A good sushi rice ball is supposed to fall apart when you put it in your mouth so if you dip the rice part in soy it would literally fall apart right in the dish.

Besides the flavour of the fish being overwhelmed by soya sauce by having soya sauce-soaked rice.

I thought I was the only one who doesn't use soy sauce! Whenever I dine with someone, they think it's so weird. I usually order a combination of raw rolls and specialty rolls, and just love the flavor too much. I do tend to have a piece of ginger between some bites though.

Mark me down as another who never uses soy sauce. I do love wasabi, however, and always put a little on top of my sushi.

I use a little soy sauce and a good amount of wasabi. Too much soy and you can't even taste the fish.

Depends on what you are eating.

I'm a with and I've always been a with. I've been told by people in very snobby voices that if I'm using soy sauce I'm "not doing it like they do in Japan" but food to me is all about personal taste and after trying it both ways, I go with.

I just hate when I'm not holding it properly and some of the rice falls into the soy sauce and gets too saturated.

By habit, I used to dip my maki rolls into soy sauce but I've started to wean myself off of doing that. I find the soy masks/overpowers the taste of the rice and the key ingredient in the roll. However, I still use soy sauce for my sashimi and most of my nigiri's. To limit the amount of soy sauce I apply tho, I occasion use a slab of ginger to brush it onto my piece of nigiri instead of dipping it directly into soy sauce. (I can distribute it more evenly too.)

I use fingers every so often also.

I love it when people tell me how "in Japan they do it this way" to point out what I am doing wrong. I usually ask when was the last time you were in Japan? Usually the response is never. I then say I only spent three years in Japan so I may not have seen that.

I will put a small amount of soy in the bowl add in some wasabi and mix. If the chef is using really good wasabi and using the right amount then there is no need to add more. Then I use chopsticks turn the sushi over and lightly touch the fish to the soy.

We had a native Japanese poster in another forum offer the following option of applying soy to your sushi.

Take a long piece of gari (ginger) with your chopstick, dip it in the soy (or soy/wasabi mixture if you're so inclined), then "paint" the mixture on the upper surface of your sushi fish so you apply just enough for flavor without soaking the fish or the rice.

It also keeps the mixture clean of dropped rice and fish oils.

Only with wasabi for me. In my opinion, the sushi starts out quite salty to begin with.

soy wasabi mixture

Black vinegar on sushi :D

I went to a great sushi/fusion place in Chicago last night called Macku. I was appalled to see the guy at the table next to us SOAKING his maki in soy sauce. He set it in the soy sauce on one side, let it soak, then turned it over and repeated the process on the other side. These maki had some of the freshest fish I've had in Chicago, with lots of subtle spices and other flavors.

Some people! :rolleyes:

I use soy sauce and I vary the wasabi in the soy sauce to my current mood during the meal.

I dined out at a Japanese place with a client who lived in Fukuoka all his life and he taught me a different way to use soy sauce/wasabi on Sashimi. He would take some wasabi with chopsticks by itself and spread some directly on the raw fish. Then he would dip the riceball with the piece of fish and eat it. Creative, however seems like a lot of trouble for me.