Asia Garden Chinese and Japanese Restaurant has been serving the Jackson, TN area for many years. One of their specialties is sushi. In recent years, the crave for sushi has E X P L O D E D. I took a behind-the-scenes trip to get some really cool information on how Asia Garden does sushi!
They offer a variety of rolls that offer all kinds of flavors, ingredients, shapes, sizes and prices! There’s literally something for everyone! Some categories you’re going to see when you look at the menu will be HOUSE, MAKI, HAND ROLL and BOX SUSHIS.
An overview of those categories:
House: These rolls are native to West TN. Usually these rolls are larger and appear more elaborate.
Maki: This group of rolls can typically be found wherever you order sushi. They contain a few basic ingredients that still pack a flavorful punch.
Hand Rolls: These are a F U N alternative to your typical order. Shaped like a cone, the seaweed wrap contains loads of protein and lots of flavor!
Box: This looks like..you guessed it..a box! These are formed in a bamboo box and cut into rectangular pieces. These are LARGE and so filling without any seaweed!
TOP 3: Their most popular rolls by demand are the Mexico, Chef and House Roll. A cool fact: These 3 contain pretty much identical ingredients just in a different order or style! If you like one, you’ll probably like the others.
I was able to try 3 unique sushi options, and even watch the making of box sushi from start to finish!
The first roll I tried was the Shrimp Tempura Hand Roll (Cooked). This roll is a seaweed “cone” filled with shrimp tempura, snow crab mix, avocado and cucumber with eel sauce! No worries…eel sauce is just a sweet brown sauce! This roll was fun to eat! You can pick the whole thing up at once and dig in!
Next was an off-the-menu roll called Sendai. This roll is H U G E just like its ingredients list! It has: crawfish mix, shrimp tempura, Cajun tuna, salmon and crab stick, hot oil, chili oil, green onion, fish eggs, soy sauce, nanami (a Japanese spice) and house sauce. Not only is its appearance shocking, but it’s flavor packs a punch also! This rolls has a sweet, slow heat! If you like spice, this will be a mild-medium heat, but if you’re sensitive to spice, I don’t think you should necessarily run from this one!
Finally, I tried the Rainbow Box Sushi. This roll was beautiful and contained a rainbow of fish: tuna, salmon and super white tuna with fish eggs and avocado. This was made in a bamboo box in layers! It has no seaweed which makes it a great option for someone who is new to sushi! Plus it’s very filling!
I got to get a firsthand look at what it takes to make a box sushi! Alfredo, their head sushi chef of 19 years, took me step-by-step through the process.
They use Saran Wrap to cover the box which makes for a smooth transition out of the bamboo box mold onto your plate! It also helps hold it all together in the cutting process! In addition to the plastic wrap, a super sharp knife is essential for getting the cuts on the fresh fish and the finished product!
Beautiful layers of fish and avocado cover the box sushi.
The “brick” of sushi is removed from the box and is absolutely stunning. Then, sliced and garnished with bright red fish eggs and served.
These videos show Alfredo at work pressing and removing the Rainbow Box Sushi from the bamboo box and cutting it into perfect slices.
You can visit Asia Garden in Jackson, TN to try any of these rolls! Visit their website atwww.asiagardenjackson.com to view their menu, order online or read up on more of what they offer.
Thanks for reading!
Hannah McMinn
@hearttoheartwithhan
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