A Japanese take on eating to stay in shape

Sushi Slim is much more than a cookbook. Author Makiko Sano has chosen 50 wonderful recipes, including soups and salads, to help you stay healthy and slim.

Sano has included three meal plans in her book. Each one replaces just one meal a day with a meal from Sushi Slim. She is confident that by following her plan you can stay slim while enjoying delicious food. Linda Hall asks her some questions.

WHAT SKILLS DO YOU NEED TO MAKE GOOD SUSHI?

You should know the amount of rice you need for each sushi to make a well-shaped sushi, and also how to cut your fish. You don't need to have amazing skills, but simply need time to learn a couple of tricks to make beautiful sushi.

YOUR BOOK IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST A SUSHI COOKBOOK. IT'S ABOUT GOOD, HEALTHY FOOD TO HELP PEOPLE STAY SLIM. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN THEY ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT OR STAY SLIM?

Eating the wrong sorts of food, eating the wrong amounts, and eating at the wrong time. We should enjoy eating food every day but we need to remember the daily amounts our body needs, and control our appetites.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE BASIC SUSHI?

A rice cooker or medium-sized pot with a lid, a bowl for making sushi rice, a rolling mat and a knife.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOUITE SUSHI FILLING?

I love spicy salmon with avocado, and vegetarian sushi with pickled ginger.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU INCLUDE IN YOUR DIET TO STAY HEALTHY AND SLIM?

I like to eat seaweed salad and mooli (East Asian radish) every day, and I drink green or oolong tea.

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF FOOD?

As a child I loved being in the kitchen when my mother and grandmother were preparing dinner. The smell, the steam, and sound of the knife cutting vegetables always brought a smile to my face when I would come home from school.

WHO WAS THE MAJOR INFLUENCE IN YOUR LOVE OF COOKING?

My mother. She makes everything in her kitchen: bread, noodles, yoghurt, jam and all her own sauces.

IF YOU GO OUT TO A RESTAURANT WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO EAT?

Something I don't eat at home, usually lamb, duck or vegan food, which I am really into at the moment.

ANY PLANS FOR ANOTHER COOKBOOK?

I would love to. I am a big fan of Adrian Richardson and I love his book, MEAT. I hope I can do something like that but, instead, call it FISH!

EXTRACT: SUSHI SLIM

How to make hand rolls

Monk Roll

Hint of Lime

HAND ROLLS

For each hand roll, you will need:

1/2 sheet of nori seaweed (halved horizontally)

65g prepared sushi rice (the size of a medium egg)

To make the hand roll, refer to the step-by-step

guide above.

SALMON AND AVOCADO

1/2 sheet of nori seaweed (halved horizontally)

65g prepared sushi rice (about the size of a medium egg)

2 cucumber batons

2 salmon strips

157 kcal per roll

MONK ROLL

1 & 1/2 tbsp grated carrot

1 shiso leaf (or substitute with a few chives and rocket leaves)

4 chives, cut into 6cm lengths

1 tsp black sesame seeds

128 kcal per roll

HINT OF LIME

1 king scallop, sliced into five horizontally

3 very thin slices of organic lime

136 kcal per roll

Sushi Slim

by Makiko Sano

Quadrille Publishing, distributed by bookreps, $29.99