Shrimp Tempura Roll

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare vegetables and shrimp. Slice avocado and cut cucumber into thin sticks.
2. For shrimp: peel and devein while leaving tails intact. Also cut about 5 shallow slits horizontally along the inner part of the shrimp to prevent curling.
3. Bring about ½ inch of oil to 350°F in a medium or large frying pan. Test to make sure oil is hot by dropping a dallop of batter in. It should sizzle when it hits the oil.
4. For the batter, use chopsticks to gently beat egg until incorporated then add ice water and sift in flour. Gently mix with chopsticks until almost/just combined; it should be lumpy. Use batter immediately to keep cold.
5. Hold tail to pat dry shrimp with a paper towel, dust with all-purpose flour, dip in batter, then fry about 2-3 minutes, flipping once, until lightly golden on both sides. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to remove extra oil. *gimme tip* save the extra fried bits for garnish!
6. To create your roll, place a piece of Sushi Nori rough side up on your plastic-wrapped sushi mat (with the long sticks running horizontally to your body) and, using wet hands, cover Sushi Nori with a thin layer of sushi rice. *gimme tip* if you don’t have a sushi mat, you can use parchment paper or a tea towel instead!
7. Flip Sushi Nori over so the rice is now touching the mat and place 2-3 shrimp spanning the width of your Sushi Nori about an inch away from the Sushi Nori/rice border closest to you, with their tails sticking out on the left and right. Remove the tails if there are any in the middle of the roll.
8. In additional rows in front of shrimp, layer avocado slices and cucumber sticks.
9. Using your fingers to hold the ingredients, start to roll the front part of the sushi roll like a burrito and tuck it tightly around the fillings. Lift the sushi mat up off the tucked portion and continue to roll, moving the mat after each rotation.
10. Once tightly rolled, remove the mat completely. Option to roll the whole sushi roll in crushed tempura pieces.
11. Use a wet serrated knife to saw the sushi roll into 8 pieces. Rewet knife as needed so rice doesn’t stick. *gimme tip* first cut the sushi roll in half, then cut each of your 2 halves in half, and finally cut each of your 4 pieces in half for 8 even bites!
12. Repeat to make 4 rolls then enjoy with your favorites like soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger!