Fugakyu's Boky Chu a Tasty Treat

"I never intended to be a chef," says Boky Chu, the new head sushi chef at Sudbury's premier Japanese restaurant, Fugakyu. "When I graduated school I applied for a mechanical apprenticeship, somehow it turned out to be a job in a sushi kitchen."

That was 12 years ago, and Chu, now 28, has been making sushi ever since. In 2008, Fugakyu brought him in from Taiwan to work in their Brookline branch, but for the past four months Boky has served as the head chef in Sudbury.

What makes Boky Chu so valuable to Fugakyu is that his skill goes beyond the bamboo sushi roller and into the kitchen. Fugakyu is releasing a new menu in August featuring a few of Chu's more unique creations, including his version of the hamburger as a bento box.

"When I came to the United States I was surprised by how different the hamburgers are," chides Chu. "I wanted to make something closer to the Japanese style that I would like."

The new menu features such ingredients as jalapeños, bacon, grilled lobster and brown rice. And while traditional Japanese cuisine does not feature a large variety of sauces, Chu has created an array of his own to complement his style. Chu says he is familiar with everything in the sushi kitchen, from how to properly prepare aright-off-the-boat fish to the precise way to cut a garnish.

"Most sushi chefs in the United States learned the art here," he says. "I learned the traditional Japanese way, beginning by mastering the process of cooking the rice and slicing the vegetables."

He was expected to work only on cooking rice until the chef he trained under deemed him worthy enough to even touch the fish.

"The process was highly regimented," he says. "It normally takes people 3½ years before they are allowed to prepare dishes." It only took him two.

Fugakyu remains a good place to have a traditional basic salmon roll. But Boky Chu aims to preserve the restaurant's tradition while striving for innovation.

Favorite Summer Recipe

Shrimp and Vegetable Pancake:

1/2 large yellow onion
1 Sweet potato
2 shitake mushrooms
5 shrimp
200 g flour
2 egg yolks
400 mL water
peanut or vegetable oil (enough to fill skillet 3/4 full)

1. Julienne onion, sweet potato, and mushroom into slaw like texture.
2. Dice shrimp
3. Mix flour, eggs, and water into dough consistency
4. Fold vegetables and shrimp into the dough
5. Roll dough into one inch balls and flatten into thick disk in the palm of your hand.
6. Heat oil to 350 degrees and fry dough until golden brown. Do this in batches so as not to crowd the skillet
7. Place fried disks on paper towel lined plate to drain some oil.
8. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve with soy sauce.