Tuesday, January 31, 2006

My New Sushi Box

My dad once turned to me in a shopping centre and told me, the difference between men and women when it comes to shopping is that men are hunters; they know what they want when they enter the store and they hunt the item down. Women on the other hand are gatherers, they will walk around the store, look around for things they need and do not need and gather them together. This time my dad was right. While out looking for a larger pestle and mortar to replace the one I have at home, I ended up coming home without the pestle and mortar but an oshibako (wooden mould used to make pressed sushi). When I reflect about it, a sushi box is pretty different and far off from the original item I was looking for but nonetheless I’m rather satisfied with my new kitchen member.

To put my new kitchen baby to the test, I made some oshizushi (pressed sushi) over the past 2 days for lunch, dinner and lunch again. By the third attempt in 24 hours, I think I can safely say I’ve mastered the simple art of oshizushi. The whole process is rather gratifying. It all begins with first lining the box with some sushi rice followed a layer of topping and then pressing it all down with the lid. The final and my favourite step is the act of pulling off the mould to reveal the beautiful compact rectangle of edible art. All that is left is to cut the rice block up into bite sized portions and to top with some nori. Oh the joys of oshizushi!

Spicy Maguro Oshizushi



Ingredients:

500 g cooked sushi rice
500 g sashimi grade maguro, cut into 0.5cm cubes

Spicy dressing
¾ cup Japanese mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sambal
Juice from ½ lemon
2 Tbsp dried bonito flakes
1 Tbsp tobikko
Salt to taste
Nori for garnish

Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients for spicy dressing.
2. Gently fold in tuna into spicy dressing and coat well.
3. Line oshibako with a layer of sushi rice and followed by a layer of spicy tuna mixture. Press the lid down. Continue to press the lid down and slowly lift the box away. Remove lid and slice into desired sizes. Garnish with nori and serve.

* Recipe adapted from Florence Tyler’s Real Kitchen

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9 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

hi joone, loved the idea of sambal with tuna on top of sushi rice, nice combi.... gong xi fa cai to u and ur family with many wishes for prosperity and good healthy!

4:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yummy!!!!!

I simply adore sushi. Can to share a pic of the oshibako? :)

7:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

lovely... i need to get me one of those - can share pic pl? where did u buy from and how much does it cost? thanks!

5:57 AM  
Blogger shaz said...

hey joone
was foodie blogging surfing and chanced upon your blog. I'm a fellow singaporean foodie blogger too! hope you dun mind, i added your blog as a link on mine! shaz

12:36 AM  
Blogger joone! said...

cath: you should try it, it might even make a great sandwich.

beck: sure! i'll post the picture soon.

spots: i bought might at the basement of liang court, just outside the meidi-ya supermarket, i bought the large one which was S$29 (i think) and the smaller one is S$21.

shaz: no problem! cook yummy things :)

6:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You will have to throw a party one day, and we will partake of the dishes prepared by thy fine hand.

Eugene

8:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi joone, thanks for the tip - i bought an oshibako! check out my blog for my creation!

8:43 AM  
Blogger mode de la shadow said...

but the servings are too little =/
not recommended for meals after a heavy days work.

practical ?

3:17 AM  
Blogger Guild Wars Fraud Police said...

where did u buy the oshibako from? temple street?

7:45 PM  

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