On a Roll

With the recent visit from a dear friend from Japan, I got inspired to learn how to roll sushi. She herself rolled for the first time (which was a treat) and left me items that i never used before, like seaweed paper. So I figured, “Might as well use it”. Also, I almost never waste food; it has just been a part of my upbringing. So on with the roll…

I found the bamboo roller, a very interesting little tool. It is very easy to use and to clean. For the Shrimp roll (right) I had the rice on the outside. In order to do this I lay the seaweed paper shiny side down on top of the bamboo and placed a thin layer of sticky rice on top of the seaweed paper. I then placed a layer of saran wrap on top of the rice and flipped it over on top of bamboo in prep for rolling. Next, placed ingredients, shrimp, carrot, cucumber,cream cheese, and a lil special sauce (rooster sauce & mayo mix) and then proceed to roll, squeezing as you roll to ensure the items stay together. Remove from bamboo and slice w/ a sharp knife, wiping the knife after each slice to have a clean cut.

For the crab roll, it was much simpler. Same concept, minus the saran wrap flip. Place a thin layer of rice on the seaweed paper leaving about 1 inch uncovered at the top (to seal). Fill with ingredients to roll, in this case: crab, cucumber, carrot, cream cheese, avacado, & rooster sauce (better known as sriracha sauce). Roll and squeeze, remove bamboo at the upper end to seal to the uncovered seaweed paper and finish the roll. Cut in the same manner – slice and wipe. Serve with favored sauces and garnishes and enjoy!

For the “special sauce” on the shrimp roll : just combined 1 part mayo to 1 part sriracha sauce and also sprinkled w/ chili powder for presentation.