Sushi absolutely was NOT something in my diet more than a couple years ago. I wouldn’t even look at it after a bad experience when I was little. However, I went to a happy hour at a sushi and steak house with my good friend while in college and she ordered shrimp tempura sushi. I tried it, and realized I loved it! Since moving away from my college town, I have yet to find a sushi place that is good AND affordable, so I decided I would just try my own. Not only is it easy, it’s absolutely restaurant worthy.
Serves: 2 +/- – (3 Sushi Rolls) Cooktime: 35 – 40 minutes +/-
INGREDIENTS:
RICE:
- 1 Cup Short-Grained Sushi Rice
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Sugar
- 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
- 1-1/4 Cup Water
SEAFOOD TEMPURA:
- 1/2 Pound Bay Scallops or 1 Pound Extra-Large Shrimp, Thawed, Peeled, & Deveined
- 1 Egg
- 1 Cup +/- Plain Panko Crumbs
- Salt & Pepper
SUSHI:
- 2 Sheets Sushi Nori (seaweed) – (you’ll really only use 1-1/2)
- 1/2 Cucumber, Sliced Thin
- 1/2 Avocado, Sliced Thin
- Canola Oil
- Sesame Seeds
- Salt & Pepper
- Pickled Ginger
- Wasabi
- Soy Sauce
CHILI SAUCE:
- 1 Tablespoon Ranch
- 1 Teaspoon Sriracha Sauce
- 1/4 Teaspoon Chili Garlic Sauce
- Few Shakes Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
DIRECTIONS:
1.) To cook rice, rinse rice under water in a fine-mesh colander for 1-2 minutes, or until water running out of rice is clear. Rinsing the excess starch out of the rice will help produce a good texture of rice for sushi. Add water and rice to medium saucepan and stir to completely cover rice with water. Cook rice on medium-high heat until rice begins to simmer, then immediately turn down to medium-low. Cook covered for 13-15 minutes, or until water is completely absorbed into rice, stirring occasionally to avoid rice from sticking.
2.) Remove rice from heat and let steam with the cover on for 5 minutes or so. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, mix together rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Transfer rice to a bowl and drizzle vinegar mixture over rice. Stir and fold vinegar into rice. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the bowl and place in freezer. Let chill for 10-15 minutes, or until cooled.
3.) Thaw scallops or shrimp completely if frozen. Pat scallops dry and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
4.) Place 1-inch of oil in a medium to large frypan. Turn to medium heat and let come to temperature. To make seafood tempura: lightly whip egg in a small bowl. In a separate bowl add panko crumbs. Cut scallops or shrimp in half. Dip into egg wash then cover with bread crumbs. Once oil has come to temperature, add scallops/shrimp to oil and cook for 2 minutes +/- on each side, or until browned and crispy. Remove from oil and let excess oil drain off by placing on a plate lined with paper towels.
5.) Prep avocado and cucumber for the inside of the roll. Peel a cucumber and slice the cucumber into thin slices, trying to use only the outside flesh (not the seeds). Cut avocado in half, remove pit, and slice the inside of the avocado into thin slices. Scoop out avocado slices with a spoon. Set aside.
6.) I didn’t use a bamboo rolling mat only because I currently do not own one. However YOU CAN STILL MAKE SUSHI WITHOUT A ROLLING MAT. I use a flexible cutting board (thin plastic cutting board) wrapped in plastic wrap. Break nori in half and place on cutting board. Remove rice from freezer and fill a bowl with cold water. This will be to wet your hands to avoid the rice from sticking to your fingers. Spread a thin layer of rice (about half an inch high) evenly onto the nori. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Flip sushi to other side of cutting board so nori is now face up and rice is face down (against the cutting board surface). This will allow you to prepare an uramaki (an inside out sushi roll).
7.) Add 4 thin slices of cucumber, 3 slices of avocado, and about 4-5 pieces of seafood tempura. You might need to cut these in half again to fit into roll. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Make sure the edge of the roll is near the edge of the cutting board. Start rolling making sure to tuck fillings in before continuing to roll. This comes with practice, it might be difficult to get the hang of it at first, but I promise it becomes better with time. Make sure to remember to constantly wet your fingers or else the rice will stick to your hands and make it nearly impossible to keep the roll intact.
8.) Once roll is complete, transfer to another cutting board. Slice each roll into 7-8 pieces. Make sure to wet your knife in between cuts to avoid rice from sticking to your knife and allowing clean cuts of the roll.
9.) To make chili sauce: combine ranch, sriracha, and chili garlic sauce. Mix well and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes. Garnish sushi with soy sauce, chili sauce, wasabi sauce, and pickled ginger. Enjoy!
Dinner w/ the Dugans 