Though the Exchange Bar at the Marriott Hotel Quito makes its own signature sushi creations, they also offer the most popular items - the California and Philadelphia Rolls. Chef Alexis Torres says there is no secret to preparing good sushi rolls, so today he shows us how you, too, can make sushi.
Ingredients
- Rice. Requires a Japanese rice with a lot of starch. Torres mixes his rice with sweet, rice vinegar after cooking to help give it a sticky quality.
- Edible seaweed or alga “Nori” as it is known in Japanese.
- Processed crab meat, known as “Kani Kama”
- Vegetables – avocado, asparagus, cucumber
- Cream cheese
- Sesame seeds
- Smoked Salmon (optional)
- Caviar (opcional)
Preparation, step by step
1. Spread moist, sticky rice uniformly on one sheet of seaweed, about 100-120 grams.
2. Sprinkle caviar and ajonjolí as desired.
3. Place seaweed with rice over a “makisu,” or woven bamboo mat (rice will be on the bottom side in contact with makisu) and add desired ingredients: crab, vegetables, salmon, cream cheese.
4. Roll the sushi, applying pressure and shaping it.
5. Unroll the bamboo mat. The roll is now complete.
6. Cut the roll in half, then cut the halves twice to make eight pieces. Serve with ginger, wasabi, and sauces for eating.
Chef’s suggestion: Certain ingredients go better with others. Torres suggests that crab goes will with avocado while the salmon goes best with cream cheese and asparagus.
Ciudad Quito