Sushi-licious

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Weight, inches, flab... these are words bound to be in a girl-to-girl conversation. I can hear them even now. "What's she doing? How did she loose so much weight??" Don't we all wish, that for once that b*** who manages to starve herself, manages to gym regularly, manages to cut the flab, was you? Well I am certainly not her, it has been a Mahabharat of a battle between me and my weight, all the time.

Not all of us are lucky to get out of office in time for gym. And not all of us like to starve. But all of us can choose to eat healthy. And I'm making that choice. I'm on a hunt for healthy recipes, but I put my foot down for the taste. The food cannot be bland, it will not be boring and I will not settle for kitchdi!

I'm opening up to different tastes, different combinations. There is so much to eat that's healthy! Salads and sushis, Italian and Indian, alternative methods of cooking - I'm willing to learn and incorporate. Each week I will get you these recipes and I will blog about the real experience. I'll tell if those recipes worked behind the camera, in my kitchen.

This week I was at 360 Degree at the Oberoi, and I met the delightful chef Augusto! He was hesitant to shoot because of his runny nose, but once we started talking sushi, the man transformed.

Now sushi is not something I would try in ordinary situations. It's raw fish after all! But I'd made a promise to be open about tasting and trying new healthy alternatives to my greasy unhealthy meals, and so I did! We made maki!

Now let me just demystify maki for you and go component by component of the nutritional value. It's basically a roll, with rice on the outside, a Nori on the inside with fish. Just a handful of rice goes into one roll, just enough carbs that you need. The Nori is a thin green paper like thing, which is basically toasted sea weed, rich in vitamins and Niacin! And great for digestion.

Next come the fish - tuna, salmon, yellowtail and scallops. All rich in protein, Omega 3, and good fats, and that's that. Chef Augusto quickly rolled this and presto! Maki is ready. He cut it, plated it and dressed it up.

But we weren't done as yet. Next was the best part. Wasabi! Or the green horse radish. Crush it and get a potent sauce to go with the sushi! This pungent, strong, spicy sauce gives your sushi just the kick it needs. I actually put a lot of it on my first bite, and trust me, I went into a tiny trance! It rides up your nostrils and head like madness. But in a good way.

So here I was with raw fish in my mouth, thinking to myself, "Hey, its not too bad. It's actually nice." Of course all you sushi fans know about this, but those who've not tried it yet, I'd say give it chance. Tread slowly. Start with vegetarian sushi, with cucumber and avocado. Condition your pallet to slowly open up to fish, first marinated, and then when you feel confident - raw!

And why all this effort? Well, I've told you about the nutritional value. The other important thing is that sushi can actually help you drop weight. It's low calorie, the spiciness of the wasabi increases your metabolism, and makes you feel full for a longer time.

No wonder then that post the shoot when Chef Augusto brought fried shrimps on the table, I could smile and say, "Thanks but I'm eating healthy these days."

Next week, I'm trying a recipe for vegetable. Sweet and sour with no oil, no sugar!