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Tasting Notes
In Ken's sushi rolls, we have the sweet, vinegary rice, the toasty and oceanic nori and a well-balanced filling.
In the spicy tuna roll, the bracing heat of sriracha cuts through the fattiness of the mayonnaise and the rich tuna belly. Daikon sprouts bring a mildly spicy freshness. In the veggie roll, we get creaminess from avocado, freshness from asparagus and cucumber, acidity from pickled daikon and salty umami from soy-glazed mushrooms.
Tips & Techniques
- The best from the belly. The tuna belly has lots of rich flavor, but also some chewy fat. All you need is a spoon (and a little patience) to scrape the flesh of the fish away from the white sinew.
- Think ahead. Get your tuna belly scraped and spicy mayo mixed in advance, but bring the two together just before you start rolling. Otherwise, the mayo-dressed tuna can get dried-out and crusty quickly.
- A little goes a long way. If you’re overstuffing your rice with the spicy tuna mixture, you won’t be able to roll it properly and the filling with spill out the sides. A smaller amount will still pack a lot of flavor.
Toolbox
These tools are the ones we find especially helpful when making this dish.
- Makisu. After tightly rolling your sushi, use this traditional sushi-making mat to mold your rice into shape. To quicken the clean-up process, wrap your makisu in plastic wrap before your begin.
The list below includes all the equipment you’ll want to make this dish.
- Makisu (bamboo mat)
- Plastic wrap
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Medium-sized bowl with ice water and vinegar
Ingredients
For the Spicy Tuna Rolls:
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 large nori sheets
- 1 small handful of daikon sprouts
- 2 teaspoons toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 cup prepped tuna belly, flesh scraped away, sinew or meat chopped well
- 2 tablespoons spicy mayo
- 2 cups cooked sushi rice
- Ice water
For the Veggie Maki Rolls:
- 2 large nori sheets
- 2 cups sushi rice
- 2 teaspoons toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 Japanese cucumber, julienned
- 2 ounces pickled daikon, julienned
- 1 avocado, cut in half and pit removed
- 8 stalks asparagus, blanched and cut into 3-inch pieces
- Soy-glazed shiitake mushrooms
Yield: 4 rolls each
Total Time: 30 minutes
Active Time: 30 minutes
Method
For the Spicy Tuna Rolls:
- Hold rice warm in a glass bowl over another glass bowl of hot water.
- Fill a small bowl with 2 cups of ice water and add ¼ cup rice vinegar. This will be used to moisten your hands while working with the rice.
- Cut a nori sheet in half, place on cutting board with shiny side down. Moisten your hands with the vinegared ice water.
- Pick up about ½ cup of sushi rice and press it gently in your hand to form a rectangle shape.
- Press the rice down on the nori, gently spreading it out to the sides. Leave ½ inch of nori along the bottom of the rectangle free of rice but spread the rice out evenly across the rest of the sheet. Moisten your hands again if necessary.
- Mix the scraped tuna with 2 tablespoons of spice mayo (or to dress the fish to taste.)
- Sprinkle ½ of the rice with 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds.
- Flip nori over, rice side down, place a few daikon sprouts on either end, so that the leaves will stick out of the roll.
- Spread ¼ cup spicy tuna down middle.
- Roll from side closest to you, use bamboo roller on top and press roll with gentle pressure with three fingers.
- Cut in half, place rolls side by side and cut in thirds. Repeat the process to make 3 more rolls.
For the Veggie Maki Roll:
- Cut a sheet of nori in half and place on the cutting board short side towards you, shiny side down.
- Spread ½ cup of rice along the nori, leaving ½ inch uncovered across the top. Sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds.
- Place 3 to 4 pieces each of cucumber sticks and daikon, plus 2 pieces each of asparagus and avocado, plus 4 to 5 mushrooms across the rice.
- Turn the roll and roll up towards the blank trip of nori. Once completely closed, press firmly.
- Cut in half, place rolls side by side and cut in half to make 4 pieces total. Repeat the process to make 3 more rolls.
Here is a great way to turn this dish into a meal
Maki + pickled ginger
Keep it simple by serving these maki rolls with pickled ginger. With this dish, less is more.