What qualities and skills should have a sushi chef

• What qualities and skills should have a sushi chef

To see with their own eyes the breadth of responsibilities, at the invitation of the administration we've been in the kitchen quite popular restaurants, where honor native Japanese sushi technique and appreciate the perfection of taste, but reject all the instructions and directions of the way when it comes to the severity with which usually served traditional Japanese sushi.

Read on and you will find out what qualities and skills should have a sushi chef to be a cut above the rest.

Meet this Masa Sayo. He moved to Texas from Japan in 2003 to become part of the newly created team of the restaurant "Uchi". And this is mackerel, which today is taken from Japan!

The main instruments Chef sushi, except his hands, of course, are the knives. Masa carries a serious arsenal, however, as a rule, uses only two or three knives per shift - it all depends on the situation and mood. On each blade are intricate Japanese characters denoting something like the acuteness sharpened knife.

Today, Masa arrived at work at 11 am in order to have time to make some preparations before the change - at 17.00. Tonight is expected influx of visitors, so Masa chose inexpensive lightweight knife that allows you to slice products faster. This small ceramic block is not used for sharpening knives, but rather to level the blade and smooth out any unevenness and roughness.

The fish are brought to the restaurant a few times a week, but sometimes international suppliers and air transport can be unpredictable. Delivery of the cargo was detained due to bad weather conditions, the workers "Uchiko" had themselves to take it out of the airport.

The restaurant has two main suppliers of fish. Thanks to the efficiency of air transport, they deliver the freshest fish from all over the world, including the land-center of the world - famous Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market.

butchering fish usually involved three persons. The duties of Masa enters the removal of scales. He holds a fish behind the head, because the fins are often poisonous.

The second guy neatly on a cutting line cuts the fish head.

gore under the spine are removed with special tool made of several shpazhek. If the blood is not removed, the fish meat is quickly spoiled.

Removing the internal organs requires special care and accuracy as accidentally hitting, for example, gallbladder, you risk to spoil the fish flesh and get a scolding from the chef. After carrying out a major operation in three workers thoroughly wash and rinse water fish.

The whole process of butchering the fish held in almost complete silence, workers retain their essential Zen calmness and composure.

The team cut up about 13-18 kg of fish for half an hour, after which it is sent to the counter-land for thinning.

Before the chef let touch to seafood, his skills with a kitchen knife should be honed to perfection. The restaurant require the skill of the chef cut a clove of garlic into 16 plates.

Even the most skilled chefs have to do a tedious job as sliced ​​Thai chili.

In the traditional Japanese sushi rice is considered the main ingredient, and the fish just adds perfection grains. If the rice is cooked it is not perfect, hence the taste of the dish will not be perfect.

Figure cooked by steaming, and then shift to a large wooden bowl (hangiri) with vinegar and stirred wooden spatula (shamoji) so that the vinegar is uniformly covered each grain by cooling the rice and giving the desired adhesive structure.

After the blood and internal organs have been removed, Masa gently removes from fish skin and cut the fillets, leaving thin layers.

Salmon is actually considered a white fish. His reddish-orange color and unique flavor due to the fact that, apart from a small fish, he eats more and crustaceans.

"The way the chef touches the fish to determine its skills and know how anxious he refers to it," - says Masa.

In the most popular sushi bars and restaurants of Tokyo for a change of service is not so many customers. Restaurants are proud that, thanks to the counter-sushi, guests can watch their own eyes to see how the wizard prepare what was to be on their plates.

The people who work for a sushi counters are the most hospitable and humble people on the planet, but keep in mind that you, as a visitor, and must behave appropriately.

Most of the Japanese sushi restaurant operates on the principle of "omakase" ( "I rely on you"), according to which the chef chooses a dish for visitors at its discretion, attaches great importance to the tastes of customers, rather than the chef. No need to ask, "Which is better?". Just tell us about your preferences, and you get something that is sure to have you on the soul. Never ask, fresh sushi or not. In decent establishments operating legally, dishes of expired or spoiled food simply will not serve.

One of the most important responsibilities of the chief of the land is to control supply and stocks of fish throughout the evening. "Every moment - this is the verdict - said Mas. - You do not want the extra products have deteriorated, and at the same time you do not want to admit to anything over at the most inopportune time, such as bluefin tuna. "

Sushi traditionalists and skeptical with some irony relate to roll, but the preparation of even the most simple, at first glance, dishes requires a lot of skill and craftsmanship. Good sushi literally crumble and melt in your mouth, while misfolded rolls eat and also the taste of glutinous rice, nothing else you do not feel.

Cook sprinkle sea salt is one of the signature dishes of the restaurant: maguro sashimi with goat cheese, bigeye tuna, pumpkin oil and Fuji apples. "Maguro - the king of the land," - says Masa.

One of the secrets, creating perfect flavor nigiri is in contrast between the temperature of the warm and cold rice fish. To feel this contrast, you nigiri is, immediately after cooking. In the photo - nigiri with fish aji (horse mackerel vulgaris), decorated with ginger, sesame seeds, green onions and tamari (a type of soy sauce, which has a more intense but less salty taste).

In the kitchen, a sushi restaurant prepared masterpiece such creations as Walu Walu, hot dish of grilled Escolar candied citrus, lemon and vinegar dressing Japanese ginger.

Uni, or sea urchin roe - the most unusual, that you can order in land-bar. However, uni - it's not the eggs, and genitals. Sea urchin roe brought in from Santa Barbara, where it is collected by diving into the icy water, very experienced (and well-earning) divers.

Order uni - is a sure way to curry favor with the boss-land.

Working shift Chef Sushi ended at 11 pm, when the restaurant was closed. But even after Masa folded into the bag all your knives, he did not leave work until the night o'clock precisely. Total time sushi-chef takes as much as 14 hours. And when you consider that he works six or seven times a week, at home it almost never happens.

Sushi chef lives work, and the best reward for him - this is thanks satiated and satisfied customers.