Sushi + Avocado Egg Rolls

I have grown a love for sushi ever since i was in high school and ive always wanted to take that scary risk of making it at home myself. So when my Food Network Magazine had a recipe on the HOW TO's for sushi, i decided i wanted to try it finally.

The recipe was for vegetable rolls but my favorite rolls are Philadelphia rolls and California. So i choose to do those 2. Its a little harder than i thought. Yes, in essence its just doing a roll, but the seaweed is so delicate that too much sticky rice can tear the seaweed very easily and in turn making your sushi roll well, not a roll. I had this happen with one of my Philadelphia rolls; a Philly roll is with the seaweed on the outside so that means the amount of sticky rice you put inside has to be a small and thin amount. I did the opposite and it tore my seaweed and ruined my roll. Failure #1. Failure#2 was when i was making my California rolls (rice on outside) i packed on TOO much rice again and the rice didnt adhere to the seaweed and it completely fell apart.

Lesson learned: NOT ALOT OF RICE ON INSIDE OR OUT.

Its a little hard to explain how to make a roll in words. Videos on YOUTUBE and other sources online like pictures of step-by-step's are what helped me get started.

Ingredients

Philadelphia and California Rolls:

*Proportioned to amount of rolls your going to be making: usually each roll gives about 6 pieces

• Nori sheets
• Crab meat
• Mayonnaise
• Smoked salmon
• Cream cheese
• Cucumbers
• Avocado
• Red onions

For the rice:

• 3 cups short-grain Japanese rice, rinsed
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Salt

Preparations: (Rice)

Make the rice. Combine the rice and 3 1/4 cups water in a rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. A rice cooker is the best way to get perfect sticky-firm rice, but if you don't have one, just use a saucepan.

Fold in the vinegar. Combine the vinegar, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Transfer the cooked rice to a large wooden bowl (traditionally, a wooden tub). Drizzle a quarter of the vinegar mixture over a wooden spoon or spatula onto the rice. Fold the rice gently with the spoon to cool it and break up any clumps; be careful not to smash the grains. Fold in the remaining vinegar mixture and let the rice sit 5 minutes.

Like i said you can always find videos online on how to make the rolls themselves. Since i got the recipe from the magazine, i had the pictures to help along the way.

So out of the 5 rolls i made i only managed to salvage 2. But it was a good first attempt. Bobby made one and i made the other.

On to the next dish....

I love the avocado eggrolls at the Cheesecake Factory. The first time i had them i was immediately hooked and that sauce, its so amazing and different. I never had something like it before. Its sweet and a little spicy but its not a typical sauce. You really have to try it.

I googled the recipe for a COPY CAT version of it and i must say its pretty spot on. I got the recipe from HERE. It doesnt give a way on how to cook the eggrolls but i followed the directions on the back of the package of egg roll wrappers and they came out perfect.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 2 green onions
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp
• 1/2 cup honey
• A pinch of powdered turmeric
• 1/2 a cup of chopped cashews
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon minced red onions
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• Pinch of salt
• 3 egg roll wraps
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, & diced
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped

Preparations:

Stir together vinegars, tamarind, honey, and turmeric in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute.

Stir until tamarind is dissolved.

In a blender, puree tamarind mixture, cashews, 2/3 cup cilantro, garlic, onions, sugar, pepper, and cumin.

Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in oil.

Set aside.

Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and salt.

Distribute filling evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper.

Follow directions on back of package on how to fill correctly and cook.

Serve with sauce.

You wont be disappointed. I must warn you though, EXTREMELY addictive! The sauce pairs so well with avocados and the sweetness isnt overbearing at all. Such a good recipe and great appetizer... ENJOY as always....