Shrimp and Avocado Sushi Rolls

So I bought a lot of avocados and shrimp and have been trying different recipes to use them, hence the last post of Shrimp and Avocado Summer Rolls. I really enjoy sushi and have gotten pretty good at making my own (thanks to some hints from Eric and experimentation over the last few years). I like the "hot & hot" roll from Miki a lot, I think mainly because the spicy sauce doesn't have mayo in it (although the roll has cream cheese in it...hmm). I've made a sauce that gives a similar flavor.



Ingredients

• seaweed wrappers
• sushi rice
• seasoned rice vinegar
• sugar
• shrimp (I used 3 medium, 31-40 count, per roll)
• avocado
• carrots
• pickled ginger
• wasabi
• soy sauce
• rooster sauce
• sweet chili sauce
• ...and anything else you'd like to put in the rolls

I learned a great trick from Eric in terms of preparing the rice. Rather than heating up vinegar and sugar separately, just add the sugar and vinegar directly to the rice while it is still hot. This works out well because it gives you a chance to taste the rice and adjust the flavor. I added approximately 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/8-1/4 cup of vinegar to about 1.5 cups of dry rice (this made two large rolls). I put the rice in the freezer to cool down and cut the carrots into matchsticks and avocado into slices.

I minced a few pieces of pickled ginger, added about a teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of rooster sauce, 1 teaspoon of sweet chili sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of wasabi to make the sauce. I had previously purchased wasabi powder...but it always tasted off, I'm not sure if it was the brand or just because it was old. I got prepared wasabi paste (it was the only other brand at Busch's) and that stuff tasted the way I expected so I was happy.

I used shrimp leftover from last night when I made summer rolls (steamed shrimp marinated in soy sauce, ginger and rooster sauce). I sliced the shrimp in half length wise, and cut them in half width wise so they would fit in the roll.

I assembled the rolls in a normal fashion...rice spread on the seaweed, avocado slices, carrots and shrimp. Before I rolled it all up, I spooned a small amount of the sauce on the filling. Then I rolled, sliced and ate. The overall flavor was pretty good...the Hot & Hot roll from Miki is fried, so this wasn't quite as awesome, but still really good.