A heartfelt, feel-good film, paired with a light and feel-good snack! And just like that, you are in Japan!
Tune In
Movie: Tuna Girl (Available on Netflix)
Director: Mana Yasuda
Summary: A clumsy but cheerful fisheries student struggles to find her place at a research institute renowned for its tuna cultivation. The work isn’t easy.
Why Watch: The breezy, charming story teaches you the basics of the tuna farming industry without ever being preachy. The eternally optimistic central character, Minami, will steal her way into your heart.
Get Cooking: Rainbow Sushi
Starring fresh, uncooked fish, sushi rolls have wrapped themselves around the world’s collective heart. Here’s a recipe that not only tastes divine, but is stunning enough to show off at the next dinner you host. What’s more, vegetarians can enjoy it too!
Shopping List
1 cup uncooked sushi rice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
Food colouring (red, blue, green, yellow)
3 sheets nori (roasted seaweed)
½ avocado, sliced into 6 segments
6 carrot matchsticks
To Make
Cook sushi rice according to package directions. Heat rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl for just about a minute, then pour the mixture into cooked rice. Fold mixture into rice until well blended.
Divide the rice into plastic food storage bags and add about 10 drops of food colouring to each. Seal the bag and mix colour into the rice with your fingers. Open bag and let rice sit a few minutes, giving it time to absorb colour.
Fold coloured rice together in a large bowl. Place one sheet of nori on top of a sheet of plastic wrap on a bamboo sushi mat. Wet fingers and top nori with a third of the rice mixture. Press the rice into a flat, even rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
Place two strips of avocado and carrot along the bottom third of the rice/nori. Carefully roll up in the plastic wrap and sushi mat, pulling plastic wrap away from you with one hand while pulling rolled sushi mat toward you with the other hand to tighten the roll.
Use a little water to seal the edge of the nori. Slice rolls into 3/4-inch thick slices, cleaning knife between cuts. Repeat with remaining rice, nori and filling. Arrange sushi on a plate and serve.
Sushi Savvy
- It is traditional to eat sushi with your fingers, not chopsticks. It should be eaten immediately and usually in one or two bites.
- It is considered rude to remove the fish from the rice to dip it in soya sauce.
- Sushi should be eaten from light to dark, as dark sushi has a more heavy taste.