5 Sushi Insights By Chef Abhijeeth
5 Things I Wish Every Sushi Lover Knew
Last month, I visited an upscale Asian restaurant in Bangalore. As a sushi chef with 18+ years of experience, I couldn't help but observe. Not to judge—but because I genuinely wanted everyone at those tables to experience what I love about this craft.
I noticed five patterns that evening. Not mistakes, but missed opportunities—small things that could transform someone's sushi experience from good to extraordinary.
These aren't rules. They're insights from nearly two decades of making, serving, and obsessing over sushi. Whether you're ordering from Sushimen Bangalore or dining anywhere else, these observations might change how you taste sushi forever.
Insight #1: The Soy Sauce Balance
The Scene: I watched a diner pour a generous pool of soy sauce—easily half the container—and dunk each piece completely. Rice disintegrating, fish flavor disappearing. I get it. I love soy sauce too. Some people order sushi specifically because they love that salty, umami kick.
But here's what happens when you use too much: you're experiencing the soy sauce, not the sushi.
The delicate flavor of the fish—the sweetness of salmon, the buttery richness of toro, the clean ocean taste of snapper—gets completely masked. And that breaks my heart a little, because those flavors took me years to learn how to honor.
The Truth About Good Sushi:
Good sushi is already seasoned. The rice has vinegar, sugar, and salt balanced perfectly. At Sushimen, we often brush premium fish with nikiri (a sweet soy glaze). The fish itself has natural flavor that deserves to be tasted.
When you drown it in soy sauce, you're choosing to taste only the soy sauce. Which is fine—but know what you're choosing.
✅ What I Recommend:
Pour a small amount of soy sauce—about the size of a quarter. Pick up your nigiri, turn it on its side, and lightly dip just the fish into the soy sauce. Not the rice. Never the rice (it falls apart).
For rolls, one quick edge-dip is plenty.
Try this for one meal and taste the difference. You might discover flavors you didn't know were there. And if you still prefer more soy? That's your sushi journey. Just know what you're experiencing.
Personal Note: After 18 years, I still love watching someone taste uni (sea urchin) with just a whisper of soy sauce and see their eyes light up. That's the moment I work for.
Insight #2: Never Refrigerate Sushi
The Scene: A couple orders a beautiful sushi platter, eats half, then asks the server to pack the rest to go. They'll put it in their fridge at home and eat it tomorrow. I winced.
Here's what most people don't know: sushi should never be refrigerated once it's been served.
The moment sushi hits cold storage after being at room temperature, two things happen:
Why Refrigeration Ruins Sushi:
1. The rice hardens and loses its texture. That perfectly seasoned, slightly warm rice—meant to be light and airy—becomes dense, hard, and unpleasant. It's no longer the sushi you ordered.
2. Cross-contamination risk skyrockets. Raw fish in a home fridge with other foods, fluctuating temperatures every time you open the door, moisture buildup—it's a food safety nightmare waiting to happen.
Bad sushi doesn't show its hand immediately. Food poisoning from compromised sushi can take 24-36 hours to manifest. By then, you've forgotten what you ate two days ago, but your body remembers.
✅ What I Recommend:
Order what you'll eat in one sitting. If you have leftover sushi that's already been out, don't refrigerate it. Either finish it within the next hour or two, or accept that the moment has passed.
At Sushimen, we've engineered our packaging to keep sushi fresh for 4-5 hours at room temperature—because we're a cloud kitchen and we understand delivery realities. Our boxes are designed with temperature control and separation. No refrigeration needed, no food safety risks.
18 Years Taught Me This: Great sushi is about respecting time windows. It's not meant to be saved. It's meant to be experienced now. This is why we offer different portion sizes—order exactly what you need.
Insight #3: Gari Is Not a Snack
The Scene: I watched a table treat the pickled ginger like a side dish—piling it on top of sushi rolls, eating it with every bite, even snacking on it between pieces like it was chips and salsa.
Here's what most people don't realize: Gari isn't a condiment. It's not a topping. It's not a snack.
Gari has one very specific purpose: palate cleanser.
The Real Purpose of Gari:
Think of gari as a reset button for your taste buds. You eat a piece of fatty salmon, then a slice of gari, and suddenly your palate is clean—ready to fully appreciate the next piece, which might be delicate white fish or rich tuna.
When you eat gari WITH your sushi, or pile it on top, you're doing two things:
1. Overwhelming the subtle fish flavors with sharp, pickled ginger
2. Missing the entire point of palate progression
Sushi is meant to be a journey—light to rich, delicate to bold. Gari helps you experience each piece individually, not muddle them all together.
✅ What I Recommend:
Use gari only between different types of sushi:
- Going from salmon to tuna? Small piece of gari.
- Going from a California roll to sashimi? Gari.
- Eating three pieces of the same fish in a row? Skip the gari—you don't need to reset.
At Sushimen, we box our gari separately and label it clearly. It's not decoration. It's a tool. Use it wisely, and you'll taste the difference.
