Tempura Roll
This unique roll has become one of my favorites and can be made very colorful and decorative by the application of tobiko (flying fish roe). The tobiko is bright orange lending a delightful color to this roll.
The tempura fried shrimp can be prepared in advance by dipping a large prawn in tempura batter and deep frying in hot oil. When you do this, leave the tail on the shrimp but remove the rest of the shell. Do not dip the tail in the batter. Then when you fry the prawn, the tail will turn a bright red color that adds beauty to this roll.
1 sheet nori
About 3/4 cup sushi rice
2 tempura fried shrimp
1 tsp. tobiko
Cucumber sliced about 7 inches long by 1/4 inch square
Pea sprouts or radish sprouts
This roll can be made "inside out" by doing the following:
Place a sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface (or over your bamboo mat). Sprinkle the tobiko over the area that approximates the size of the nori. Now spread sushi rice over this area, no thicker than 1/4 inch. Place the nori over the rice. Now spread more rice over the nori. Arrange the tempura fried prawns on top of the rice about 1-1/2 inch from the bottom. Leave the bright red tails sticking out the end of the roll. Add the sliced cucumber and arrange the sprouts so that some of them will stick out the ends of the roll as well. Finally, grasp the plastic wrap and roll upwards, peeling the wrap back away from the rice as you roll. Finally, slice the roll into 6 equal sized pieces and arrange on a serving tray. Serve with the normal condiments.
