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Mirror Magazine

"Eye of 65"
Featured on our cover this week is a photograph by veteran photographer and film director Timothy E. Weeraratne from his forthcoming exhibition "Eye of 65". The exhibition is aptly named for it focuses on the photographs taken by Weeraratne in his 65th year including scenes of Sri Lanka and portraits of leading personalities. Exhibition dates are May 17-19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the National Art Gallery.

Have you tried sushi?
By Esther Williams
The plate was piled with firm wedges of what looked like beetroot, carrot and cucumber and could have passed for a colourful salad. What it actually contained was raw tuna, salmon and trevaly (paraw) at its freshest with no fishy smell about it.

How does the thought of eating raw fish strike you? Although many may cringe at the thought of this Japanese delicacy, there are millions throughout the globe who delight in eating Sushi, accompanied by sweet sea weed, fluffy rice, fresh vegetables and tangy spices, arranged in an artistic fashion.

It is not only delicious but very healthy as each piece of sushi is high in nutrition and contains only a gram of fat or less.

For those who are just curious about this unique and famous cuisine of the world, a traditional Sushi platter would consist of tuna, salmon, cuttle fish, certain types of white fish and an assortment of raw vegetables. Each piece is dipped into soya sauce that is combined with 'wasabi' (paste made of horse raddish) for that distinctive flavour. This can be washed down with a glass of sake (rice wine) or green tea to complete the Sushi experience.

The Nihonbashi Restaurant at Galle Face Terrace that started in 1995 offers authentic Japanese fare, of which Sushi is a part of the menu. They have now opened a restaurant at the JAIC Hilton and a stand alone Sushi Bar at Odel. "Access was limited at the main restaurant when people waited for an occasion to dine Japanese style. At Odel however, it is now available for school children, women and shoppers where they can drop into a casual atmosphere," says Dharshan Munidasa, President of the Nihonbashi Corporation.

Each of their outlets cater to different clientele both local and international, although 90% the customers at the main restaurant are Japanese. Nearly all our clients have tried Sushi elsewhere before.....it is difficult to convert a non-believer," says Mr. Munidasa.

Their speciality at Odel is the Temaki (hand rolled sushi, wrapped in seaweed) which offers an interactive menu where customers get to choose their fillings from 125 different combinations. To initiate people into Sushi there is also a selection of cooked fillings that can be served with teriyaki, wasawi, ketchup, kimchi or chilli mayonnaise, while Sushi lovers can choose from the traditional menu consisting of raw items.

At their main restaurant, although they have Sri Lankan chefs, they have two Japanese to overlook many aspects of the preparation and service. Every effort is taken to preserve the fish to ensure its texture and fibre is maintained. The most popular Sushi even among the Sri Lankans is their premium quality tuna, the best of Sri Lankan, bought directly from vessels/exporters..

Explaining that any dish depends on the quality of fish alone, Mr. Munidasa says, "In Sri Lanka when anyone talks about raw fish, they think of the fish in the markets, most of which is quite smelly. If fish is fresh, there is no smell and it is totally healthy," he says. "Being an island, Sri Lanka has good fish. It is the transportation and preservations systems that need to be improved," he continues.

The oldest Japanese restaurant in Sri Lanka is Sakura that is famous for its Nigiri Sushi (finger sushi), Maki Sushi (rolled in Seaweed) and the Tekkamaki (Tuna rolled in seaweed). Having trained in Japan, Managing Director K. J. Kumara is proficient in a variety of Japanese food. He spoke of the importance of first rate ingredients and skill in the preparation of Sushi. Cleanliness reigns supreme in preparation and the use of knives as does freshness. If not, you risk a dissatisfying dining experience and even food poisoning.

The Ginza Hohsen Restaurant in Colombo Hilton is another place that serves high quality Japanese food. It is frequented by the tourists, residents and expatriates besides the Lankans. Decorated with the Japanese style roof and traditional lamps, the restaurant directly transmits live Japanese NHK TV programmes. Besides Sushi, their most popular items prepared by the Japanese Chef Honzuka are, Shabu Shabu (thinly sliced beef cooked in beef stock using a steam boat on the table), Suki Yaki (sweet beef dish) and Tempura - batter fried prawn and vegetables.

Sushi originated as a way of preserving fish. The fish was salted and allowed to ferment on a bed of vinegar rice, after which the rice was discarded.

In time, rice was eaten with the fish and other ingredients. Sushi actually is the combination of vinegar rice with some type of seafood which could be raw. It is Sashimi which actually means raw fish.

Two common misconceptions about sushi are that it must be raw and it must be fish. Neither are true. Freshwater fish must be cooked to kill parasites while even vegetables and meat teamed with vinegared rice are called sushi.

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