DRAGON MAKI

(courtesy Junior Sous Chef Pradipta Nag Chowdhury, THE Park Chennai)

INGREDIENTS

For Seasoning the vinegar

Rice vinegar (Mizkan brand) 1 litre

Refined sugar 700 grams Salt 200 grams

For the Rice

Sushi rice 1 kg

Cold water 1.1 liter Seasoned vinegar 250 ml

For the Roll

Nori 12 sheet

Sushi rice 100 grams

Prawn shelled and deveined (8-12 nos/pound size) 2 nos, 1 with tail attached

Salmon belly sliced 30 grams

Tempura flour 50 grams

Japanese mayonnaise 10 grams

Sriracha sauce 3 grams

Tobiko (flying fish roe) 20 grams

Scallion thinly chopped 5 grams

Teriyaki sauce 30 ml

Gari shoga (pickled ginger) 10 grams

Wasabi powder 5 grams

Soy sauce (Kikkoman brand) 15 ml

METHOD

To season the vinegar, take a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients. Stir with a whisk until sugar and salt dissolve and a clear solution is obtained. Alternatively, add all the ingredients to a heavy bottom stockpot and stir constantly on a gentle heat until sugar and salt are dissolved. If the heat is too high, the vinegar may darken in colour. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Store in an airtight container.

Gently wash the rice with cold water 3-4 times or until the water runs clear. Add the rice to an electric rice cooker with 1.1 litre of cold water. Flick the switch on the cooker to ‘cook’ and leave for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, turn off the cooker and transfer the cooked rice to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the seasoned vinegar all over the rice. With a blunt-edged spatula, gently break the lumps and mix in the vinegar evenly. Keep mixing until the rice has stopped steaming. Leave the seasoned rice for 30 minutes to cool down to be ready for use.

Score the prawns on the top and bottom. Take 20 grams of tempura flour on a plate, gently press down the prawns into the flour to straighten and dust them. Add the remaining tempura flour to a mixing bowl; add cold water to make a batter.

Dip the dusted prawns in the batter and fry in hot oil (180 degrees) until golden in colour. While the prawns are frying, mix the Japanese mayonnaise and sriracha together to make spicy mayonnaise. Take the prawns out of the oil and place them on paper towels to drain the excess.

Wrap a makisu (sushi mat) with plastic wrap. Place the nori sheet on the makisu and spread the rice on the rough side of the nori. Turn the nori with the rice side down. Pipe the spicy mayonnaise on the smooth side of the nori.

Place the prawns with the tail and head side sticking out of the edges on opposite sides. Roll the maki and mould with a makisu. Place the salmon slices on top and mould again. Mix the wasabi powder with a little water to make a paste.

Cut the maki into 8 pieces; top with spicy mayonnaise, teriyaki sauce drizzle, tobiko and chopped scallion; serve with gari, wasabi and soy sauce.