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Spoiler alert: This recipe is about a smoke gun. The story is, however, about our senses. Aroma is a fantastic thing with infinite possibilities. If you were to choose between Salmon and smoked Salmon, which one would you choose? Or perhaps, the better questions would be, which on give you more taste when you read it in your menu? I say smoke salmon because upon reading the word, my memory brings back that smoky flavor. Yum. The fact is, though, smoke is not exactly flavor: it’s the smell (or I would like to use “aroma” instead — it sounds much nicer.) The smell is only half of the flavor. The other half? Taste. Flavor = Smell + Taste Taste being only five — salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and savory — the smell can be (almost) infinite. Humans can detect tens of thousands of different smells. Some scientists say millions. In any case, we can distinguish a lot more smell than taste. Taste is so we can tell if the food is safe to eat: bitterness is unpleasant — a sign to avoid (like poison), while sweetness and savory taste good — they are what our body needs. The smell is what we use to distinguish “what” we are eating — garlic, cheese and fish all smell different. Because they smell different, we can tell the difference between garlic and cheese. The smell can also tell us the state of the food — whether it is fresh, starting to deteriorate, or ferment. The pleasant aroma brings pleasure to humans, just as, if not more than savory taste can do. This is why such ingredients like Truffle and Matsutake are highly prized. This brings us to hickory smoke. Now, you may have noticed this article’s title “with” hickory smoke, not smoked Salmon. It’s salmon sashimi infused with (sort of) smoke, and then, plated, served with smoke. The picture should tell you what I am talking about here. The best part of this recipe is it’s a lot easier and faster than smoking salmon (I’ve only seen the smoking process on YouTube, so I’m guessing here. Nonetheless, I think it’s a pretty good guess.) That being said, this recipe calls for a smoke gun, which you need to buy before you can proceed here. I use this smoke gun. Here is a portable one you can use for $36 (Just so you know mine cost $100!) Trust me it’s worth every penny. Salmon Sashimi with Hickory Smoke Ingredients: Salmon, Sashimi grade, cured Himalayan Salt Lemon Chives Wasabi Instructions: Cure Salmon in sugar and salt (recipe here) Place Salmon in a Ziploc bag Insert the nozzle into the bag Place the wood chip in the smoke guns’ hole, turn on the fan switch, light the wood chip Light the wood chip and let the smoke into the bag Seal the bag, place it in the refrigerator for one hour Slice and place the Salmon Sprinkle Himalayan salt, lemon juice, garnish with chives and wasabi on the side. Breakthrough Sushi offers online and in-person sushi classes, live sushi bar catering. For team building and private inquiries, please send us an email.

