Sushi Skills and a Low-Fat Lunch - Japanese Salad

December 25, 2014

Instead of making New Year resolutions you are sure to give up this January, it makes more sense to pick something you can succeed at like trying new recipes or styles of cooking.

You don’t need to be an expert in the kitchen to make excellent Japanese cuisine. With just a bit of patience and creativity you can enjoy sushi, nigiri, noodles and a full range of tasty, healthy and nutritious dishes and you can give yourself a pat on the back for keeping your resolutions for a change.

Japanese food has the added bonus of being low in fat so if you are still determined to lose some of those extra Winter pounds, here is an idea for a low-fat lunch that will fill you up, teach you some basic sushi-making skills and is good for you all at the same time.

Tuna and Cucumber Hosomaki with Japanese Salad

Hosomaki are ideal for lunch as they are the smallest sushi rolls and this salad dressing is versatile with a variety of vegetables.

First, make your sushi rice, on the hob or in a rice cooker, transfer it to a large bowl and fold in some sushi rice seasoning.

For the seasoning, mix 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of mirin, 2 teaspoons of castor sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Cut a nori sheet in half and lay it on your sushi magic machine or hand rolling mat and put on a layer of rice, some thinly sliced raw tuna (or tinned if you prefer) and some thin strips of cucumber.

Roll it up and cut into inch long rolls.

For the salad, in a bowl mix 3 tablespoons of mirin, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds and 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil.

Thinly slice some iceberg leuttice and grate a raw carrot. Mix these well with the dressing and that’s it.

The small Hosomaki are easy to take to work in some Tupperware with a blob of wasabi and you can take the salad separately, or make it for lunch and scoff it all at once.

A delicious, filling and calorie busting two-course Japanese lunch is really that simple.