Spicy Tuna Hand Rolls

These rolls are very yummy and pretty easy to make. I used a pot to make the rice, but it can be made in a rice cooker as well. This recipe can also be found at gardengirlrecipes.com.

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Ingredients:

½ pound sushi grade fresh tuna, cut into a small dice

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sriracha sauce

1½ Persian cucumber, julienned

½ small daikon radish, julienned

1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, julienned

wasabi powder mixed with water to make wasabi sauce

3-4 nori paper sheets, cut in half making six or eight 4×7 sheets

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for rice:

1 cup sushi rice

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1½ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

kombu (optional)

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for tezu:

1 teaspoon vinegar

5 tablespoons water

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for garnish:

black sesame seeds

Place sushi rice in a large bowl and wash. Add about 2 cups of water and gently massage the rice for about a minute, releasing some of the starch. Drain the water and then add more and repeat 5 more times until the water is clear. Add the rice and 1¼ cup of water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce and simmer covered for 20 minutes. (If using the kombu, gently clean it with a damp cloth without removing the white powdery "umami" substances, make a couple of slits on the kombu, and place in the pot with the rice.)

In a small pan, add the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Heat over medium until the granules have dissolved, about 2 minutes. Then set aside. When the rice is done, remove the kombu and discard. Then transfer the rice to a large shallow bowl. Hold a flat, wide wooden spoon over the rice and pour the vinegar mixture over the spoon, letting it gently fall over the rice. Then lightly toss the rice around the bowl, letting the vinegar mixture coat the rice. Then with the spoon, scoot the rice to one side of the bowl. Little by little, sort of “cut” the rice with the spoon and fan it across the bowl. Keep going until each grain of rice is nice and separated in the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the mayo and sriracha sauce together until combined. Then toss in the diced tuna, mix well, and set aside.

Combine the vinegar and water in a small bowl. This is going to keep your hands from sticking to the rice.

Place a nori sheet in your left hand, shiny side down. Dip your right hand in the tezu mixture. Grab a fist-size mound of sushi rice and compact it in your hand and place it on the left side of the nori sheet. Take a finger and make a slight indention in the center of the rice. Dip your finger in the wasabi sauce and wipe it down the little well you made in the rice.

Spoon some of the spicy tuna into the well. Then top it with sliced cucumber, ginger and daikon radishes. Take the bottom left-hand corner of the nori and fold it over the filling until it’s lined up evenly with the top edge of the nori paper. Then wrap until you have a hand roll. Garnish with some black sesame seeds and serve.