AMMAN
— Friday, June 18, marks the International Sushi Day, and one TikTok-famous
chef, Aysar Fuqaha, has created a unique Levantine twist on the Japanese staple
with his mansaf sushi and maqluba rolls.
اضافة اعلان
“I like to create and innovate
new ways to enjoy food with high quality and respect for every region,” Fuqaha
told Jordan News in a written interview.
The
chef filmed a 26-second
TikTok video blending two of the most traditional
dishes from the Japanese and Jordanian cuisines to create mansaf sushi. Fuqaha
caught the attention of over 240,000 viewers for this video alone.
Fuqaha
is a 44-year old Palestinian chef based in the US, who has previously worked as
an executive chef in Ramallah and Jerusalem. He now has over 26 years of
experience in international cuisine.
International
Sushi Day is celebrated on June 18 of every year with the goal of encouraging
global citizens to try the most iconic Japanese dish, sushi.
“Fresh
and delicious sushi requires a very high quality of ingredients (and) high
skills,” said the chef.
Fuqaha
further explained that sushi allows cooks to “be creative.” Sushi gives way not
only to several unique bite-sized shapes, including rolled, handball, or
pressed to name a few, but also to different ingredients.
Since
raw fish and crab, which are usually key ingredients in sushi, might not seem
appetizing for an Arab audience, Aysar got creative. He brought Japanese
techniques to his kitchen, but opted for Middle Eastern ingredients.
Shrak
bread for seaweed, lamb meat for fish, Jameed for soy sauce, crushed almonds for
sesame and black seeds, and short-grain Japanese rice exchanged for its
Egyptian counterpart, are all rolled over a bamboo mat and offered with
chopsticks, providing the best of both worlds.
The
chef followed his mansaf sushi invention with a second 23-second video,
challenging himself with another culinary crossover: “Maqluba Rolls.” Maqluba
is one of the most popular dishes in Jordan and Palestine; it is typically made
up of flavored rice, chicken, and fried vegetables — mainly eggplant — which
are usually served with salad.
Adopting
what is known as “
Food Fusion” cookery, Fuqaha seeks to make “people more open
to try new ways to eat the same food,” he said.
“There are so many different
dishes in other countries that we never try if we don’t travel,” said the chef.
However, he pointed out that people can strive for other opportunities to try
“different food or different ways and presentations to eat your own traditional
food” as it would help them “understand other cultures from different regions.”
Fuqaha
suggested that mansaf and other classic Arab cuisines could be served as
sushi-like small bites, which would provide customers with an easy and
convenient way to try the dishes, compared to their more elaborate traditional
presentations.
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