So what's new?

Two new sushi-sashimi menus add a new flavour to the monsoons

Vinegared rice rolled on a spinach leaf instead of seaweed... add to that pickled vegetables. Would Hanaya Yohei, the inventor of contemporary sushi, have imagined that his simple creation of Japanese street food would one day be changed to suit the Indian palate? Maybe not.

Executive chef Amit Bharadwaj of Dome restaurant at InterContinental Marine Drive, says this is the fifteenth new menu to be introduced at the penthouse eatery. This time, the new sushi menu has more vegetarian options to choose from. "Since vegetarians form a major part of our clientele (most of the rich businessmen and the housewives who dine here with friends), we obviously have to look after their needs."

"At Dome, we obey the laws of nature... our menus change every season," explains Chef Bharadwaj. The conceptualisation of the new items come from experimenting of course because as he puts it, "It all looks very well on paper but you can't taste a new menu like that... the proof of the pudding is in the eating."

New menus at the Dome are tried out by everyone the chefs, the general manager, and the food and beverage team: "We all have different takes on food. I for instance get charged up about texture and other technical aspects. Our general manager tried out one item and said it was too large to be bite-sized. He figured our guests would have a tough time eating it in one go. So we worked on the size of the pieces."



The best item in the new menu, says the chef, is the Marinated mushroom and asparagus maki. "Fresh mushrooms are marinated and pickled. It isn't very exciting visually but it's the most delicious dish we have on offer," he says. The new menu will be introduced at the Dome on Wednesday.

What we'd like to try out: Roasted pepper maki. Lightly roasted red and yellow bell peppers crown the rice and make for a colourful platter. The acidic tanginess of the rice which has been cooked in wine, and the sharp sweetness of the peppers ought to complement each other perfectly.

Farrokh Khambatta of Joss at Colaba is ready with new sushi and sashimi platters to welcome the monsoon. The menu here, Khambatta informs us, is changed every eight-ten months. "During the months of April and May, our other businesses of catering slow down quite a bit, so we have enough time to figure out a new menu for Joss." This time around, there's a change in the actual menu as well. "Every item will have a graphic that goes with it, because several times, customers don't quite know how a particular sushi looks."

The new menu which launches after 10 days, was largely formulated by Chef Khambatta himself. "I wanted a Sushi-a-la modern menu but we've stayed faithful to the basics of the cuisine."

Since some customers find seaweed, which is a popular wrap for most sushi items, offensive, Khambatta has come up with a rice paper roll. It includes mangoes, avocado and ginger as well. They're also bringing back the Oshi zushi, which the chef explains, is the original sushi. "Unlike what most of us think, sushi originated in China. The Chinese would eat compressed rice cut out like a cake, which was then exported to Japan. We're now bringing that back in the menu."

Other items include a sushi made of Home smoked Himalayan trout on nigiri, eel with cucumber and foie gras. The latter dish was a result of research and a personal fascination with the French accompaniment. "I wanted to somehow use foie gras in the menu, so I came up with this," says the chef.

Khambatta plans a soft launch at Joss with customers and friends who know a lot about and enjoy the sushi at the eatery. "There will mostly be a sushi-sake night soon but the launch happens only after 10 days," he states.
What we'd like to try out: The Oshi zushi of course. It's classic after all.

Bring home the sushi
> Harry Cheng, the director of MaidoIndia, which supplies sushi and sashimi ingredients as well as sake to high-end restaurants and gourmet stores in town, is super excited. The Chinese-Japanese national who has felt at home in Mumbai for over two years, plans to launch a Japanese store in Four Seasons Hotel, near the San Qi restaurant. The store, Everything Japan, will cater to the needs of the Japanese expats living in the city as well as well-travelled Indians who are interested in Oriental products. There will be traditional foods like Miso Soups, soy sauce and basic ingredients as well as Japanese fans, Japanese paper, pots and pans on offer.

> The mobile 'kaitan' sushi, a conveyor belt on which sushi is displayed, has gained immense popularity in the last one year. Harry Cheng and MaidoIndia co-director Anuj Jodhani, who own one such conveyor belt, claim to have rented it out to at least 30 events in the last six months, mainly Gujarati weddings.

> Nobu, one of the most popular and most expensive Japanese restaurants in the world, which is in Tokyo, is reportedly opening a branch in New Delhi in about two years time.

Sushi recipes to get you started

California Roll

Ingredients:
4 cups sushi rice
4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed)
1 avocado
3/4 cup crab meat
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp salt
sesame seeds

Preparation:
Peel an avocado and cut it into strips or mash it. Mix the crab in a bowl with salt and mayonnaise. Cover a bamboo mat with plastic wrap. Put a sheet of dried seaweed on top of the mat. Spread sushi rice on top of the seaweed and press firmly. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the sushi rice. Turn the sushi layer over so that the seaweed is on top. Place avocado and crab lengthwise on the seaweed. Roll the bamboo mat forward, pressing the ingredients inside the cylinder-shaped sushi. Press the bamboo mat firmly and then remove the rolled sushi. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
Makes four rolls.

Kappa maki Cucumber Rolls

Ingredients:
4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed), cut in half
4 cups sushi rice
2 cucumbers cut into long sticks

Preparation:
Put a half-sized nori on top of a bamboo mat. Spread about half a cup of sushi rice on top of the nori. Place cucumber sticks lengthwise on the rice. Roll up the bamboo mat, pressing forward to shape the sushi into a cylinder. Press the bamboo mat firmly wish hands. Remove the sushi roll. Cut it into bite-sized pieces. Makes eight rolls.

Recipes by Chef James Biaka of Tetsuma, Colaba
Ingredients available at Nature's Basket outlets and The Gourmet Store at The Grand Hyatt, Santacruz East