TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — I stepped into the kitchen for this installment of Hiring Heidi—trying out a truly hands-on job as a sushi chef for the popular Tucson food truck Samurai Sombrero.
Once I had my gloves on, I had to spread the rice evenly on the nori—dried seaweed found in Japanese cuisine. In the roll I was making, their namesake Sombrero Roll, shaping the rice on the nori was the first step in creating the outer layer.
For the interior, I added cream cheese, cilantro and fried shrimp:
Ready to move on to the hardest part, I ended up in a little trouble and needed a real professional to step in.
My roll ended up on the uglier side—and didn't quite hold together. Luckily I had a makisu—a sushi rolling mat—to help me out.
It helped, but my roll still wasn't looking right. Surely adding toppings would remedy the situation.
In one last attempt to shape my roll correctly, I ended up squishing the avocado:
Slicing the roll might have been the easiest part. Plating was a different story: Next came the ginger, wasabi and my personal favorite, the eel sauce.
As I discovered, I could dress up some of my mistakes with a little artistry:
And now the moment of truth: Could my last minute save land me a job at Samurai Sombrero?
Turns out I passed both the visual and taste test—hired!
If you have a job you want me to try, send me an email at hiringheidi@kgun9.com.
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Heidi Alagha is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. Heidi spent 5 years as the morning anchor in Waco where she was named the best anchor team by the Texas Associated Press. Share your story ideas and important issues with Heidi by emailing heidi.alagha@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.