Shrimp Tempura Rolls

I teach middle school cooking classes, and one of our most beloved units is making sushi. The students are happy to turn cucumbers into perfect matchsticks and grab handfuls of sushi rice to roll with the seaweed. I delight in watching the kids make something seemingly complicated, like shrimp tempura rolls, from scratch.

Do you need a sushi mat?

It’s common to use special bamboo mats when making maki—another word for sushi rolls—but a mat is not a requirement. I like to use a clean kitchen towel topped with a sheet of parchment to help apply even pressure as I form the rolls.

What is a tempura roll?

Tempura is food that has been dipped into a thin batter and deep-fried. Some ingredients commonly cooked this way in Japan are sweet potatoes, eggplants, mushrooms and, of course, tempura shrimp. When items cooked in this manner make their way into maki, that’s a tempura roll!

Sometimes, especially in the United States, tempura rolls are made with rice on the outside. In Japan, it’s more common to have seaweed on the outside of the roll.

Shrimp Tempura Roll Ingredients

• Sushi rice: For maki rolls, use short-grain white rice with a high starch content. The package should include the words “sushi rice” on the label. This type of rice gets sticky when cooked to help the shrimp tempura sushi roll hold its shape.
• Rice wine vinegar: This essential Japanese ingredient has a clean flavor and a lower acidity than some of its vinegar cousins.
• Nori: Nori refers to sheets of seaweed pressed flat for use in cooking. You want toasted nori for shrimp tempura rolls.
• Tempura shrimp: Use store-bought tempura shrimp to simplify the assembly process.
• Japanese or English cucumbers: Long, slender Japanese or English cucumbers have fewer seeds than the average American cucumbers, which makes them excellent for sushi. If you can’t find either of those, a regular cucumber with the seeds scooped out is a perfect substitute.
• Avocado: Look for an avocado that is just ripe and still firm. You want to be able to cut it up without accidentally smashing it.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the sushi rice

TASTE OF HOME

In a large saucepan, combine the rice and water. Let it stand for 30 minutes and then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

TASTE OF HOME

Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

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Transfer the rice to a large shallow bowl and drizzle with the vinegar mixture. With a wooden paddle or spoon, stir the rice with a slicing motion to cool slightly. Cover with a damp cloth to keep moist.

Editor’s Tip: You can make sushi rice in advance, cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and leave it at room temperature for up to six hours. Do not refrigerate the rice.

Step 2: Set up your workstation

TASTE OF HOME

Cook the shrimp according to the package directions and let cool. Sprinkle toasted and black sesame seeds onto a plate and set aside.

If you have a sushi mat, wrap it in storage wrap and place it so that the bamboo pieces are parallel with the edge of your work surface. (In other words, you’ll be rolling away from your body.) If you do not have a mat, place a clean kitchen towel on your work surface and cover it with a piece of parchment that is just a bit longer than your sheets of nori.

Editor’s Tip: Arrange within reach all your ingredients, as well as two bowls of water: one large enough to dip your hands into before touching the sushi rice and another small one.

Step 3: Ready the layers

TASTE OF HOME

Place 3/4 cup rice on storage wrap. With moistened fingers, press rice into an 8-inch square. Add a little extra rice if needed. Top with one nori sheet.

Step 4: Add your ingredients

TASTE OF HOME

Neatly arrange shrimp pieces, avocado slices and cucumber matchsticks atop the nori, leaving 1-1/2-inches at the edge of the nori sheet.

Step 5: Roll it up

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Lift the edge of the mat or parchment closest to you and use it to help roll the rice mixture over the filling. Once the end is tucked in, use the bamboo mat to lift and compress the mixture while rolling. Remove the storage wrap as you roll.

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Remove the mat. Take a moment to dip your finger in the smaller bowl of water and moisten the final strip of nori. Then, finish rolling and smooth the outside of the roll with your fingers to seal. Place the roll seam side down. Roll the sushi rolls in sesame seeds.

TASTE OF HOME

Cover the sushi roll with storage wrap. Repeat until you have eight rolls.

Step 6: Slice the sushi

Using a sharp knife with a dampened edge, cut each roll into eight pieces. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and ginger slices if desired.

Editor’s Tip: Cut only the rolls you plan to serve. If you plan to save rolls for later, cut them when you’re ready to eat.

TASTE OF HOME

Shrimp Tempura Roll Variations

• Make inside-out rolls: If you prefer to have the nori on the outside of your tempura rolls, place the nori on the mat first and then place the rice and filling ingredients directly on the seaweed.
• Try with a dip: Mayo mixed with Sriracha is perfect with shrimp tempura sushi rolls.
• Add chili crisp: Drizzle some chili crisp onto the filling before finishing your rolls.
• Garnish the maki: Top slices of sushi with a bit of fish roe, dabs of wasabi or a sprinkle of a Japanese spice blend, such as shichimi togarashi.

How to Store Shrimp Tempura Rolls

Sushi rice is best eaten fresh, but you can put finished rolls in a tightly sealed container in the fridge and eat them within a day. Store rolls whole and cut them just before serving.

Shrimp Tempura Roll Tips

TASTE OF HOME

I don’t eat seafood. What could I use instead of tempura shrimp?

These rolls would be wonderful with tempura-battered mushrooms or sweet potatoes instead of shrimp.

Where can I find specialty ingredients?

Look at an Asian market, or shop online at the Asian grocer Weee!. They carry items needed for this recipe, including nori and sushi rice, as well as ingredients that can be used to make dipping sauces.