Free Stir It Up by Ramin Ganeshram

anything ever. There’s a minute to spare when time is called. I look over and see that He Kyong has done some kind of fried rice using chopped salmon and callaloo. She’s garnished the rice with lemon slices. And as far as I can tell, Jimmy just baked the salmon and squeezed lemon and herbs over it, with the rice on the side and a dollop of butter.
Boring.
    “Let’s start with the salmon rolls,” says Daisy Martinez. “I thought this was a good effort. Very creative. The final result was a little too sweet — I’d cutback on the sugar in the marinade. But otherwise good — especially given your, ah, difficulties.” She looks over her glasses at He Kyong.
    “Very tasty!” says Sam Vitelli. “I’d only say that it seemed too similar to your other dish — both of them being roll-like thingies. But otherwise, delicious.”
    “Yeah, I’m not a fan of salmon,” says Connor Sebastian. “So this wasn’t for me.”
    Even with Connor’s stupid non-comments, I’m feeling confident now. The callaloo sushi rolls are a cool idea. I know this.
    Daisy gives her opinion on He Kyong’s fried rice.
    “The ginger is a wonderful addition, and I never would have thought of doing a fried rice with salmon. Great job!”
    “Totally yummy!” says Sam, smiling at He Kyong.
    “I agree,” says Connor. “I could barely taste the salmon!”
    Could this guy
get
any stupider?
    “Now for Jimmy’s salmon and rice,” says Daisy. “This was a solid dish. Simple but still good. The flavor of this beautiful fresh salmon wasn’t altered, andthat’s a good thing. I would have liked to see you try and stretch a bit with the rice. But good job!”
    Jimmy looks happy.
    “I loved the herbs! Tasted wonderful!” says Sam.
    “Dude, it was practically like a steak,” says Connor. “And who doesn’t like steak?” He laughs at his own joke, and Jimmy laughs, too.
    Quade suddenly appears at the end of the judges’ table and faces his own camera. “Who will win this round of
Super Chef Kids
? Tune in next week when the finalists square off in the final elimination round when the star of our next season is crowned!”
    He continues to smile widely at the camera until Brenda calls out, “Wrap!”
    I thank Nyla, who holds me for a long minute. “Anjali, you’re already a star,” she says, “no matter what happens.”
    I’m exhausted when I head out into the snowy street. I realize I’ve left my Island Spice T-shirt at the studio. I’ll keep my coat on over this sloppy yellow shirt, then hide the thing later. Hopefully, no one will notice.
    Glancing at my watch, I see it’s nearly noon. Linc will be done with the Stuyvesant test by now. I open my umbrella and walk the three avenues to Union Square so I can grab a subway downtown to Stuyvesant High School in Battery Park.
     
Trini-Style Salmon Sushi Rolls
    1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 pound boneless, skinless salmon
1 teaspoon salt
4 large callaloo leaves, stem ends trimmed
1 small lemon, washed well
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
1/2 cup cooked white rice, preferably sushi rice, prepared according to the package directions
    soy sauce and wasabi mustard for condiment (optional)
    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    2. Whisk the soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of the sugar or honey, mirin, and five-spice powder together.
    3. Place the salmon on a cookie sheet or in an oven-safe dish and brush it all over with the soy sauce mixture.
    4. Place the salmon in the oven right underneath the top heating element. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, basting with the soy sauce mixture every five minutes. Remove from the oven when cooked through, and set aside to cool.
    5. While the salmon is cooking, fill a large bowl with 2 cups of ice and 3 cups of water. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the salt. Add the callaloo leaves and cook for 30 seconds. Remove carefully from the hot