Spicy Tuna Roll With Cucumber Food

SPICY TUNA ROLLS

Steps:

• Chop the scallions, reserving some of the greens for garnish.
• Slice the tuna into thin strips and then turn the strips 90 degrees and chop it up. If you want your spicy tuna chunky, you can stop here, or you can continue to chop the tuna up with your knife until the pieces are smaller. I usually add the scallion stems in here and chop them up together with the tuna.
• Transfer the chopped tuna to a bowl, and add the sriracha, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and tobiko, and stir everything together until mixed. Cover and keep the mixture refrigerated until you're ready to use it.
• Make some Tezu by adding a few tablespoons of rice vinegar to a small bowl of water.
• For the Gunkan, you want to cut the nori according to the diagram in the headnotes above.
• Wet your hands with the tezu and grab about 2 tablespoons of rice. Gently press it into a rectangle with your fingers, but don't smash the individual grains of rice.
• Wrap each rectangle of rice with the strips of nori you cut for the gunkan.
• Press the center of the rice to make the rice fill out the nori wrapper.
• Spoon some spicy tuna into each cup of nori. Garnish with scallion greens.
• For Hosomaki, the full sheets of nori should be cut in half according to the diagram above.
• Place the nori at the bottom edge of a sushi mat with the shiny side down.
• Wet your hands in the Tezu and grab a small handful of rice. Place the rice in a line along the nori's top edge working from one side to the other. Be sure to leave a thin margin of nori at the top.
• Wet your hands again if needed and spread the rice to the bottom edge of the nori sheet using a picking and pressing motion. Don't smash or smear the rice.
• Spread a thin line of spicy tuna in the lower half of the rice from one side to the other.
• To roll the spicy tuna hosomaki, use the mat to flip the bottom edge up and over the filling and make sure this edge meets the rice's top edge.
• Pull the edge of the mat away from the nori and push the back of the mat forward, so the seam rolls to the bottom.
• Use your fingers to press 3 sides of the roll against the cutting board to give the roll its shape.
• See the headnotes or watch the video for instruction on cutting a roll.
• For Uramaki, the size of the nori and process is similar, but you need to use a sushi mat that is lined with plastic wrap, or the rice will stick to the mat.
• Place a sheet of nori at the bottom edge of the mat and spread a handful of rice along the nori's top edge. There is no need to leave a border for uramaki, so you will need to use a little more rice than for hosomaki.
• Spread the rice down to the nori's bottom edge in a thin uniform layer, being careful not to smash the rice.
• Sprinkle some black sesame seeds onto the rice.
• Flip the rice over so the nori sheet is facing up, and lay a cucumber strip in the bottom half of the nori.
• Spread a line of spicy tuna from one side to the other.
• Flip the bottom edge of the mat up and over the filling until the rice makes contact with the nori on the other side.
• Pull the edge of the mat away from the rice and press the back of the mat to roll the seam to the bottom.
• Press the top, sides, and bottom of the roll using the mat to give the roll its shape, but do not squeeze it too hard.
• Check the headnotes for instructions on cutting the spicy tuna roll.

SPICY TUNA HAND ROLLS

Steps:

• Make the rice: Put the rice in a small saucepan and add 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the rice vinegar, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Gently stir in the sesame seeds and cooked rice with a rubber spatula and let cool to room temperature. (The rice can be made up to 2 hours ahead; cover with a damp cloth.)
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the tuna: Rub the tuna with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the vegetable oil, then add the tuna and sear until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate until ready to use, or up to 1 hour.
• Assemble the rolls: Toast the seaweed by waving it directly over a gas or electric burner over medium heat. Cut each sheet in half with kitchen shears to make 12 rectangles. Thinly slice the tuna and season with salt. Lay a seaweed rectangle on a work surface with a long side facing you. Press some rice onto the left side of the sheet using moistened fingers, leaving a 1-inch border on the left. Top with 1 slice each of tuna and avocado, a spoonful of sauce, and some cucumber, carrot and chives. Starting from the bottom left corner, tightly roll into a cone shape, moistening the edge of the seaweed to seal. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve with pickled ginger and more sauce.

SPICY TUNA ROLL WITH GINGER-SOY DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• For the ginger-soy dipping sauce: Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, chile garlic sauce, garlic, scallions and ginger in a small bowl. Stir well to combine and set aside.
• For the spicy tuna: Mix the tuna with the mayo and chile garlic sauce in a medium bowl. Lightly toss to coat and set aside.
• For the sushi roll: Prepare a bamboo sushi rolling mat by wrapping it completely in a tight layer of plastic wrap. Additionally, fill a small bowl with water and the rice wine vinegar and set aside.
• Fold a sheet of nori about an inch up and remove the bottom piece. Briefly toast over an open flame until pliable, about 10 seconds.
• Put the toasted nori sheet shiny-side down on the wrapped bamboo mat. Gently press and spread some of the rice on the nori sheet, leaving about 1 inch exposed on top. Dip your fingers in the water/vinegar bowl if the rice is sticking to your hands.
• Starting about 1/2 inch up from the bottom of the nori, spread a very small amount of wasabi paste along the length of the sheet. Spoon an even layer of the spicy tuna over the wasabi and place some of the cucumber strips on the sides of the spicy tuna. Add 3 to 4 pieces avocado in a single layer. Roll the nori up over the fillings and tuck under to enclose entirely. Gently press the bamboo mat and continue rolling to tighten. Remove the bamboo mat and trim the ends of the roll.
• With a clean knife, cut the sushi roll in half. Line up the halves and cut through both rolls to make 6 even pieces. Repeat this process with the remaining ingredients to make the second roll. Serve the rolls with a dollop of wasabi paste and small bowls of the dipping sauce.