Though no one knows who and when Spicy Tuna was invented, we can guess the idea may have come from Negi Toro - Hosomaki filled with scraped Tuna Belly and scallions. When made fresh, Spicy Tuna is fantastic and flavorful. The idea of making it spicy is not so much from masking the smell of old Tuna. Sure one can use the spicy to hide the old fishy smell, but that is not what I think why Spicy Tuna was originally invented. Just like Negi Toro, part of the Tuna used for Spicy Tuan comes from the tail and the part with lots of tendons - undesirable part for Nigiri and Sashimi. The question was, what can you do with those parts? The solution was to separate the red flesh from the tendon by scraping it with a spoon and make a roll. When scraped, Tuna gets somewhat mushy, so why not add some mayo and hot sauce. Voila. Spicy Tuna was born. TIPS Use Sushi Grade or Sahimi Grade Tuna Make sure your tuna is labeled as "Sushi Grade" or "Sashimi Grade." It means you can eat it raw. If unsure, ask the person who is selling the fish if it is OK for raw consumption. Scrape Tuna, never chop with a knife Tuna tastes good when cut thick or chunky. When you chop it with a knife, it loses a nice tuna flavor and making it mushier. The best way is to use a spoon to scrape. Use Tuna pieces if available If available, purchase less expensive Tuna pieces or Tuna Tails rather than Tuna Saku blocks which are more expensive. Hot Sauce, Mayo and Sesame Oil is the basic formula Sriracha seems to be the most popular hot sauce for Spicy Tuna, but you can use almost any type of hot sauce you like -Tapatio if you like Mexican Food, even Tabasco. You can substitute Sesame Oil with Olive Oil, which goes well with Tuna (like Carpaccio). Ingredients (for one roll): 1/4 cup (200g) Sushi Rice 1 Nori Seaweed, half sheet 80 g Sushi Grade Yellofwin Tuna Pieces, Tails or Saku Block 2 -3 pcs Avocado, sliced ½ inch thick 10 g Sesame Seeds 30 g Sriracha 30 g Mayo 5 g Sesame Oil (substitute with Olive Oil) Optional 5 g Masago or Tobiko Fish Egg 5 g Cilantro, Chopped Tolls: Cutting Board Knife Makisu, Sushi Rolling Mat Spoon Mixing Bowl Instructions: Make Sushi Rice (follow this recipe) Scrape Tuna with a spoon In a bowl, mix Tuna, Sriracha, Mayo and Sesame Oil Wipe the cutting board with a wet towel to moisten Place half sheet nori horizontally, rough side facing up Wet your hands Grab sushi rice, tennis ball size, approximately 200g Place the sushi rice on the top left corner, shaping it like potato Using the bottom part of your left palm, apply pressure, spread the sushi rice horizontally. With your right hand, making a “U” shape, guide the sushi rice so that it covers the top half to 2/3 of the Nori Rhythmically, turn your left hand three times to cover the top portion of the Nori with rice Clean your hands with the wet towel, dip your fingers in the water Using fingertips, apply the pressure, spread the rice to the bottom, from the left, center, and right Spread the sushi rice all the way to the top and corners to cover the entire sheet of Nori as even as possible Flip the Nori with Sushi Rice so the Nori is facing up Place Spicy Tuna and Avocado at the center of Nori Pick up the bottom edge of the Nori, roll like a Yoga mat. The bottom edge should land below the top edge of Nori Seal, then roll another 90 degrees forward Place a plastic wrap on the roll, then Makisu rolling mat Squeeze the Makisu and remove the plastic Cut into eight pieces Plate and serve Public Online Sushi Making Class with Sushi kit includes Fresh Fish Sing up for our online Sushi Making Class and in-person sushi class in San Francisco. Our sushi kit has fresh fish and is available for overnight shipping to all 50 US states. For a private and Team Building event inquiry, send us an email.

COOKING TIME Total: 40 - 50 minutes Sushi Rice: 30 - 40 minutes Prep (Shrimp): 5 - 10 minutes Rolling: 5 minutes New York (or Boston for that matter) Is A Shrimp! The classic California Roll has Crab and avocado. So what does California’s counterpart, East Coast New York Roll should have instead of Crab? Shrimp. Cooked Shrimp that is. As we don’t know exactly when and who invited New York Roll, it’s hard to guess how it came to be called New York Roll, aka: Boston Roll. It could be the case of, “Gee, we (New York) don’t have a sushi roll named after us. Why not make one?” According to Barry Popik’s site, in 1997, New York roll had different ingredients - salmon avocado and mayo, smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber, even apple, avocado and tuna. Regardless, to this day, it appears there is no one single recipe that defines what New York Roll is. For this recipe, simply replace crab in California Roll with poached shrimp. TIPS Mayo or No Mayo? You can add mayo to the shrimp and roll. Or, you can dip into soy mayo, spicy mayo and plain mayo to eat this roll. Prep Shrimp for Sushi Insert a bamboo stick to the shrimp and poach. This way, your shrimp stays nice and straight, making it easy to roll Ingredients (for one roll): 200g Sushi Rice 1 Nori Seaweed, half sheet 2 - 3 pcs Shrimp, poached 2 -3 pcs Avocado, sliced ½ inch thick Optional 10 g Mayonnaise Tolls: Cutting Board Knife Makisu, Sushi Rolling Mat Spoon Bamboo Sticks Instructions: (How to spread rice on Nori for Inside Out Roll, Steps 5 - 13) Make Sushi Rice (follow this recipe) Insert a bamboo stick on the back of the shrimp, pierce all the way. Place the bamboo pierced shrimp in boiling water. Poach for 1 min. Remove from the water and let it cool. Wipe the cutting board with a wet towel to moisten Place half sheet nori horizontally, rough side facing up Wet your hands Grab sushi rice, tennis ball size, approximately 200g Place the sushi rice on the top left corner, shaping it like potato Using the bottom part of your left palm, apply pressure, spread the sushi rice horizontally. With your right hand, making a “U” shape, guide the sushi rice so that it covers the top half to 2/3 of the Nori Rhythmically, turn your left hand three times to cover the top portion of the Nori with rice Clean your hands with the wet towel, dip your fingers in the water Using fingertips, apply the pressure, spread the rice to the bottom, from the left, center, and right Spread the sushi rice all the way to the top and corners to cover the entire sheet of Nori as even as possible Flip the Nori with Sushi Rice so the Nori is facing up Place Shrimp and Avocado at the center of Nori Pick up the bottom edge of the Nori, roll like a Yoga mat. The bottom edge should land below the top edge of Nori Seal, then roll another 90 degrees forward Place a plastic wrap on the roll, then Makisu rolling mat Squeeze the Makisu and remove the plastic Cut into eight pieces Plate and serve (How to Make New York Roll - Inside Out Roll, Steps 15 - 20) Sing up for our online sushi making class and in-person sushi class in San Francisco. Our sushi kit is available to ship to all 50 US states. For a private and team building event inquiry, send us an email.

