#trending: 'Deconstructed' Hainanese chicken rice sushi by restaurant in China gets netizens' rave reviews
GUANGDONG, CHINA — A “deconstructed” dish of Hainanese chicken rice sushi has caused a stir in China among the online community.
A restaurant in Guangdong made waves on the internet with the fusion dish that was showcased on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu by a diner last Monday (July 24). The post received more than 900 likes and 300 comments.
One piece of the food item was made up of poached chicken placed atop nigiri-shaped chicken rice. A dash of ginger scallion sauce replaced the wasabi sauce that is typically used.
Nigiri is “hand-pressed sushi” made by moulding seasoned rice into a small oval shape and draping raw fish over it.
The restaurant responsible for it is called Yu Yue Xiao Guan and specialises in selling Hainanese chicken rice.
Served in sets of three pieces, the dish costs 19.90 yuan (S$3.70) a set, as mentioned in the Xiaohongshu post.
Online users who were impressed by the dish praised it for its creativity, with many saying how appetising it appeared.
One social media user commented on Xiaohongshu: “I looked at it for a while before I got it, how creative!”
Another said: “Is this really a dish made by the shop? I thought you DIY-ed it.”
Among those who were not impressed by, one said: “Isn’t it just a mouth of rice and a mouth of chicken?”
A social media user took up the challenge and made an impressive attempt at recreating the fusion dish on her own. She shared a photo of it online, and it bore a striking resemblance to the restaurant's version.
FUSION FOOD: HIT OR MISS?
Earlier this month, an Instagram user from India posted her interpretation of “Indian sushi”, a combination of sushi rice with vegetables, paneer (cottage cheese) and spices, served with dal (lentil stew).
Some readers were taken in by that and one commented on TODAY's Facebook page: “I love spicy food so I won’t mind having some curry or sambal together with the sushi… the spices may be able to remove some of the fishy smell.”
Another said: “The Japanese have already taken curry and adapted wholly to their cuisine. New foods are always exciting if done tastefully.”
Yet another said: “Chefs experiment with food all the time, otherwise there's no creativity in making new dishes, so I say go for it!”
However, not everyone finds fusion food palatable, as one online user said: “It's a death sentence worthy of food crime.”
