Many types of complex rolls are composed of cream cheese and various types of fish. To get a real Japanese dish, it is important to choose the right type of cheese and choose the right fish.
Rolls, the national dish of Japanese cuisine, have become so common in Russia that many people cook them at home on their own. If in Japan traditional rolls are the most popular - thin, with one ingredient in the composition, covered with a nori leaf, then with us branded rolls invented in the USA, for example, Philadelphia or California, are very popular. They consist of several ingredients - it can be fish, seafood, vegetables, mayonnaise, soft cheese. For example, Philadelphia includes cream cheese and a strip of salmon, optionally adding pieces of cucumber, avocado, eel, caviar. It is more difficult to prepare such a delicacy at home than traditional simple rolls, but it is quite possible if you select good, fresh and quality ingredients.
Which cheese to choose for making rolls?
Traditionally, for the preparation of Philadelphia or other rolls with a similar recipe, the cheese of the same name from the American company Kraft Foods is used - this is a soft creamy mass made from milk and cream. But for rolls at home it is not necessary to strictly follow the proprietary recipe - it is difficult to find real Philadelphia cheese, as a rule, it is sold in large supermarkets and has a high price. But you can replace it and use its counterparts - cream cheeses from other companies. Products of the firms "Buko", "Natura", "Violetta", "Arla", "Almette" have a very similar composition and taste (although the latter is not advised to be used for rolls due to its high fat content). They are cheaper and are found in stores more often. You can find other cheeses, the main thing is that it is a soft curd cheese without flavorings.
True gourmets declare that nothing can replace the taste of "Philadelphia" in rolls, and analogues of this cheese only spoil the product.
What kind of fish to choose for making rolls?
Traditionally, rolls are made from sea or ocean fish, river ones are rarely used. In Japan, they eat fillets of raw, very fresh fish without bones and skin, but in Russia such rolls are suspicious, therefore only salted, pickled or thermally processed product is used. The most popular types of fish for rolls are salmon, coal, tuna, mackerel. The choice depends on the recipe, taste preferences and possibilities. Pickled or lightly salted salmon is sold everywhere, if you wish, you can find eel, it is already more difficult to find mackerel or tuna in stores.
You can combine several types of fish in one roll recipe: for example, the variation of "Philadelphia" involves using a strip of salmon on top, and a piece of eel or tuna is placed inside.
The most "Russified" roll recipes suggest putting salted herring in them, canned fish - sports or saury, but their taste will differ significantly from the usual Japanese dish.