Fresh fish does NOT smell fishy. Yes, you’ve read it right. To me, it smells like a fresh ocean breeze, seaweed, algae, mineral and salt all mixed in. According to Harold McGee, the author of On Food and Cooking (affiliate link), “Fresh fish smells like grass and fresh cut leaf. Some fish produce fragments similar to mushrooms, melons and cucumbers.” “Very fresh fish is also said to have a smell resembling that released by the leaves of plants when they are crushed. This is due to Fat being oxidized, algae eaten,” McGee adds. Another author, Ole G. Molestein describes like it:“Fresh fish and shellfish smell just like a pleasant sea breeze — subtle, cool, and with a whiff of salt water and iodine.” (Sushi:Food for the Eye, the Body & the Soul) So where does that fishy smell come from? Molestein explains the process: “Bacteria and other microorganisms living on the skin and in the digestive system will break down a dead fish.” Because the flesh of fish is soft and attack from its own enzymes, a dead fish starts to get deteriorated a lot quicker than the land animal. This is especially the case with the digestive system, which is why most whole fish are gutted before they are sold. The flesh of fish also contains more water, which is causes faster deterioration than the land animal. How can we the fish smell? Acid live lemon, lime juice, or wine vinegar can coat the smell. Washing the fish in the water can eliminate some fishy odor. “Fish odour on the hands is due to chemicals called amines. But if reacted with citric acid in lemon juice, they form salts that do not become airborne.” - McGill University, Office for Science and Society.

The economy is definitely on a downswing right now. Everywhere you look, people are struggling. The stress of living through a worldwide pandemic, with economic uncertainty and a lack of connection resulting from social distancing, takes its toll on everyone. Companies across the board have experienced a dramatic loss of productivity within their teams, and it is completely understandable. In tough times, many businesses forget how effective the best corporate team building exercises can be. How can a forward-thinking organization help to increase productivity in their workforce? Building a bond between co-workers and different levels of management can do amazing things for workplace satisfaction, improving productivity and increasing staff retention. In these times of tight budgets and remote working, how can you organize the best corporate team building events for your company? Keep in mind a few key points when you are organizing the best corporate team building activities in your workplace: 1) Appealing to Staff When organizing the best corporate team building activities, keep your employees front and center. You most likely are dealing with a diverse group of people, and the goal is to make sure that everyone feels included. Activities that are universally appealing include things like cooking classes, group philanthropy, and scavenger hunts. 2) Working Together Whatever activity you choose to organize for your best corporate team building, make sure that it is something that forces your team to work together. Problem solving together helps each member of the team appreciate each other’s strengths and step up to fill in weaknesses. Throwing in a little competition doesn’t hurt, either. Cooking challenges, game marathons, and escape rooms encourage healthy competition and team problem solving. 3) Conversation Making sure there is ample time for conversation during your best corporate team building event is crucial. When your team members are able to socialize and get to know each other on a more personal level, they work together much more easily. Productivity increases as employees see themselves more as members of a team of friends rather than individual workers. 4) Casual A casual event is the best for corporate team building. Relationships are built differently in a casual atmosphere. Whether you are having a catered learning event or participating in an organized sport, make sure there is ample unstructured time. 5) Fun Above all, have fun! Your team should feel like they’ve had a great time, gotten to know their co-workers better, and had some laughs. The best corporate team building activities always end on a high note with everyone feeling as though they accomplished something together. Food-related team building events are a great place to start. Breakthrough Sushi offers some of the best corporate team building activities. You can focus your team building around sushi-making, or you can have a catered sushi meal as the backdrop to your learning. A fun, hands-on sushi making class is a great way to encourage employee bonding and increase productivity. Investing in the best corporate team building will pay off in better productivity for your entire organization. Contact us for more information.

