Sushi School - Where should I begin?

IMO asking for kohada signals to the Chef that you aren’t some noob

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i have yet to meet an itamae that didn’t smile the first time i requested kohada from him, but even more so when i’ve complimented specifically on what i liked about it after clarifying if he prepared it himself; as i’ve suggested before, it’s about letting him know that your palate is sophisticated enough to appreciate his skills & kohada is as good a litmus test as any for assessing an itamae’s skill level…

and for someone like @TheCookie who seems to value the ability to stroke people, this is up there when it comes to sushi.

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I have a question about Otsumami. I see the term used frequently on this board. The definitions usually refer to food (generally snacks) eaten with drinks, i.e. Sake, Beer or Non-alcoholic beverages. Some of the definitions reference salty foods like Dried Fish or Roe. Okay? This is a little broad for me, as most food and snacks are eaten with a beverage. Does it refer to a certain point in a meal (beginning)? What distinguishes it from the usual Nigiri, Temaki, Sashimi, etc? What does the term Otsumami mean to you when using it in a report or comment? What foods would be considered Otsumami, egs. Gunkan?

A lot of questions, I know. Feel free to answer just one or two. :blush:

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Great questions! Keep 'em coming!

In the context we use it on this board, the word otsumami refers to the “non-sushi”, or “cooked” courses served within the framework of an omakase meal, usually presented prior to the main sushi courses. Otsumami is considered not sushi, even though it is often served within the structure of a sushi omakase (again, usually before the sushi courses in general). It’s totally OK for a customer to request an omakase without otsumami. Traditionally, otsumami are small bites which are meant to open up the appetite and inspire a bit of drinking of alcohol (usually sake), that’s all. Examples include Shunji’s summer corn potage, or Kiriko’s marinated firefly squid.

Within sushi however, the terms below can be descriptive:

nigiri = piece of neta (seafood usually, or other yummy item), placed openly atop a bed of packed shari (sushi rice). AKA: Your classic “piece of sushi”.

temaki = handroll (te = hand, and maki = roll) —> one large piece of nori (seaweed) rolled up into a cone shape, with shari inside, along with some seafood (toro, or blue crab, etc.) —> Usually a “fill the belly” ploy by the chef at the end of an omakase.

sashimi = raw sliced seafood (or other meat, such as beef or horse or chicken) without any rice

gunkan (short for gunkanmaki); gunkan = battleship, and maki = roll —> This is how uni is most often presented in a sushi omakase; the nori is shaped in a cylindrical manner, wrapped around a piece of nigiri (often where the neta will not willingly stay on the rice without oozing off the rice, such as uni or ikura, and thus the nori provides more vertical structural support for the whole thing). When standing on the dish, gunkanmaki resembles the stern of a ship (thus the ‘battleship’ moniker)…

Hope this helps.

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Ahhh… okay, it’s the cooked food in the beginning of an omakase meal.

I do have a fair amount of names and terms memorized (I oughta’ by now :relaxed:), like the more common - shari, nigiri, temaki, sashimi, some of the neta :wink:, type of food and atmosphere at an izakaya vs sushi-ya (sushi + house?), etc. - you get my drift. Even gunkan is now a part of my food vocabulary since @Sgee gave me tips after my failed attempt at making it. But I still have a lot of gaps. Not knowing Japanese is a slight hindrance, lol. So, thanks for the translations and meanings of the words and terms I’m memorizing, egs. battleship (gunkan) + maki and te (hand) + maki.

I’ve become familiar with a certain amount of the omakase coursing and the temaki served at the end of the meal (eaten right away to enjoy crisp nori), but the reason for the order and tips like chefs serving temaki as an end of meal belly filler (funny) not so much - makes sense though. And when I read otsumami was sometimes salty foods like roe I thought gunkan could be a selection. I did not get that it is cooked food and not sushi at all. I can now (almost) confidently add otsumami to my list of knowings. Yep, this helps. Thanks!

:sake: :stew: :sushi:

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@thecookie, here’s another one for you “Bo-zushi”. Starting to see this more often in US sushi bars.

from @porkbelly Hayato
image

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Oh Cool. I just looked it up. Do I request a particular neta or is it usually saba as most photos denote?

Not sure, I’ve only had it at omakase joints.

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There is also Battera Sushi. I really enjoy this. If you search this site you will see me and porkybelly eating/mentioning this.

Different maki’s sizes. Hosomaki usually has one ingriedient. Chumaki can have 2-3.

Futomaki though is something Momma could make with various veg/pickles/protein and throw it in her child’s bento box. I believe some futomakis can also be ceremonial or eaten on certain holidays.

