We gave up sushi and oriental foods 5 years ago due to high sodium and our family's tendency to high BP.
Soy sauce has about 1000 mg of salt per tablespoon.
2 tablespoons of soy sauce = all the sodium one should have per day.
Without soy sauce or salt, the oriental food taste like crap. Anyway, plan on making sushi 2 x per month or so. Don't think salt will kill us in that amount. The rest of the time we spend in low sodium land.
Had to think back how I made this stuff. Forgot all my tricks. I used to make barber pole sushi too, but forgot all about it.
(Edit..if I knew I was going to post photo here I would have used my fancy bamboo sushi platters. Now have to go make some pickled ginger once I find the recipe.)
Posts: 835 | Location: NE US | Registered: February 11, 2008
Looks wonderful. A little raspberry wasabi dipping mustard and who needs soy sauce? Mmmmmm.
~ Mary ~ ddogtalk at hotmail dot com May the food we eat make us aware ... that each bite contains the life of the sun and earth. --Adapted from Thich Nhat Hanh
Posts: 2450 | Location: Zone 4 - MN | Registered: August 18, 2006
Originally posted by Daisy Dew: Looks wonderful. A little raspberry wasabi dipping mustard and who needs soy sauce? Mmmmmm.
Will have to try it.
We probably had 3000+ mg of sodium with our sushi last night and that is not counting the rice sauce made from vinegar, salt and sugar or any of the filling ingredients that may have had some sodium in it.
One edit though...
Was a little harsh with the oriental food is crap without soy remark.
Really most foods lose their luster when we drop the salt. We have been trained from birth with a taste for salt. Although I guess we can be trained the other way too.
My kid told me he spit out a hot dog the other day. Said it was too salty. He hadn't had a hot dog in years due to his high BP concerns and could not take the high salt content they use in the dogs. At 13 he had borderline high BP, so that is what clued us into the sodium thing.
Same thing with packaged cornbread and my family. We had to spit it out, way too salty. I make my own cornbread from scratch and use 1/4 of the salt.
Posts: 835 | Location: NE US | Registered: February 11, 2008
And you need not fret about the soy sauce so long as your initial ingredients are seasoned properly. Authentic Japanese sushi houses never offer soy/wasabi/ginger because the house seasons each sushi piece appropriately to its type. In fact, it's considered a major faux pas to request additional seasoning.
Posts: 714 | Location: Culpeper, VA - Zone 6/7 | Registered: June 18, 2008
You do know that low sodium soy sauce has been on the market for at least 20 years? Just about every sushi restaurant I've ever been to serves it alongside the regular stuff.
Posts: 904 | Location: Zone 7 - Charlotte, NC | Registered: March 28, 2007
I've got to try some of that low sodium soy sauce.
Salt seems to be ever-present in Mexican food too. I know my SIL uses a lot of salt when cooking meat, and it tastes very good! But there is such a thing as too much. We went to a local taqueria near where hubby gets his hair cut, and I was so disappointed in my lengua tacos--they tasted salty!!! (you really have to put a lot of salt in something to make it taste that salty.) I try to be careful with salt, because I have high BP too, but ended up going on medication for it, because even when I was very, very careful, it was still too high. It's gone down some more just from losing a few pounds, so I have great hopes that it's mostly related to my weight.
My mom quit cooking with salt when I was little, and we didn't even have it on the table until a few years ago. (My dad used to sweat really bad and ruin pillows until he quit eating salt ) I still do not ever put the little bit of salt into baked goods that the recipe calls for--I never miss it there, especially in sweets!
BTW, that sushi made me drool!
--J--
You should always have a plant B.
Posts: 1628 | Location: Zone 9b, the OC, California | Registered: March 20, 2004
Originally posted by BreezyGardener: Looks positively lovely! What a treat.
