The Art of Sushi Bake: A Delicious Take on Japanese Cuisine

As I prepare to share with you one of my favorite recipes, I am reminded of the versatility and creativity that Japanese cuisine has to offer. In this case, we're going to explore a dish that may seem unconventional at first, but trust me when I say it's a game-changer: sushi bake. This delightful creation is not your traditional sushi, but rather a warm, comforting take on the classic Japanese dish.

To make our sushi bake, we'll start by gathering a few essential ingredients. First and foremost, we have nori seaweed sheets - the foundation of this dish. Nori may seem like an unusual ingredient to some, but it's actually quite versatile and adds a delightful umami flavor to our recipe. Depending on the type of sushi bake, you can also find other additions such as shiso, umeboshi, or wasabi. These ingredients not only add depth to the dish but also provide a burst of freshness and excitement.

Now that we have our nori sheets, let's talk about the toppings. Ah, the toppings! This is where things get really interesting. Some sushi bakes may feature crab mixture, while others might include more traditional Japanese ingredients like salmon or tuna. The beauty of this recipe lies in its flexibility - you can customize it to your liking and experiment with different flavors and combinations.

So, how do we bring all these delicious ingredients together? It's quite simple, really. We'll start by sprinkling a light layer of furikake on top of our nori sheets. Furikake is a popular Japanese seasoning blend that adds a delightful savory flavor to our sushi bake. Next, we'll add our chosen toppings and then pop the entire dish into a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until everything is warmed through.

As we wait for our sushi bake to cook, let's talk a bit about its history. The term "sushi" can be quite confusing - what exactly does it mean? Simply put, sushi refers to vinegared rice that's often served with raw fish and other ingredients. However, the concept of cooked sushi has been around for centuries, particularly in Japan where it was traditionally served at special occasions.

Now that our sushi bake is out of the oven, let's take a closer look at its presentation. The first thing you'll notice is the beautiful golden-brown color on top - this is thanks to the caramelized furikake and nori sheets. Next, we have the generous helping of seasoned rice down below, which provides a delightful textural contrast to the crispy nori and toppings.

As I take my first bite of this sushi bake, I'm immediately struck by its warmth and richness. The combination of flavors is absolutely delightful - from the salty seaweed to the creamy furikake, each bite is a masterclass in balance and harmony. And let's not forget the crunch of the nori sheets and the freshness of the toppings, which add a welcome burst of excitement to each bite.

But what truly sets this dish apart is its versatility. Whether you're a seasoned sushi lover or just looking for a new take on traditional Japanese cuisine, sushi bake is definitely worth trying. It's a testament to the creativity and adaptability that defines Japanese cooking - where even the most seemingly ordinary ingredients can be transformed into something extraordinary.

As I finish my last bite of this delicious sushi bake, I'm reminded of the power of food to bring people together. Whether you're enjoying a home-cooked meal with friends and family or savoring a new restaurant discovery, there's something truly special about sharing a delicious meal with others.

In conclusion, sushi bake is more than just a creative take on traditional Japanese cuisine - it's a celebration of the beauty and diversity that defines this incredible culture. Whether you're an avid foodie or simply looking to try something new, I highly recommend giving this recipe a try. With its rich flavors, delightful textures, and versatility, it's sure to become a new favorite in your culinary repertoire.

As I leave you with this final thought, I'd like to share a little secret with you - the art of sushi bake is not just about following a recipe; it's about experimentation, creativity, and trust. Trust that your ingredients will come together in harmony, trust that your flavors will meld together in perfect balance, and trust that the end result will be something truly special.