"What is authentic sushi?" is a good question because I really don't know what that is. If we refer to the connotative meaning of the word "authentic" as "genuine," "original," and "real," then we can say what the majority of people regard as Sushi is Edo Mae style sushi. But if you think Nigiri, Gunkan and Hosomaki are authentic Edo Mae Sushi, that is not a correct understanding. Edo Mae, means in front of Edo - the old Tokyo. It refers to the style of Sushi using ingredients caught only in Tokyo Bay. In other words, it refers to Sushi made using local and sustainable ingredients. So if you want to have authentic Sushi, that is true to the meaning of Edo Mae Style Sushi, then use what's in season, what's available, local, and sustainable ingredients, including fish. This is the concept I decided to adopt when I start my sushi class business, Breakthrough sushi. #OnlineSushiMakingClass #SushiClass #SushiMakingClass #CookingClass #TeamBuildingActivities Breakthrough Sushi offers online and in-person sushi classes, live sushi bar catering. For team building and private inquiries, please send us an email.

For some, sushi is expensive. I understand that. Given "expensive" is a subjective term, I would like you to consider the following. For King Salmon to mature to adulthood, it takes 3 to 8 years. For Bluefin Tuna to mature, 3 to 5 years. Not to mention rice, rice vinegar, nori, and other ingredients used to make sushi require months and years of time before being served to us as sushi. And then, the person who is making our sushi, the sushi chefs. I now know mastering the art of sushi is a lifetime journey. Sure, I have attained some skills, but even after twenty years, I still feel like I am just starting. There is so much to learn. There are more things I don't know than things I know. I always remember all the sushi chefs I've worked with, particularly Jin san, who started his sushi career in Tokyo at fifteen. When I met Jin san, he must have had at least thirty years of sushi experience when I only had one and a half years. If he is still making sushi at the sushi bar, he would have over 50 years of experience under his belt. If I were to eat the sushi Jin san makes now, the sushi he makes would have 50 years of his experience, sushi skills, all the sushi he made, all the customers he served. Yes, it's just a piece of nigiri that has all Jin san's essence put into it. That's how I look at it sushi. That's how I look at the food I eat. Whenever I meet such a person as Jin san and have an opportunity to eat the food he makes, I am grateful. I am grateful for his devotion. I am also grateful for the blessing of nature. So, the question is: Is $200 sushi dinner expensive? For me, it's priceless. Breakthrough Sushi offers online and in-person sushi classes, live sushi bar catering. For team building and private inquiries, please send us an email.

Even for many Japanese, sitting at a sushi bar, especially at high-end omakase only sushi restaurant is a challenge. Many places have no menu, no manuals as to what to do and how to do it. It can be intimidating. If it’s your first time, you should go with someone who’s been there already – not someone who’s only been there once, but at least enough times to know the basics like the manners and how things work. (price too!) This is why I say sitting at a sushi bar is like being at a member only private club. You go there a few times and then, if you like it, you request to join the club, or at least that is how it works a regular private club. But at the sushi bar, things are different. First, there is no written rule. No membership guidelines. No requirements. Most importantly, there is no membership card: it’s invisible. It is not available to everyone. It’s only given. Not available to purchase. You cannot request it. It’s entirely up the sushi chef. You never know if and when you will get it. You may never get one. Luckily these days, things are getting much easier, or shall we say, many boutique high-end restaurants are getting more accessible, perhaps more friendly than what they used to be. So, please, go and visit that sushi bar you always wanted to go. Walk in. Sit down. Have a nigiri or two. Talk to the chef. If you like the experience, come back more. If not, then go and visit another until you find the one you like. Someday, you will be awarded with your membership card. How would you know? Oh, I am sure you will know when that happens.