SPICY TUNA ROLLS

Steps:

• Cut off the bottom quarter of each nori sheet; reserve for another use.
• Combine chopped tuna, mayonnaise, green onions, and hot sauce in a bowl.
• Center 1 sheet of nori on a bamboo sushi mat. Wet your hands. Spread a thin layer of rice on the nori using your hands; press into a thin layer, leaving a 1/2-inch space at the bottom edge. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Arrange 1/4 of the tuna mixture in a line across the rice, about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the sheet.
• Wet the uncovered edge of the nori. Lift the top end of the mat and firmly roll it over the ingredients. Roll it forward to make a complete roll. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Slice the rolls into 3/4-inch pieces using a wet knife. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

SPICY TUNA ROLLS

Steps:

• Combine tuna, chives, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Mix the mayonnaise and chili paste in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate. Slice the cucumbers lengthwise, as thinly as possible into approximately 5-inch lengths. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of the tuna tartar on one end of the cucumber slice. Roll up. The cucumber, when very thinly sliced, will stick together and stay rolled without a toothpick. Continue making rolls with the remaining ingredients.
• Top each roll with 1/4 teaspoon dollop of spicy mayonnaise and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

EMERIL'S INSIDE-OUT SPICY TUNA ROLL WITH SPECIAL SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, chile paste, hot chile oil, and sesame oil and stir to combine.
• Place 1 piece of toasted seaweed on top of a sushi roller (makisushi), with the short end closest to you. Using lightly wet fingers, press enough rice onto the seaweed to completely cover the seaweed, and press firmly so that rice adheres to seaweed. Turn seaweed over so that rice side now faces down. Arrange strips of tuna on top of seaweed, with the tuna strips running vertically in line with the short side of the seaweed, about 1/3 of the way into the seaweed sheet.
• Spread a small amount of wasabi on the tuna, then sprinkle with sliced scallions. Using the sushi roller as a guide, carefully begin rolling the seaweed up, pressing as tightly as possible so that the roll is firm and compact. Once the roll is completely rolled, reposition roll on sushi roller and press again. Sprinkle sesame seeds on a flat surface and lightly roll in seeds to coat. Allow roll to sit for a few seconds before slicing with a sharp, damp knife.
• Cut roll into 6 or 8 pieces and serve with dollops of sauce spooned on top, or alongside for dipping. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• In a large bowl, add rice and cover with lots of water. Stir rice in water with your hands, then pour off most of the water, and agitate 10 to 15 times by quickly moving your hand back and forth, swishing rice against side of bowl. Rinse the rice several more times, until the water that drains off of the rice is almost clear. Transfer the rice to a colander and let drain for 1 hour, undisturbed. Transfer the rice to a rice cooker, add the water, cover and cook as directed by manufacturer's directions.
• While the rice is cooking, bring rice vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, and then remove from the heat. Add sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• When rice is done, allow cooked rice to remain in rice cooker for 10 minutes. Transfer rice to a large shallow mixing bowl (traditionally a wooden tub, called a hangiri), so that rice forms a mound in the center of the bowl. Using a diagonal slicing motion, gently cut into rice with a wooden paddle (called a kijakushi), and pour cooled vinegar mixture over top of rice. "Cut" rice several times to evenly distribute vinegar mixture, then allow to cool. Gently turn rice over from time to time with paddle so that rice cools evenly. You might want to consider using a fan if time is of the essence. When rice has cooled to body temperature, it is ready to use for sushi rolls. Rice can be kept at the proper temperature by placing it in an insulated container such as a small ice chest, covered with a damp kitchen towel.

SPICY TUNA ROLL

Steps:

• Place the rice in strainer. Rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Drain well.
• Transfer rice to heavy medium saucepan. Add 1 1/4 cups fresh cold water and kelp to pan. Cover and let soak 30 minutes. Uncover, discard kelp and bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until water is absorbed and rice is just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand covered 15 minutes. Transfer rice to large glass bowl.
• Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Drizzle mixture over rice. Gently toss rice with vinegar mixture to coat. Cover rice with clean damp towel and cool completely at room temperature (do not refrigerate).
• Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, chipotle, honey and oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Place sushi mat on a work surface with slats running crosswise. Arrange 1 sheet nori, shiny side down, on mat, lining up a long edge of sheet with edge of mat nearest you. Using damp fingers, gently press 1/4 of rice onto nori in 1 layer, leaving a 1 3/4-inch border on side farthest from you. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Flip the nori and rice over so that the nori is now the top layer. Make a thin line of cucumber along the nori 1 to 2 inches from the edge closest to you. Drizzle some of the spicy mayonnaise mixture over the cucumbers, then spoon on the tuna and sprinkle with cilantro and scallions. Roll tightly, using the sushi mat to guide you. Slice about 1/1/2 inches thick. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make a total of 4 rolls.