Ready to roll?

On International Sushi Day, two city-based chefs tell us how to make the perfect rolls at home

Veg futomaki roll

Yield: 12 slices

Ingredients
1 kg short grain sushi rice
1,300 ml water
260 ml sushi vinegar
1 nori sheet or soy paper
4 sticks panko-fried asparagus
4 pieces of firm tofu (tossed in sesame oil and togarashi powder)
4 strips of spring onion (the leek part)
3 slices of avocado
15 gm carrot (julienne)
15 gm cucumber

For the topping:
Spicy mayo (a mix of veg mayo, sriracha and rayu oil)
Citrus ponzu (a sauce made of soy, mirin, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar and corn flour)
Tempura flakes

Method
Wash the sushi rice six times in a large bowl. Soak the rice in the measured, filtered water for 15 minutes. Cook the rice; sushi rice is better made in an electric rice cooker on sushi rice mode. Once the rice is cooked, empty it on a large tray and mix the sushi vinegar evenly. Allow the rice to cool before you start making the futomaki roll. Now, on a cutting board, place the sushi mat and the nori sheet over it. Take a bowl of rice (approximately 140 gms), and start spreading it from the bottom until three quarters of the nori sheet is covered. Place each of the other ingredients neatly, stacking them in the centre part of the nori sheet. Then, along with the mat, roll and seal the sushi tightly. Place the roll horizontally and cut it into 12 even slices. Drizzle the citrus ponzu, spicy mayo and tempura flakes. Serve it with soy, wasabi and gari (pickled ginger, which is a palate cleanser).

Chef Nooresha Kably, owner, Izumi

Tanso shake maki

Yield: 8 pieces

Ingredients
1 nori sheet.
50 gm short grain rice
¼ tsp tanso (edible carbon powder)
65 gm shake (salmon)
2 asparagus (thai-style)
10 gm cream cheese
10 gm tobiko red (flying fish roe)
2 gm white sesame seeds

For the salmon marinade:
15 gm mirin
15 gm sake
15 gm Kikkoman soya sauce
70 gm salmon
3 gm sea salt
For sushi rice sauce:
100 gm sushi rice vinegar (Yokoso is available easily)
35 gm sugar
8 gm salt

Method
Wash the rice eight times till you get clear water, soak it for 30 minutes and then strain it. Add an equal ratio of water to cook it. While your rice is cooking, make the salmon marinade in a bowl and marinate the salmon in it for 30 minutes. To make the sushi rice sauce, add the sugar and salt to the sushi rice vinegar and boil it for a while. Keep stirring so that the sugar doesn’t get caramelised. After it cools down, mix the tanso in the sauce. When the rice is cooked, mix this sauce in till each grain is coated. Then, wrap this rice in a damp cloth to keep it soft. After the salmon is marinated, place it on a plate and sear it with a blowtorch on the surface, so that you get the marinade’s essence. Alternatively, you can sear the salmon on a pan. Ensure you sear the surface; don’t cook it.
Cut the nori sheet (40 cm x 36cm) into half (20 cm x 18 cm). On the rough side of the nori sheet which is placed on a sushi mat, spread the rice with moist fingers. When the rice is completely spread out on all the corners, sprinkle some sesame seeds on it. Then, flip the rice-side down on the bamboo sushi mat and arrange the salmon and other ingredients on the nori and roll it. Cut it into eight pieces. Arrange on a plate, drizzle some teriyaki sauce, add some tobiko, edible flowers and freshly plucked microgreens. Serve it with wasabi, gari and soy sauce.

Recipe from the Dashanzi menu, by Abhishek Basu, executive chef, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu

Sushi facts

. Often associated with seafood, sushi actually refers to sticky, vinegared rice. Not all sushi contains fish or other seafood; popular vegetarian items include avocado, sweet potato, and cucumber.

. Some of the common fish names you’ll find while ordering sushi include sake (salmon), unagi (eel), ebi (shrimp), kani (crab), hamachi (yellowtail), and maguro (tuna).

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