In an exquisite cafe in Johannesburg (where I am putting up these days), hubby, his friends and I were discussing changing food culture of India. While we discussed the good old fascination for Chinese and Italian, we also mentioned that how the new generation loves to experiment with Mexican, Spanish, Turkish, Burmese and more. Just then I casually mentioned, ‘India is happily exploring Japanese cuisine too’ and the health conscious are taking it quite seriously.
I added… ‘I love its vegetarian flavors and Indian twists. ‘
A friend, a connoisseur of food, looked at me with a look that meant he was half-surprised and half-mad at my statement.
Veg Sushi… Like Really? Are you saying that you would love to go to sushi bar in Japan to eat cucumbers?
No, what I meant was I was loving my newly acquired taste for sushi and I was good to experiment with it the Indian way.
Well, it was hard to explain him that people like me who do not like the taste of raw fish, or cooked fish and fish roe ( reddish/orange eggs topped over sushi) could also enjoy Sushi. Why not? I mean the whole idea of Sushi might have evolved from salted fish wrapped in fermented rice but why can’t we have vegetables in place of fish. We definitely can.
My most latest experience of having amazing veg Sushi was in Mauritius at Westin Turtle Bay Resorts and Spa. And of course I must talk about Sushi Junction in New Delhi. I had a chance to dig in their flavors catering to Indian palate. Trust me, I was impressed. Now since I am talking about Sushi, I must talk about this experiential story that has been long pending.
What is Sushi?
Well for quite some time, I thought Sushi was only about raw fish. Many people still live with this wrong notion. Sushi, actually could be any food dish consisting of vinegar flavored rice. It is supposed to be sour, that is what the name means literally. It is supposed to be eaten cold. And wasabi, soy sauce and pickled ginger make best friends of sushi. The black fitting around the rice are dried sheets of seaweed called makizushi. The filling in the rice could be anything that you love. Trust me, together its makes a deadly combination and hot too. (Keep a check on how much you pick on wasabi if you are eating for the first time.) Right now I am thinking about the fillings… not fish or crabs or lobsters in it but veggies, paneer and chicken. Keep reading to know more…
Why Sushi?
Japanese food is considered quite healthy. Not only is it rich in omega-3 fatty acids, sushi is believed to increase life expectancy. The whole idea of old form of sushi was to wrap fish in fermented rice, which caused the fish proteins to break down into amino acids. Wasabi aids digestion and is rich in vitamin C.
Sushi can have both authenticity and Indian twist!
Apart from authentic and international flavours, sushi can have local fillings too like fried chicken, chicken rogan josh, Kidney bean curry sauce, cottage cheese and capsicum. If its hard to believe, just check for Sushi Junction. I was taken in for a complete surprise when I had a chance to taste their sushi variety. Chef Selection Platter (Veg) was amazing. It had a combination of 2pcs California Veg, 2 pcs of Pan Seared Cottage Cheese with Capsicum and 2 pcs Plum and Cucumber. To add to the fun, wasabi was superb.
Sushi Junction
Sushi Junction is already a famous name in Gurgaon and now its new branch in Malviya Nagar is making new waves. They deliver in Malviya nagar, South ex, GK1, GK2, CR Park, Defence Colony, Saket, Chatarpur, Vasant Kunj, Vasant Vihar, New friends Colony, Lajpat Nagar.
If you are wondering how does this Sushi brand gets its authenticity, I must tell you that the company’s CEO is a Japanese serial entrepreneur who knows his Sushi tastes pretty well.
For the newly found love in Sushi….
very nice balanced review. I am in love with veg sushi so much that I even learned how to make it. However I could still not perfect it the way Sushi junction does. I like their perfect taste, a blend of flavours and innovative versions of Sushi, many of which is not heard of such as Paneer sushi. No wonder I keep ordering from them.
Never heard of Sushi Junction, but would love to try it out the next time I am in Delhi! I love Sushi and am a vegetarian! Had my first tryst with Sushi in the US and was amazed how good veg Sushi can be!