I normally tend not to write anything political or historical. What can food relate back to history?

That’s true, unless if something has a long history of evolution. Many people thought I am a food reviewer. Partially correct, I used to be a wine chemist so sensory analysis was a part of my everyday job. However, unlike many of my fellow bloggers, I am not only a food reviewer. I also do recipes and talk about the background of the recipes or food produce as well as promoting SA food produce.

However, I’d like to talk a bit of history of our Asian neighbours, simply because the recipe today is about a special type of sashimi, Ryukyu Sashimi.

Wait a minute….Ryukyu? what is it? Ryukyu used to be a kingdom between Japan and China. The kingdom used to rule all the Ryukyu Island and has been a long period tributary relationship with various dynasties of the Imperial China until the 19th century when Japan invaded and subordinated it. It now has a new name – Okinawa!

Anyway, let’s get back on track with the food. Ryukyu cuisine is quite different from the main island of Japan. The cooked food is quite similar to Chinese – This can still be observed today. For the uncooked raw food, say sashimi, it is cooked in a way of preservation/pickling rather than Japan’s raw raw sashimi.

Ryukyu Sashimi

Ingredients

1 Fillet            NZ King Salmon – more oilier than Atlantic salmon but more flavour

1 Fillet             Yellowfin Tuna (Port Lincoln)

1 Fillet             Marlin fish

2 tbsp               Soy sauce

1 tbsp                Mirin

Spring onion (finely chopped)

Sesame seeds

1 tsp                  Grated ginger

1                          Egg yolk

 

Steps

1. In a big bowl, add 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin and 1 tsp grated ginger and mix well.

2. Slice the fish into strips alongside the fibre. Add to the bowl. If the sauce is not enough, add additional sauces with the ratio of 2 tbsp :1 tbsp:1 tsp = soy sauce:mirin: grated ginger until you can fully marinate the fish. Mix well.

3. Cover with cling wrap and place in fridge over night. On the second day, place appropriate amount of fish on a small plate, top with the egg yolk, sesame seed and chopped spring onion and serve.

Sounds easy? It tasted even better! The marinated fish becomes quite tender and literally melt-in-your-mouth. On palate, it exhibit jelly-like properties and gives plenty of flavours! If you place this on top of a bowl of rice, it will be even tastier. 🙂

The following sushi and sashimi were made when I prepared the Ryukyu sashimi using the same fish. The ingredients used are from Naked Sushi and Ichiba Junction as I described in the previous post, Inari Sushi. I wouldn’t describe how I made them, but when I have time, I will try to take some photos of the procedures.

I hope the recipe has inspired you a bit!

For the next post, I will tell you about some new menu items at the Maid Hotel. Stay tuned!