And you need not fret about the soy sauce so long as your initial ingredients are seasoned properly. Authentic Japanese sushi houses never offer soy/wasabi/ginger because the house seasons each sushi piece appropriately to its type. In fact, it's considered a major faux pas to request additional seasoning.
Japanese dip their sushi in soy in bowls. (some of em) I'd have to really season the sushi much more with the rice sauce to lose the soy. In any case, we are used to some soy.
I will try diluting the soy 50% with water and cut the sodium down by half. Dilution is a good tool I use in many areas. So thought about this the other day. A quick taste test of soy proved promising with the 50% plan. Will try it out tomorrow on the sushi.
Posts: 835 | Location: NE US | Registered: February 11, 2008
Originally posted by badplantmommy: I've got to try some of that low sodium soy sauce.
Salt seems to be ever-present in Mexican food too. I know my SIL uses a lot of salt when cooking meat, and it tastes very good! But there is such a thing as too much. We went to a local taqueria near where hubby gets his hair cut, and I was so disappointed in my lengua tacos--they tasted salty!!! (you really have to put a lot of salt in something to make it taste that salty.) I try to be careful with salt, because I have high BP too, but ended up going on medication for it, because even when I was very, very careful, it was still too high. It's gone down some more just from losing a few pounds, so I have great hopes that it's mostly related to my weight.
My mom quit cooking with salt when I was little, and we didn't even have it on the table until a few years ago. (My dad used to sweat really bad and ruin pillows until he quit eating salt ) I still do not ever put the little bit of salt into baked goods that the recipe calls for--I never miss it there, especially in sweets!
BTW, that sushi made me drool!
--J--
Sodium is crazy...pick up a can of soup and they have 2000mg. I make al my own soups, but when you look at processed food they are loaded with sodium.
Posts: 835 | Location: NE US | Registered: February 11, 2008
Originally posted by Matt-choo: You do know that low sodium soy sauce has been on the market for at least 20 years? Just about every sushi restaurant I've ever been to serves it alongside the regular stuff.
Never gave it much thought. I always used the reg stuff. But am giving it thought now.
Posts: 835 | Location: NE US | Registered: February 11, 2008
Arrghh - you know, health/food issues can be over-thought.
I don't add salt to food while cooking & rarely use processed foods. Thus, when I go to a nice Japanese restaurant, or make Asian dishes at home, the last thing on my mind is the sodium level in the ingredients.
Life is short, & unless you're using soy sauce or other high-sodium ingredients on a daily basis, you're not making life shorter by having it once in awhile - just less enjoyable.
Posts: 714 | Location: Culpeper, VA - Zone 6/7 | Registered: June 18, 2008
You could also try using Bragg's Liquid Aminos - it tastes great, and is a nice substitute for soy sauce and has additional health benefits - although despite their claim below, it does have slightly more sodium than Reduced Sodium Kikkoman.
quote:
Bragg's has a small amount of naturally occurring sodium. No table salt is added. If less sodium is desired use a 6 oz. Bragg's spray bottle and dilute with 1/3 distilled water or to taste and then either add in or spray on food.
I LOVE salt, but I'm selective as to how I use it. I can't eat a steak without it, but have acquired a low or no salt taste for most other foods.
The first time I tried sushi was in Japan. I ate it 3-4 times a week for several months without soy sauce. One night, the chef picked up my salmon and dipped it into the soy sauce, smiled, and told me that was how it was to be eaten. Now, I simply cannot eat sushi without soy sauce. Although, I have amended it to my taste. I dilute reduce sodium soy sauce and use just a minimal amount on the fish only. I've substituted white rice for brown rice. This doesn't allow for the sturdy sushi paddy, as I'm not using the "sticky" rice filled with sugar. I suspect I'm actually making sashimi with a side of brown rice, but I enjoy the alternative. It's quite a healthy meal with considerably less sugar & salt than conventional sushi.
Mmmmmm.
) I still do not ever put the little bit of salt into baked goods that the recipe calls for--I never miss it there, especially in sweets!
