It’s not just Continental and Italian cuisines that are hot-favourites among foodies and gourmets. Japanese food is fast making headway into the restaurants in the country, thanks to the the willingness of Indians to try out new cuisines. Among the popular dishes, sushi is widely eaten in many parts of the world and is finding takers in India as well.
The traditional form of sushi is fermented fish and rice, preserved with salt in a process that has been traced to southeast Asia, where it remains popular even today. The term “sushi” literally means “it’s sour”— a reflection of its historic fermented roots.
Sushi that is cooked with Indian ingredients however, changes the essence of sushi itself. Chef Sachin Joshi of the Taj Group of Hotels, says, “Sushi is very popular amongst Indians and it’s enjoyed the original way. Sushi rice and its seasoning as well as accompaniments are very crucial and if these are changed, it cannot be called sushi. However local ingredients can be used in the fillings to suit the Indian palate. Some spicy and sour fillings can be used to give an Indian touch in very small quantities.”
The chef recommends few variants of sushi to give that desi twist. “The stuffing can have finely shredded chicken tikka, paneer tikka, chopped mushroom with garam masala powder, mutton kheema and masala tawa fish. The sushi can also have garam masala for flavour,” he adds.
He informs that preparing sushi is nothing less than an art that can be perfected only with practice. “It’s very important that one has all the authentic ingredients to make sushi. Sushi rice, nori, sushi seasoning, soy sauce and wasabi are all a very integral part of sushi. All these ingredients are available in leading gourmet stores in the country. There are different types of sushi and the method of making it changes as you change the style, even though the basic ingredients remain the same. Sushi making is an art and one has to practise it continuously to get right.”
California maki roll
(Makes 5 rolls)
Ingredients:
200 gm sushi rice
80 ml mizkan vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
For one roll:
2 crab sticks
2 slices avocado
Cucumber (deseeded)
Iceberg lettuce (shredded)
75 gm sushi rice
1/2 nori (seaweed) sheet
Tobiko for garnish
Method
Make sushi rice and keep separately to cool down. Lay the bamboo sushi rolling mat on a cutting board with bamboo strips horizontally across from you. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the bamboo mat (shiny side down). Place the nori on top of the plastic wrap. Spread a thin layer, 3/4 to 1 cup, of rice over 3/4 of the nori leaving approximately one inch of uncovered nori at each end.
Remember that it helps to wet your fingers with cold water when you are patting the rice onto the nori. Arrange strips of avocado, lettuce and cucumber along the centre of the rice; top with crab stick. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap on top. Lifting with the bottom plastic wrap, turn over the nori/rice sheet onto the bamboo rolling mat. Remove top plastic wrap and proceed to make rolls.
Garnish with tobiko and serve with wasabi and soy sauce.