The Deeper Point: This "mistake" tells me something important—most people have never been taught what gari is FOR. And that's okay. Now you know.
Insight #4: Three Elements, Three Experiences
The Scene: I've seen this so many times it almost feels normal: someone mixes wasabi into their soy sauce until it's a murky green sludge, then dips both their sushi AND gari into this mixture. Everything goes in together—wasabi, soy, gari, sushi—like it's all one experience.
But here's the thing: each element has a distinct purpose. They're not meant to be combined—they're meant to be experienced separately.
Understanding Each Element:
Wasabi: Enhances the fish, cuts through fattiness, adds a sharp clean heat that wakes up your palate
Soy Sauce: Adds umami and salt, complements the natural sweetness of the fish
Gari: Cleanses the palate between different types of fish, preparing you for the next flavor
When you mix them all together, you create a muddled flavor that masks everything else. It's like putting ketchup, mustard, and mayo all in one blob and wondering why your burger tastes confusing.
✅ What I Recommend:
Keep them separate and experience each one individually:
- Wasabi: Tiny dab directly on the fish (if you want extra—many pieces already have it perfectly placed between the fish and rice)
- Soy sauce: Small pour in your dish, dip fish-side only
- Gari: Eat alone, between pieces, never mixed with anything
Try experiencing each element individually for one meal. I promise you'll taste things you've never noticed before.
Sushimen's Approach: We don't serve wasabi in packets or sachets. Everything is boxed and properly labeled because we cater to a niche audience who wants to understand what they're eating. Our wasabi is real (or as close as possible), not bright green horseradish paste. Our soy sauce is quality. Our gari is thoughtfully sourced. Each deserves to be tasted on its own.
Insight #5: Hands Are Traditional (Yes, Really)
The Scene: I watched someone struggle with chopsticks for ten minutes, finally managing to get a piece of nigiri to their mouth—but only after gripping it so tightly the rice compressed into a dense brick and the fish slid off halfway. They looked embarrassed, like they'd done something wrong.
I wanted to walk over and tell them: just use your hands.
Here's a secret most people don't know: nigiri and maki rolls are traditionally eaten with your hands. Only sashimi requires chopsticks.
In Japan, using your hands for sushi is not just acceptable—it's often preferred. Sushi chefs mold each piece with their hands, touching the rice with intention and care. They expect you to pick it up the same way.
Why Hands Work Better for Nigiri:
Chopsticks are great for sashimi (raw fish without rice) because the pieces are delicate, slippery, and meant to be picked up carefully. But for nigiri and rolls? Hands are easier, more traditional, and frankly, more respectful to the rice structure.
When you use chopsticks on nigiri, you're either compressing the rice (which should be light and barely held together) or breaking it apart entirely. The rice in great sushi is meant to dissolve gently in your mouth, not turn into a hard, dense brick from being squeezed.
✅ What I Recommend:
For nigiri: Pick it up with your thumb and middle finger from the sides. Gentle but firm. Turn it upside down (fish-side dips into soy sauce), and eat it in one bite if possible.
For rolls: Either hands or chopsticks work fine—they're sturdier and hold together better.
For sashimi: Definitely use chopsticks—those delicate slices need gentle handling.
Personal Truth: I've been making sushi for 18+ years. I eat nigiri with my hands. So do most sushi chefs I know. There's no shame in it. In fact, it shows you actually understand the craft.
When you order from Sushimen for delivery, we include clear instructions. But honestly? Eat however you're comfortable. Just know that hands are traditional, easier, and better for preserving the delicate rice structure we've worked so hard to create.
Why I'm Sharing This
These aren't rules. They're not judgments. They're insights from 18+ years of making, serving, and obsessing over sushi.
I share them not because I think you're "doing it wrong"—but because I want you to experience what I experience. The subtle sweetness of fresh salmon. The clean finish after gari resets your palate. The way properly seasoned rice melts on your tongue instead of sitting like a lump.
At Sushimen, we're a cloud kitchen. We don't get to see your face when you take the first bite. We don't get the immediate feedback of a dine-in restaurant. But we obsess over every detail anyway—from how we cut the fish, to how we season the rice, to how we engineer packaging that keeps everything fresh for 4-5 hours without refrigeration.
All I ask is this: give yourself the best chance to experience what we've made for you.
"These aren't rules. They're insights from 18+ years of making, serving, and obsessing over sushi. I share them because I want you to taste what I taste—the craft, the care, the intention behind every piece."
— Chef Abhijeeth Urs, Sushimen BangaloreReady to Experience Sushi the Way It Was Meant to Be?
Now that you know these five insights, order from Sushimen this weekend. Taste the difference that 18+ years of expertise, engineered packaging, and obsessive attention to detail makes.
Order This Weekend Read Complete Etiquette GuideEvery piece we make is an invitation—to slow down, to taste intentionally, to experience sushi as it was meant to be. We hope you accept it.
🍣 From our kitchen to your table. Eat well, eat mindfully.