And so, my dear readers, I hope you've enjoyed this culinary journey through the world of sushi bake. Remember to always experiment, take risks, and never be afraid to try new things - after all, that's where the magic happens!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(playful acoustic music)- Greetings, my beautiful lovelies.It's Emmy and welcome back.Today's video is sponsoredby Simple Health --birth control that fits your lifestyle.Simple Health, notsurprisingly, is simple.You just go online and fillout an online health profile,which will then be reviewed by a physicianto see if birth controlis a good fit for you.Birth controlrecommendations will be made.A prescription will bewritten and the birth controlwill arrive at your doorstep.If you have health insurance,birth control will likely be covered.If not, it starts at $15 dollars a month.I really liked the fact thatmy prescription will arriveat my doorstep.There's no need for me towait in line at the pharmacy.I don't even have to goto the doctor's office.It's so easy and so convenientthat I keep thinkinghow Simple Health would havebeen such a great tool for mewhen I was a recent graduate from college.I was moving.I didn't know where I was going to be.I didn't have access to my health clinicand it was really kindof a tumultuous time.I didn't want any lapsesin my prescriptionand Simple Health wouldhave prevented all of that.I would have had continuity.I could have simply changed my addressand I would have had thatgreat peace of mind knowingthat my prescription wouldcome to me on time every month.Such a great tool.It should be noted that SimpleHealth is not a replacementfor routine checkups with your doctor.Follow Simple Health on Instagramto receive the latest newson women's reproductive health.So if you'd like to trySimple Health out for free,click the link down below,or head over to simplehealth.com/emmyor use the code EMMY at checkout.Big thanks to Simple Healthfor their continued support,and for allowing me to makebetter videos for you guys.Now today, I'm going to be making a recipecalled sushi bake.It's baked sushi.Have you ever heard of such a thing?I have not.It was just recentlybrought to my attentionby several of my beautifullovelies, including Mico Mendoza.And apparently this is reallypopular in the Philippines.It's become very, very trendy.Although I've read, it's alsopopular in Hawaii as well.Essentially, it's a take on sushi.It's taking sushi ingredients -- the rice,and all the toppings -- andpressing it into a casseroledish, and baking it just sothe top gets kind of warmed up.And then you serve it in a casserole dish,along with nori instead ofmaking individual handmade,maki sushi rolls and cutting it up.So this is technically not real sushi --there's no raw fish or rawseafood in this whatsoever.It's not rolled in any kind of way.It's sushi bake.So let's go ahead and make it.Big thanks to all of my beautiful loveliesfor reaching out andsending me this suggestion.So the first thing we need to dois to prepare our sushi rice.Now in previous videos,I've talked about my belovedZojirushi rice cooker,which I've had for years --about 12, 13 years now.Love it.It's a champ.I almost use it every singleday and it never fails me.It cooks perfect rice.Now, Zojirushi Americarecently sent me this beauty.This is the Zojirushi Pressure IH.It is the NP-NWC10 model.And it's a lot fancierthan my last rice cooker.I still have my original rice cooker.I don't have any plansof getting rid of it.I love that machine, but now I have two.So I used this to prepare the sushi rice.So I used the measuring cupthat was provided with the rice cookerand I measured out three even scoops.And I washed it three times,rinsed it under cool water, drained it.With each subsequent washing,the water gets clearer and clearer.Now this is an important step.My mom taught me how to washrice when I was really little.We want to remove theexcess starch on the rice.We're going to fill itto the proper level.So we're going to use the sushi riceor the sweet rice incrementsand measure out three cups.And then we're going toplace it into our cookerand then set the mode tosushi rice and press start.(melodic beeping)A rice cooker that sings.Okay, so now it just beeped,because it's now going to keep it warm.Just gonna fluff it.And now we're going toprepare the seasoningfor the sushi rice.So I just got some rice wine vinegarand I just realized that I gotthe one that's pre-seasoned.Typically I grab the unseasoned one.So this one has sugar in it already.So if you get the regular,which I usually get,you would take equalparts of vinegar to sugar.So three tablespoons of rice wine vinegarto three tablespoons of sugar.So since this is pre-seasoned,I'm just going to tastethis and then adjustfor seasoning as I go.So three tablespoons of that.Yeah, it's pretty sweet and salty already.I'm just gonna give ita good pinch of salt,one teaspoon of sugar, and stir that up.Dissolve all of that and add our rice.Now real sushi masters woulddo this in a bamboo bowland they would fan this,but I am no master by any means...And be gentle with your rice --you don't want to mush it around.Sushi rice is a little bitdifferent than say Jasmine rice,or just long grain rice.It's shorter grain so it'ssticky and that's importantboth for texture --it has a great kind of chew to it --and also for stickingbecause sushi rice is moldedand you need that stickiness,otherwise it won't create that shape.So I found several recipeson how to make sushi bake,and I'm basing mine on Pepper.ph's recipeand I'll put a link downto the blog down below.So the topping, we're goingto be using imitation crab.So what is imitation crab?Imitation crab is made from fish.So it looks like this.See how it has that kind ofshredded crab look to it?My brother loved this stuff as a kid.Wee, do you still love it?I don't know.I don't eat it much.It's basically like a fish cake.It's kind of like, kamaboko --those fish cakes -- or naruto,that you would get in ramen.