Quick and easy sushi maki (sushi rolls) 340g/12oz sashimi quality tuna, cut into long thin strips 5 sheets nori sushi sheets 1 cucumber cut into 5 long pieces 3 tsp wasabi pasteA great canapé or party nibble, try your hand at sushi using our easy-to-follow video.With a serious dose of charm, this Tokyo restaurant – run exclusively by women – is breaking into Japan’s male-dominated sushi world. Behind the counter at Nadeshico Sushi, young women dressed in traditional Japanese happi coats, rolled, cut and served sushi while smiling and chatting with their customers. Their cheerful nature brightened up the room, and the diners – the majority of whom were either young Japanese guys or curious foreigners – couldn’t help but be charmed.In Japan, women aren’t traditionally trained to become sushi masters. There are numerous myths as to why, the most common being that their warm hands affect the quality of the raw fish, their hands are too small and their makeup distorts their sense of smell.

But this unprecedented sushi restaurant, tucked down a side street in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, is breaking into Japan’s male-dominated sushi world by having women run the show.sushi grade fish london buy View image of Busy foot traffic in the eclectic Akihabara district, home to many maid cafes (Credit: Credit: Urbanmyth/Alamy)sushi cape town park street She spent six years patiently observing the sushi chefs from afar before finally getting the chance to realise her dream. how to make sushi rolls stick togetherManager Yuki Chizui has always had a passion for sushi. how much sushi does a pound of fish make

As a student, she worked in a restaurant welcoming customers and showing them to their seats. But all the while, she longed to join the team actually making the food. She spent six years patiently observing the sushi chefs from afar before finally getting the chance to realise her dream. In 2010, Chizui saw a job posting for female sushi makers at Nadeshico. With Akihabara being home to maid cafes – themed dining spots where waitresses dress in maid costumes –  owner Kazuya Nishikiori hoped to capitalise on the neighbourhood’s “cute girl” culture and give women an equal opportunity by creating a female-run sushi place.Chizui’s immediate reaction was a mixture of shock that such an establishment existed and excitement at the prospect of working there. She jumped at the opportunity and was soon hired as restaurant manager and trained in the art of sushi. View image of The women are given a crash course in the art of sushi making (Credit: Credit: whitewish/iStock) Typically, a sushi apprentice trains with a professional chef for about 10 years.

However, Chizui spent just two weeks learning beside a sushi master, where she crammed as much knowledge – from how to prepare fish to learning what seasonings to use – into her head as possible. This crash course was all the master would agree to. The rest, she had to figure out on her own.Chizui then hired and trained a number of girls as sushi preparers. But, as women working in a man’s world, they had many challenges to overcome. View image of According to myth, women’s hands are too warm to make sushi (Credit: Credit: mix7777/iStock) “Appealing to Japanese people is very hard,” admitted Chizui. The older generations are especially known to be rigid in their ways. “Instead, we try to attract foreign visitors and even plan to hold sushi making classes for them,” she added.Additionally, getting fresh fish was difficult when the restaurant first opened in August 2010. Tsukiji Fish Market in downtown Tokyo is run almost entirely by men. As a young female searching through the mounds of seafood, Chizui wasn’t taken seriously.

Though, through a Facebook friend, she was able to link up with a woman-owned fishing boat in Yamaguchi Prefecture, who offered her a weekly supply of fish for the restaurant. View image of The Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo is a male dominated world (Credit: Credit: Sean Pavone/Alamy) “Of course, girls can do it, too”. Although Nadeshico Sushi may seem like a novelty, the women who work there are serious about their jobs. No matter the challenges, they will always push the restaurant’s message of, “Of course, girls can do it, too”. And little by little, they hope to etch away at the gender gap that’s so prevalent in Japan.Celia Knox shares up-to-the-minute snapshots, trends and goings-on from the capital of Japan. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram via #BBCLocalite.Ingredients Method IngredientsFor the rice300g sushi rice100ml rice wine vinegar2 tbsp golden caster sugarFor the Japanese mayonnaise3 tbsp mayonnaise1 tbsp rice wine vinegar1 tsp soy sauce Soy sauce An Asian condiment and ingredient that comes in a variety of of varieties ranging from light to…

For the sushi25g bag nori (seaweed) sheetschoose from the following fillings: cucumber strips, smoked salmon, white crabmeat, canned tuna, red pepper, avocado, spring onionTo serve with all styles of sushiwasabi (optional - and fiery!) Wasabi The Japanese answer to horseradish, wasabi is related to watercress and grows in a similar way,… pickled ginger Ginger Mainly grown in Jamaica, Africa, India, China and Australia, ginger is the root of the plant. It… soy sauce Soy sauce An Asian condiment and ingredient that comes in a variety of of varieties ranging from light to… MethodKIDS the writing in bold is for you. ADULTS the rest is for you. TO MAKE SUSHI ROLLS: Pat out some rice. Lay a nori sheet on the mat, shiny-side down. Dip your hands in the vinegared water, then pat handfuls of rice on top in a 1cm thick layer, leaving the furthest edge from you clear.Spread over some Japanese mayonnaise. Use a spoon to spread out a thin layer of mayonnaise down the middle of the rice.Get your child to top the mayonnaise with a line of their favourite fillings – here we’ve used tuna and cucumber.

Lift the edge of the mat over the rice, applying a little pressure to keep everything in a tight roll.Stick down the sides like a stamp. When you get to the edge without any rice, brush with a little water and continue to roll into a tight roll.Wrap in cling film. Remove the mat and roll tightly in cling film before a grown-up cuts the sushi into thick slices, then unravel the cling film.TO MAKE PRESSED SUSHI: Layer over some smoked salmon. Line a loaf tin with cling film, then place a thin layer of smoked salmon inside on top of the cling film.Cover with rice and press down. Press about 3cm of rice over the fish, fold the cling film over and press down as much as you can, using another tin if you have one.Tip it out like a sandcastle. Turn block of sushi onto a chopping board. Get a grown-up to cut into fingers, then remove the cling film.TO MAKE SUSHI BALLS: Choose your topping. Get a small square of cling film and place a topping, like half a prawn or a small piece of smoked salmon, on it.