Sushi for Parties: Maki-Sushi and Nigiri-Sushi (Paperback)

~ Ken Kawasumi (Author) "Sushi rice is colored with oboro or powdered condiments and various patterns are designed by manipulation of the ingredients..." (more)
Key Phrases: minced salted shiso, kampyo gourd strips, green shiso leaf, Bamboo Roll, Battleship Wrap, Butterfly Roll (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Sushi is one of the truly Japanese dishes. It makes full use of fresh seafood and seasonal ingredients. A Japanese eating sushi exclaims that he or she is happy to be born Japanese. Along with sukiyaki and tempura, sushi is world famous as a typical Japanese dish. Traditionally, chirashi-zushi (scattered sushi) and maki-zushi (rolled sushi) have been prepared by mothers for the occasion of cherry-blossom viewing, school sports, festivals and traditional events. It is also served for guests. Like home-made pickles, each family had its own distinctive flavor.
The flavor of sushi has been handed down like this from generation to generation, but recently it has been forgotten with the increase in nuclear families. Nigiri-zushi in particular has become high-priced food available only at sushi bars.
This book is intended for beginners. TV champion Ken Kawasumi, who won the sushi contest sponsored by TV Tokyo twice, explains the techniques and methods simply and plainly. If nigiri-zushi is prepared at home, everyone can relish the intriguing recipes at a reasonable cost. Let's enjoy and fully appreciate the delicacies of hand-made sushi.

About the Author

KEN KAWASUMI was born in 1956 in Kamakura. He started his apprenticeship at the age of 16 at famous local sushi bars. He focused on improving his own techniques and developed original maki-zushi. He captured the championship twice at the All Japan Professional Sushi Contest sponsored by TV Tokyo. He also won a bronze medal at the All Japan Sushi Technique Contest sponsored by the Japan Sushi Association. He now runs a sushi bar, 'Kawasumi' and teaches sushi at various schools.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Japan Publications Trading (September 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870409565
• ISBN-13: 978-0870409561
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #956,753 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book, But Unrelated to the Title, May 31, 2000

By	"neutral" - See all my reviews

This is a pretty good beginner-intermediate sushi book. The title is rather enigmatic because aside from a few fancy "party-like" sushi types that it describes, this book is really just a nuts-and-bolts guide to sushi making. In fact it appears to be a companion book to "Sushi Making at Home"; a combination of the two books would provide an excellent reference for standard sushi making.

Sushi for Parties covers the making of Maki sushi (though briefly and in conjunction with the making of specialty rolls), Futo-maki, Nigiri, then various "other" sushis (Chirashi, Inari, Bou, Oshi), it also provides a few recipes for soups and talks a little bit about the tradition of serving specific sushi during different seasons. By far the best part of this book is the section on Nigiri sushi. Although, you might think Nigiri would be the easiest sushi to make, those who have tried know that this isn't the case. The nigiri section encompasses 20 pages of the 80 page book and is very well illustrated with clear instructions on how to prepare different topings.

I should also say that because of the illustrations, this book, and Sushi Making at Home, make excellent coffee table books. I have a tendancy to leave mine out, and unattended guests always leaf through them.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book about sushi I ever seen., July 29, 1999

By A Customer

The best book about sushi I ever seen. The book teaches you in detailes (with pictures) how to make any type of sushi you can imagine. Highly recomended to everyone - expert or starter.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really fun book, April 2, 1998

By A Customer

This book gives you step-by-step instructions on how to make all kinds of whimsical sushi dishes. It's as much fun to look at the pictures as to actually make the recipes. However, it's best if you live near a Japanese grocery, as a lot of the ingredients probably aren't at your local supermarket.