(knife clicking)Add it to our bowl!Now to this, we're gonnaadd some Kewpie mayo.This is Japanese-style mayo.It's kind of a creamier andricher style of mayonnaise.I really love it.I'm gonna use up therest that's in this tube.Did you know if you take off this tip,there's a star tip here on the end here?Yup.I'm going to use about a half a cupto three quarters of acup just to kind of get itto look like a potato salad.Add a little more to that.I'm gonna add about aquarter cup of cream cheese.So, let's give that an initial stir.Break up the cream cheeseand mix the mayo in there.So this is going to bea little bit of a nodto a spicy crab roll.So we're going to add alittle bit of Sriracha.Add as much or as little as you like.For a little bit of crunch and for color,we're going to add sometobiko, which is fish roe.Look at that color.Isn't that beautiful?So, add a big spoon of that to here.Oh, look how bright that is.Mhmm!Kewpie mayo is so delicious.It's got just a richerkind of eggier flavor,So, so good.I've got a baking pan hereand I'm just going to oil itwith just a tiny bit ofoil and rub out the excesswith a paper towel, just to ensurethat the rice doesn't stick.Scoop that in there.And we're going to press itinto the bottom of the pan.Because my oven is small, I'musing a smaller baking pan,but you certainly have enough rice to filla nine by 13 inch baking pan.So on top of our rice, we'regonna add a layer of furikake.I love this stuff.This is rice seasoning.It's usually composedof toasted sesame seeds,chopped up nori, which is seaweed.And it has other additionsdepending on the typethat you get.Sometimes they add shiso.Sometimes there's umeboshi.Sometimes there's wasabi.You can get all differentkinds of flavors,but you find it everywhere.You just sprinkle it on your riceand that's all you need to do.Look.Look how just, ah, it's just so inviting.Like you just want to eat thatnow because it's so pretty.I'm gonna grab a spoon.And now we're gonna topit with our crab mixture.Beautiful.Now we're going to pop thisinto a preheated 400 degree ovenfor about 20 minutes or until everythingkind of gets warmed up.Remember everything in here is cooked.So it shouldn't take very long.Okay.See you in a little bit!(easygoing music)All righty, my beautiful lovelies.I just took the beautifulsushi bake out of the ovenand it smells phenomenal.And look how this caramelized on top.For the final touch,I'm gonna just dust itwith a little bit more of the furikake.Yeah, sushi bake!And I'm gonna cut littlebite sized portions here.And then I'm gonna catchit in a piece of nori.Ooh, it's hot.Yeah, look at that.Beautiful.All righty.My first taste of sushi bake!Itadakimasu!I'm gonna have another piece of nori'cause everything's falling out.All right, here we go.(nori crunches)Hot.Mm, absolutely delicious.It is not like sushi at all.At all.Now, I know my channelname is emmymadeinjapan.I was not actually made in Japan,but the channel was made in Japan.The channel was supposedto be a crafting channel.It was supposed to beeverything that I madewhile I was living in Japan.But it's the name thatgrew with the channel.So that's what the channelname ended up being.Although changes are coming,so stay tuned for that.I'm actually not Japanese by heritage.I am Chinese-American by heritage,which I've mentioned before,but I know many of you may be new.And while I have eatenmy fair share of sushi,I'm certainly no expert on sushi,but I know this is not sushi,but it is a sushi bake.So it is a take on sushi.This is completely different than sushi.First of all, it is hot.It is warm.The toppings are not raw, butit is absolutely delicious.It actually reminds memore of a hot bowl of ricewith lovely toppings on top.Although I think it wouldbe equally deliciousat room temperature.The topping is rich and creamy.You get a little bite of thetobiko, the little fish roe.It's a little bit of crunch.The seasoned rice downbelow is sushi rice.So it's slightly sticky.It has just a little bit of vinegar in itto give it kind of somecomplexity and some tanginess,but it's not overly vinegared.Sometimes you get sushi rice,and you're just like whoa.It shouldn't be overpowering whatsoever.It should just be kindof lightly seasoned.It should be enhanced.And the textures are marvelous.You've got the nori,which kind of holds everything together,but it adds that lovely briny,seaweedy flavor of the ocean.And then it acts asyour kind of like shellto hold your meal together.And then you've got the furikake in therewhich echoes the noribecause you've got moreseaweed flavor in there.It's so good.Mhmm.You know what would make this really good?Some sliced avocado on top of this.That would be out of sight.Even more richness.Before I leave you, can Ijust share this with you?(Emmy laughs)Ever seen this before?This is a baby Kewpie mayo.I picked this up in my travelslast time I went to Japanand I just have never opened it.Oh my gosh.Look at this.(Emmy laughs)So stinking cute.It's just a fraction ofthe size of the big one.I love it.Little star nozzle on the top.All righty, my beautiful, lovelies.Thanks once again for tuningin and if you'd like to trySimple Health out for free,click the link down belowor head over to simplehealth.com/emmy,or use the code EMMY at checkout.Big thanks to Simple Healthfor sponsoring this video.And thank you so much for watching.I hope you enjoyed that one.I hope you learned something.Please share this video with your friends.Follow me on social media,like this video, subscribe,and I shall see you in the next one.Toodaloo, take care.Bye!(playful music)(Emmy belches)'Scuse me.\n"