings his reputation as a grand master of sushi to Connecticut.  This is the best of true sushi as the Japanese have known it.  Through this website, we hope to provide some insight into the intriguing world of sushi and help our customers at the restaurant enjoy this oft-misunderstood cuisine to the fullest.  Please check back from time to time, as we will be posting information not only about the restaurant (like currently available fish), but also about sushi and Japanese cuisine in general.  Of course, we are really hoping to meet you in person.

Maeda Sushi Restaurant – Simsbury Commons, 530 Bushy Hill Rd, Simsbury, CT 06070

phone:  860-651-4100

２００７年１２月１４日、コネチカット州、シムスベリーに前田寿司は開店いたしました。あくまでも本物の江戸前にこだわった寿司を是非、味わいください。スタッフ一同、皆様のご来店をお待ちしております。