French moralist and essayist Joseph Joubert said, "To teach is to learn twice." I've heard of Joubert's quote before, but until now, after I started teaching sushi class for ten years, I am just beginning to truly grasp the meaning of this quote. I am standing at the long beautiful white marble kitchen island in my client's kitchen, prepping ingredients for a private sushi class. "You must be passionate about sushi," my client tells me. "Well, I am not," I reply. The client's face turns blank, leaving him speechless. "I love sushi. I love teaching sushi class, but I'm unsure if I would put it that way. I am not passionate about sushi. I am not passionate about teaching sushi. What I found out is I love learning." The client is standing across the kitchen island and staring at me. "I do what I do because every time I teach a sushi class, every time I host a private sushi dinner, I learn. It's impossible not to. Teaching deepens my knowledge. The more I know, the more I want to learn because it teaches me there are more things I don't know than things I know." That is what keeps me going. I make mistakes and I learn. I succeed and I learn. I cannot fail. Never. Breakthrough Sushi offers online and in-person sushi classes, live sushi bar catering. For team building and private inquiries, please send us an email.

Spontaneity. Unexpected. Serendipity. Amazement. These are some of the words this picture means to me. I am conducting team building sushi class at the beautiful custom designed European Kitchen Appliances showroom. I show an advanced knife skill, Katsuramuki to peel cucumber thin. She takes on the challenge and gives it a go. I see she is doing great, considering this is her first time doing Katsuramuki (it's extremely difficult!) I congratulate her and ask, "You are doing such a fantastic job. Can I take your picture?" "Sure," she says. When I point my camera, she quickly grabs the peeled cucumber and makes this heart shape, smiling at the camera. Her child-like mischievous playfulness delights me—a nice surprise. I decide to make this photo into a postcard to send to our customers. Months go by. I find this email. "Hello, I am the one in this picture. My colleague tells me now he saw me on your company postcard. Is that true?" As I stir the computer screen, I am thinking, "Oh no, maybe she is saying she doesn't want to be on the postcard, or she didn't give us permission to do so? (we do have everyone sign the waiver....)" "Would you mind sending me some of your postcards? I'd like to show it to my friends! Breakthrough Sushi offers online and in-person sushi classes, live sushi bar catering. For team building and private inquiries, please send us an email.

I used to cut my fingers all the time at the sushi bar. I cut my finger on my first day as a sushi chef. It was embarrassing. Well, it always was. Most of the time, they weren’t, but occasionally, some sushi bar customers noticed me cutting my finger or my fingers bleeding. Yes, that, was really embarrassing. Usually, there is little pain because the sashimi knife is very sharp. The damage is more mental. After you cut your finger, then it’s like you’re in a hockey penalty box. Go into hiding to the back kitchen where no customers can see you. You apply salt (yes, it quickly stops blood!), cotton pads, band-aid from the first aid kit. Anything to stop the blood is good. After five to ten minutes, you are ready to go back, except you have a small but 100% visible finger condom. You tell yourself you will not cut your finger again, but in a few days or weeks, you do it again. Yes, it’s embarrassing. It’s not the blood, the knife cut, or the finger condom. It’s the why — how did that happen, kind of why. “It’s usually when you are thinking of something else,” a sushi chef told me once. I cannot agree more. That was when I read this article which had this quote from a sushi chef. “I used to cut my fingers all the time, probably a thousand times. But now? I don’t cut my fingers anymore.” Just like one of those same mistakes you kept making until one day, you realized you don’t make it anymore, I am unable to recall the last time I cut my finger at the sushi bar or the kitchen. Breakthrough Sushi offers online and in-person sushi classes, live sushi bar catering. For team building and private inquiries, please send us an email.

This is an 80-minute recording from a live online class. It is available on vimeo on demand for a 48-hour rental. It's educational, entertaining and fun. You can just watch the video, or order ingredients kit (also purchase own at your local supermarket) and make sushi as you watch the class. The video features five different rolls - California, Rainbow, Chumaki (medium roll), Hosomaki (thin roll), and Hand roll.