When I first started cooking I used to burn the rice all the time and I had to throw it all away. Then one day I had dinner at a Persian restaurant and they brought me some of the charred rice (called “tahdig”) as a special treat. It was a real eye-opener (tongue-opener?) because that shit is incredibly delicious. They regretted serving it to me because I started begging for it every time I went, which is apparently a rather rude thing to do.
Korean dol sat bibim bap is similar. It’s a dish served in a massively hot stone bowl with the rice on the bottom, and the longer you let it sit there before mixing everything together, the more the rice chars and the better it tastes. It’s almost crazy how much charred rice is not a thing in world cuisines when it’s actually incredibly delicious.
It really is. There is a growing genre of fusion cuisine buzzing around the mid NA continent that is basically sushi hardware with Mexican food software. Lots of fried dishes, as much flavor in each bite as they can fit (counter to typical sushi philosophy, but highly effective in practice), and a whole lot of staple ingredients of the area (think tons of onions, dairy, peppers, and spices etc).
Sushi that is confrontationaly tasty is basically the whole idea, and it is easily some of the best experimental cuisine I’ve tried in a long, long time. Can’t recommend it enough tbh
Being in the right area is the first big step. The spot I first tried was in Seattle (Japonessa Sushi Cocina) and it was exceptional. Highly recommend it, though it isn’t exactly what I was talking about. It’s kind of more of a booksmart joint compared to the streetwise charm of the style it was inspired by, if that makes sense. Follows many of the same sensibilities, but has a bit more interest in subtlty.
The second spot I tried was in Houston. The name was something very generic and forgettable like ‘Sushi Tex-mex’, ‘Sushi Texas’ or something like that. More intense experience, in a good way. Of the two, I was surprised to find that I actually liked this place more, tho not by a whole lot. Bigger portions for less, and fast and loose with their ratios. I enjoyed that it was a less disciplined but equally earnest endeavor, I guess. I have the pallette of someone who would happily eat nothing but licorice and root beer if it wouldn’t run me ragged though, so make of that what you will.
And ofc the best place to try it is supposed to be where it came from; Mexico’s west coast. The carts are, from what I’ve heard, the best version of it by far. I haven’t been able to try this true authentic stuff yet because my country is making all of the worst choices it can atm (faster than usual, I mean), but if you’ve got the ability to travel safely, this is the spot to go looking.
And there are also supposed to be some places in southern California, but I haven’t been or heard more about them than that.
This is actually quite tasty
When I first started cooking I used to burn the rice all the time and I had to throw it all away. Then one day I had dinner at a Persian restaurant and they brought me some of the charred rice (called “tahdig”) as a special treat. It was a real eye-opener (tongue-opener?) because that shit is incredibly delicious. They regretted serving it to me because I started begging for it every time I went, which is apparently a rather rude thing to do.
Korean dol sat bibim bap is similar. It’s a dish served in a massively hot stone bowl with the rice on the bottom, and the longer you let it sit there before mixing everything together, the more the rice chars and the better it tastes. It’s almost crazy how much charred rice is not a thing in world cuisines when it’s actually incredibly delicious.
In Panama, that crispy rice is called concolon :)
Had a persian friend who would make tahdig all during Covid and I definitely ate more than I needed to.
And we have places here that serve fried sushi rolls, they are good, but no fried stuff after 40.
I think there are often fried sushi rolls on the menu of most places. It’s the only way I can convince certain family members to go.
It really is. There is a growing genre of fusion cuisine buzzing around the mid NA continent that is basically sushi hardware with Mexican food software. Lots of fried dishes, as much flavor in each bite as they can fit (counter to typical sushi philosophy, but highly effective in practice), and a whole lot of staple ingredients of the area (think tons of onions, dairy, peppers, and spices etc).
Sushi that is confrontationaly tasty is basically the whole idea, and it is easily some of the best experimental cuisine I’ve tried in a long, long time. Can’t recommend it enough tbh
How would you find a place that does this?
Being in the right area is the first big step. The spot I first tried was in Seattle (Japonessa Sushi Cocina) and it was exceptional. Highly recommend it, though it isn’t exactly what I was talking about. It’s kind of more of a booksmart joint compared to the streetwise charm of the style it was inspired by, if that makes sense. Follows many of the same sensibilities, but has a bit more interest in subtlty.
The second spot I tried was in Houston. The name was something very generic and forgettable like ‘Sushi Tex-mex’, ‘Sushi Texas’ or something like that. More intense experience, in a good way. Of the two, I was surprised to find that I actually liked this place more, tho not by a whole lot. Bigger portions for less, and fast and loose with their ratios. I enjoyed that it was a less disciplined but equally earnest endeavor, I guess. I have the pallette of someone who would happily eat nothing but licorice and root beer if it wouldn’t run me ragged though, so make of that what you will.
And ofc the best place to try it is supposed to be where it came from; Mexico’s west coast. The carts are, from what I’ve heard, the best version of it by far. I haven’t been able to try this true authentic stuff yet because my country is making all of the worst choices it can atm (faster than usual, I mean), but if you’ve got the ability to travel safely, this is the spot to go looking.
And there are also supposed to be some places in southern California, but I haven’t been or heard more about them than that.
I did this once. I didn’t realize it was sushi though.
I was outnof town, training for work. My meals were paid. I decided "That tuna is $20, but I am not paying it so why not.
It was raw.
So I cooked it in the hotel room.
I ordered steak tartare. It was ok, but tasted so much better after 5 mins on my friends hotrock.