Chirashi Sushi, “scattered”. This makes a fine lunch imo!!! Tsujita Sushi on Sawtelle makes perhaps one of the best in the city. There are regional differences too that I am probably not qualified too mention

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Honestly just go to Japan and eat your way thru the country sampling every region

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Yeah otsumami in the more casual sense, for example at a place that serves sake or sake bars in Japan would be small dishes designed to facilitate drinking. Generally savory, punchy, more umami, or pickled/salted…purely designed to elevate the taste of alcohol (or vice versa and make the food taste better). Some sake may be too harsh to drink, and having some food with it brings it back into balance.

Often you see these as starter dishes at izakaya. Examples would be something like raw octopus tentacles (diced up) marinated in wasabi, aka takowasa, shiokara (squid marinated in its own bile), fusion things like wasabi shoyu marinated pamesan cheese, cream cheese and shuto (fermented guts of bonito or sea bream), karasumi (cured/salted mullet roe), tsukemono (Japanese pickles) with a variety of styles and flavors as well as regional varieties such as narazuke and iburigakko (smoked pickles).

At sushi restaurants, otsumami would be something like sashimi, sashimi that is seasoned a bit heavier, seared or grilled fish, mozuku (vinegared seaweed), bou sushi…I even had whale in Tokyo as otsumami…

For even more examples of Japanese food (in general) designed to go with alcohol in Japan, head to the cuisine section of your local Kinokuniya bookstore and look for books about sakana 酒肴 (not to be confused with sakana meaning “fish”). At the San Francisco location I noted at least 3 books featuring over 200+ kinds of delicious looking dishes that will blow your mind if you are a hardcore Japanese food fan. Think of the small cooked dishes at Shunji…but a much wider range.

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Hosomaki, chumaki, futomaki! Thanks @JeetKuneBao. I’ve been using one of my cousins as a sort of language tutor. I remember her mom having what looks like futomaki for guests to nosh on at her dinners. I just asked and she said her mom mostly buys it now instead of making it. She said a good place in L.A. is at Nijiya Market on Sawtelle. Then she wrote “It’s easy to make!!!” Okay, then.

See? Gaps. I’ve seen photos of Tsujita’s glorious bowl and am familiar with chirashi bowls in general, but had no idea what the word chirashi meant - “scattered” makes sense.

I’m working on it. My husband half-jokes that every fancy dinner, tasting menu and omakase meal is one less day on our world tour.

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Something like this or not funky enough?


This was an amuse-bouche at Aburiya Raku. It was a while ago - the left looks like sautéed greens topped w/bonito flakes and the right I remember (marinated burdock root) because it was my favorite.

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Yeah in a way those count!

Left side: ohitashi, usually boiled spinach with bonito flakes and sesame seeds as a cold dish. Most sake would work though something lighter and refreshing would be best even a Junmai Daiginjo.

Right side: kinpira gobo… slivers of burdock root and carrot (typically wild carrot) stir fried or braised in soy sauce and mirin topped with sesame seed, served at varying temperatures. Very traditional Japanese.

The lunch bento at Aburiya Raku, those smaller bite types positioned at the side, I would consider as otsumami too, as they are built for sake as well.

Sometimes these really small bites could be otoshi at izakaya in Japan or kobachi which are also appetizers and go with Sake nicely or beer, just have more specific nomenclature to make it more confusing. Though kobachi are more side dishes than appetizers but it depends when the restaurant decides to serve them to you during the meal.

Otoshi usually are the small plates/apps forced upon you at izakaya in Japan and you automatically get charged for it, think of it as an entry fee and their way of charging tips but since tips are not something they are allowed to earn from customers directly they have to provide something in return. In some restaurants in Hong Kong (regional Chinese, Chiu Chow eateries) they have these stir fried peanuts (super delicious btw and excellent with beer) or pickles in small soy sauce dishes… if you don’t eat or consume they won’t charge you… except the difference is you are still expected to leave some spare change on top of 10% and you get charged if you eat them. Kind of implicit but if you don’t know you’ll think they are being dishonest.

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What gobo (burdock root) exactly is has been an adjustment in thinking for me. Back in the day - when sushi spots were starting to become more mainstream and before most Angelenos knew there was a difference between westernized and traditional or high-end sushi - some itamae would serve a salted, pickled, orange, carrot looking root and call it gobo (some may still). It looked and tasted like carrots to me. I loved it and ordered it all the time. But that’s what I thought gobo was - carrots that were salted and pickled. I didn’t realize until a couple of years ago the carrots were usually part of the dish and not the whole thing. I remember discussing it with @MaladyNelson and she was skeptical about my recollection. I thought it’s probably because she’s Japanese and knows the difference, plus she probably wasn’t going to places like Sushi on Sunset and Ta-Ke Sushi. :slight_smile: Now I’m wondering, was this burdock root dyed orange for a more appealing visual or were they carrots??

Found this amusing and informative piece about Otoshi aka my new food vocabulary word.

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When ordering omakase, would it be considered rude/impolite to request no bluefin tuna?

(Not really interested in any comments about my refusal to eat bluefin being stupid, pointless, etc. Thanks.)

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Not at all. You won’t be the first. They’re probably used to it by now.

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