Sushi for Wimps: Seaweed to Dragon Rolls for the Faint of Heart

I bought this book when it was published and have found it useful, if a bit too cute. There is really no need any more for sushi to be presented as exotic and scary, a stereotype which somewhat underlies the premise of this book. That said, it is useful to see real people making the sushi (even if the supposed friends of the author have been selected to look beautiful on the page). Stripping away the silliness, you end up with a well-written and detailed, step-by-step guide to making various kinds of sushi. The book is not intended to be comprehensive, but it is easy to understand and covers many kinds of sushi preparations, and contains enough information that a cook can feel confident improvising from the printed recipes. The reader is guided through the cooking of rice, the selection and cutting of fish and other ingredients, and of unique value, the making of various sauces to accompany sushi. A good choice.

Sushi is a delicious, nutritious, and increasingly popular form of seafood that can go disastrously wrong if and when American kitchen cooks doesn't really know what they're doing. Enter Aya Imatani's Sushi For Wimps: From Seaweed To Dragon Rolls For The Faint Of Heart! Aya Imatani's father owned a sushi bar in Kobe, Japan, and she draws upon her years of experience and expertise running a catering business to show the aspiring sushi chef what tools and tableware to use, how to go about choosing a whole fish or fillet, the role of sauces in sushi dishes, and taking even the most novice kitchen cook step-by-step through the process of turning out simply wonderful sushi dishes for the home. Superbly enhanced throughout with the color photography of Matt Cohen highlighting plating and presentation, Sushi For Wimps offers mouth watering recipes that range from sushi styles and categories ranging from sashimi, nigiri, gunkanimaki, and temaki, to hosomaki, saimaki, vegetarian sushi, Japanese soups, and kawarizushi (Aya's "Specials"). Confidently recommended for all make-it-yourself sushi enthusiasts!