WATCH: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa Demonstrates the Correct Way to Eat Sushi
It's been three decades since Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa began his restaurant and hotel company that now spans five continents, with over 56 restaurants and 12 hotels and counting.
When it comes to Japanese cuisine with Peruvian influences, chef “Nobu,” as he is widely known, can be credited for helping popularize the movement. Last week on September 26, the chef paid a visit to his namesake hotel in Manila’s City of Dreams complex to host a one-night-only exclusive dinner.
Before the first of two dinner services that evening, members of the press were treated to a rare cooking demonstration, where they witnessed Matushisa prepare a field green salad and a salmon course, as well as show off his knife skills while finely slicing a selection of seafood for his famous cup sushi. After preparing an assortment of nigiri sushi, the chef indulged his audience and demonstrated just how exactly one should consume the beloved Japanese dish.
There’s good news for those who have not mastered their chopstick skills yet. “You can eat with your fingers or you can use chopsticks,” he said. When using your hands, simply flip the nigiri to its side, and pick it up holding both the rice side and the fish side. Dip it into the soy sauce—no wasabi needed since the wasabi is sandwiched between the fish and rice—with only the fish side touching the soy sauce. Doing this will ensure that the rice does not loosen and crumble into the liquid. Finish it in one bite.
The same technique is followed with chopsticks: Flip it to its side, and using your chopsticks, take the nigiri and dip it into the soy sauce on the fish side.
After his second piece, Matsuhisa joked, “[It’s] great!”
Watch the video below:
He also beguiled the crowd with his six-step method for assembling a perfectly shaped nigiri, which involves gently pressing the fish onto the rice.
That day, five lucky members of the press took home an autographed copy of Matsuhisa’s new book, World of Nobu, which aids its readers in replicating some of the chef’s signature recipes, including his Miso-marinated Black Cod.
Nobu Restaurant, Nobu North Tower, City of Dreams, Aseana Avenue, Paranaque, 691.2882
