Sushi--a Krystal Roll

SUSHI--A Krystal Roll and TEMPURA

Sometimes I get in the mood for Japanese food. Ok, OFTEN times I'm in the mood for Japanese food. And oftentimes we're too poor to go out to eat it. Which is one of the reasons we have Gyoza a lot, and I almost always have a bag full in my freezer.

Finally though, I broke down and made my own sushi. I had plans of making something authentic, but well, my fridge, in it's infinite goodness, didn't want to bless me with the ingredients to make something like this california roll. Or even anything like Pioneer Woman's sushi.

So I decided to make my tempura. I had a ton of vegetables to use anyway, and some shrimp. If all else failed, we'd have tempura and gyoza for dinner. Captain Jax wouldn't complain!

But I made sushi rice anyway, from PW's blog, or at least close to what she made. Because I REALLY wanted sushi. And I got out everything for tempura:

• veggies of your choice, in smallish chunks
• tempura mix
  
• water
• rice
• nori (seaweed sheets)

I mixed up the tempura, and started frying things up.

I did asparagus first, because I've never had asparagus tempura before. It was good. but I think all tempura is good.

Wait, I should back up. Tempura, for those who aren't aware, is basically a batter you dip foods in and then fry. That's it. and it's good!

I stole this tip off of PW's blog as well. I froze my shrimp all stretched out, so when I fried it (while it was still frozen) it doesn't curl up! them when I decide to make sushi, which I sure did! it's flat and the roll will roll properly.

I drained my tempura, because no one likes oily-looking food. Well, I don't.

I mixed together some cayenne pepper and cream cheese, again, taking a concept from PW and altering it to what I had. I thought this would give the sushi some good flavor.

I also lined my bamboo mat with saran-wrap, because I don't like cleaning things. Anything.

Spread my beautiful sushi rice out on the nori, and tried my darnest to fill the whole thing. Sushi rice is not the easiest thing to spread.

(and because we're friends, I've got to tell you, this was my second batch. I totally ruined the first batch by following some stupid recipe on how to cook sushi rice and I had W-A-Y too much water in there)

Then I laid out my tempura shrimp (tails chopped) cream cream mix, and tempura asparagus.

Rolled it up all nice and pretty.

Mmm, see? Pretty.

And sliced and diced it.

I also fried up more tempura with my other veggies. It was good. I learned that the thinner you spread your rice, the better.

And it's fun to make something up and name it after yourself. :)

The Krystal Roll
Recipe Courtsey of: Recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com

• shrimp tempura
• asparagus tempura
• sushi rice
• nori sheets
• cream cheese
• cayenne pepper

Spread sushi rice over the nori. Mix together some cream cheese and cayenne pepper. Lay shrimp tempura across rice, then cream cheese mixture, then asparagus tempura. Roll up the nori tightly. Slice in half with a wet knife, then slice the half in half, and so forth. THis will give you even slices.