Temaki paulistano

As tradition built it

Temaki paulistano

First temakeria, Temaki Express, Vila Olímpia, 2003 . about 15 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ sheet per roll nori
• 85g per roll sushi rice
• 100g per roll raw fish
• 1 tbsp per roll cream cheese
• 1 tsp, finely chopped per roll, or to taste spring onion

Method

1. Hand-roll seasoned rice, fish and fillings in nori, in the informal, home-table style temaki takes in Japan.
2. In the Brazilian temakeria format, extend fillings well beyond raw fish and rice to include cream cheese and spring onion as standard.

Notes

The paulistano roll moved well beyond raw fish and rice: regional Brazilian variants go further still, breadfruit in place of potato in Pernambuco, saltwater fish in place of freshwater in Pará, crab and aubergine building the roll entirely in Ceará.

The version of sushi culture that reached Brazilian palates arrived already inflected by North American roll culture, California rolls and hot rolls, rather than as a direct transplant of Japanese practice, part of why the everyday paulistano temaki bar reads so differently from an Edomae counter across the same city.

What a modern chef changes

Rice seasoned properly, nori graded properly

Ingredients

• 4 parts rice vinegar
• 2 parts sugar
• 1 part salt

Method

1. Season the rice properly, four parts rice vinegar to two parts sugar to one part salt worked through warm rice while it is still hot enough to dissolve them evenly, then cool under a fan rather than in the fridge.
2. Use A or A-plus grade nori rather than the coarser, cheaper B grade, for a thinner, glossier sheet that holds its shape and crispness through the roll.
3. Make the cream cheese filling properly cold and firm, a full block rather than a whipped tub, so it holds a clean line inside the cone instead of smearing.