The Art of Sushi

Quit when you're at your best? Not with Duc. The Vietnamese restaurateur with the right flair has been building his culinary empire in Berlin for over 20 years. But who actually is this multi-gastronomer The Duc Ngo?

The inspiration for today's sushi comes from Southeast Asia. From the method of preserving freshwater fish, the first forms of today's popular sushi developed over time. In our country, the varieties "Maki Sushi" and "Nigiri Sushi" are the best known; they are derived from "Edo-mae Sushi", which has its origin and a long tradition in Tokyo.

Have you always been put off by the amount of equipment you need to prepare sushi? Then Duc can reassure you in this episode and convince you of the opposite: it really doesn't take much to make your own sushi at home.

Sharpening Japanese knives on a whetstone is easier than many think. Since it is a simple V-grind, re-sharpening is just a matter of the right angle and a steady hand. In this episode, Duc shows you how to get the perfect grind with the right preparation, posture and angle.

Fresh fish is essential for perfect sushi. In principle, almost any fish can be used to prepare sushi. Look forward to bluefin tuna, mackerel, scallop, sea bream and octopus, among others.

Making sushi rice is an art in itself and sushi chefs spend years perfecting it. The perfect sushi rice should be sticky enough so that the rolls don't fall apart at the end, but at the same time remain loose and fluffy. In this episode, Duc shows you how you can easily make the most delicious sushi rice without a rice cooker.

Making your own sushi is much easier than most people think. Most of the ingredients for homemade sushi can be found in any major supermarket, weekly market, fishmonger or Asian grocer. Duc shows you how easy it is to prepare Japanese food yourself and that there are no limits to your creativity.

Filleting fish and removing bones, fins and skin - sounds easy enough! So don't be afraid of a whole fish. If you know how to handle the knife, where the fillet sits and what to look out for, you can fillet tuna, salmon trout, mackerel or scallops yourself.

Now it's time to roll! Hoso-maki translates as "thin roll". For the hoso-maki, a nori sheet is cut in half and usually filled with only one to a maximum of two ingredients. This is traditionally accompanied by soy sauce. By the way, the bite-sized bites are only dipped in the soy sauce with the seaweed leaf and not with the filling.

Ura Maki - These maki are also known as inside-out or California rolls. The ingredients, such as fish and vegetables, are wrapped directly in the nori sheet and the rice is on the outside of the roll. Usually the rice is then decorated with sesame seeds or fish eggs. Just so incredibly DELICIOUS!!!

Futo-maki (translated: "thick roll") is the large version of the maki roll. Futo-maki are made from a whole nori sheet filled with rice, fish and vegetables. With futomaki, there are at least three or more fillings in the roll. On your marks, roll, go!

For nigiri sushi, the sushi rice is formed by hand into small, oval balls. The balls are usually topped with a strip of raw fish, seafood, tamago or caviar. And as always, there are no limits to your creativity!