The eternal favourite sushi is getting a makeover by chefs in the city who are giving it a spin to make it appealing to the Indian palate.
Pinaki Swarnakar, the executive sous chef of The Lalit Ashok Bangalore, says, "Indians have learnt to accept Japanese cuisine and culture over the years. The stuffing and the shape of a sushi are what defines it. Though we have incorporated new elements to make it appealing to our palates, the three basic ingredients are irreplaceable."
The sticky rice in the sushi is what holds and binds it together. The nori sheets give it the texture it needs and the roll shape. And the final ingredient is the raw fish, vegetables or fruits.
Most restaurateurs import these ingredients from Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
There are only very few restaurants that serve authentic sushi. The Japanese version is strong in flavour which is why versions like California rolls or
maki rolls are more popular here.
Chef Paul Kinny, director culinary Phoenix Mills, explains, "Maki is a type of roll in which the seaweed wrap is the outer covering. This can include the filling
of avocado and other proteins which is something we are used to having in India."
However, the most important thing to ensure is to have ingredients of high quality.
"As the ingredient, especially seafood, is served raw here, you have to make sure the quality is of the highest level. It can be very dangerous otherwise. And because of our limitations of having the best seafood of this quality here, we prefer to import it," says Paul.
The restaurant gets its tuna from Philipines or Maldives, Hamachi from Japan and Salmon from Norway.
And to make the sushi suitable for the Indian palate, mayo, tempura and crunchy veggies are incorporated.
Then there are also chefs in the city who are open to using local ingredients when making a sushi roll.
The Fatty Bao in Indiranagar is unrolling sushi and turning it on its head at 'Sushi Unrolled', a food festival which gives the traditional sushi new shapes and flavours.
The executive chef, Prashanth says, "We were inspired to make pizza, sandwich, taco, pita pocket and a roll using sushi.
The techniques are the same but the presentation and the ingredients used are very different."
The team have included items which aren't normally used in sushi like cheesy beef, miso lotus root, fried garlic chips and mackerel, to name a few.
A question of being too innovative with the dish does come into factor.
Prashanth says, "When it comes to sushi, chefs across the globe
are experimenting with locally sourced ingredients. We are still maintaining
the basic composition because that is what makes sushi what it is. The three core ingredients are impossible to substitute, we just play around with the rest. Many of the Japanese living in the city are also open to these innovative dishes."