I am not a picky eater, so in general I like to try new things. During my food escape to a Japanese restaurant with my siblings, this dish was highly recommended. It was so good that my sister who doesn’t eat sushi gobbled up a few. The crunchy tempura batter compliments the imitation crab mayo mixture and the fruit and vegetable filling really well.

I suggest that you use Japanese mayo, because it is lighter and it has a distinct taste that I enjoy even with steak. Yes, I can be weird that way. Also make sure that the tempura batter coating isn’t too thick, otherwise you might end up with a sushi tempura. Plus, we don’t want to cook the avocado and cucumber. What we want to achieve is a slight crunchiness in the outside, but the traditional sushi freshness in the inside. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

To make the eel sauce, combine the following ingredients in a small saucepan: mirin, shoyu, sugar and dashi. Bring it to a boil. After, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool. You may bottle it and store it in the refrigerator or 2 weeks to a month.

Shred the imitation crab using a fork. Place it in a bowl and add mayonnaise. Mix well. Divide the mixture into 2 parts and set aside.

Cut the avocado in half and discard the pit. Remove the skin and slice the avocado into match stick pieces. After, slice the cucumber into thin strips.

Place the sumeshi in a bamboo mat wrapped in plastic wrap and press it down using a spatula or wooden spoon. Then place a sheet of nori and top it with imitation crab mix, cucumber and avocado. Roll the sushi inside out.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the water and the egg. Place the flour and baking soda in a separate bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture into the egg and water mixture. Mix well until there are few lumps. Refrigerate until needed.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Cut the rolls in half and coat it slightly with tempura fry batter. Fry it for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the batter is crunchy.

Slice the rolls and place them on a serving platter. Top each roll with the imitation crab mixture.  Drizzle it with eel sauce. Serve it with wasabi, soy sauce (shoyu) and ginger.

Photo Courtesy Of: Dave Q