The origin and popularity of the spicy tuna roll
Do you know where the spicy tuna roll originated? It was founded in LA in the 80's by Jean Nakayama of Maneki restaurant. It started by mixing tuna scraps with chili sauce, a way to cover less quality cuts of fish (which was admittingly being more sustainable at the time).
Fast forward four decades and the spicy tuna roll was the #2 most ordered sushi roll on Door Dash in the US in 2018, 2019, and 2020. It also happened to be the 9th most ordered item on Door Dash in America in the entire first half of 2020. Can you imagine how many spicy tuna rolls American's ordered while they were in lockdown, dreaming of a Friday sushi night out? A lot... which means a huge amount of plastic take out boxes and an increase in CO2 emissions from delivery transportation, all because of that yummy spicy tuna.
But what if I could convince you that you can make an even tastier dish as home, reducing waste, while excluding the toxic metals and mercury, and instead enriching your body with antioxidants, potassium, vitamin B and E, among other nutrients! Follow along to make this incredible at home vegan spicy tomato crispy rice that will leave you nostalgic of those quarantine couch nights.
Ingredients
Tomato Tuna:
3-4 roman tomatoes
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 splash of hot chili oil, to taste
2 tsp garlic powder
1 sheet of roasted nori
Spicy mayonnaise:
3 tbsp vegenaise (vegan mayonnaise)
2-3 tsp sriracha, to taste
Crispy Rice:
1 1/2 cup avocado oil
1 cup of sushi rice
1 1/4 cup of water
2 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Garnish:
Half an avocado
Green onion
Toasted sesame seeds
Preparation
1. Prepare tomatoes: Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding a pinch of salt to the water. Slice an X into one end of the tomatoes and place them into the boiling water for 45-60 seconds or until the skin starts to split. Scoop the tomatoes out and place into a bowl of ice water. Peel the tomatoes skin and then slice in half, and then in half again. Remove the inner seeds and juices from the tomatoes.
2. Marinate: Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot chili oil, and garlic powder to the sauce. Add the tomatoes and then tear roasted nori on top. Toss everything together, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or longer. Remove tomatoes from the refrigerator and then chop into small pieces. Strain the tomatoes with a sieve to remove extra liquid.
3. Spicy mayonnaise: Mix the vegenaise and sriracha into a bowl, adjust ingredients to desired spice level. Add the tomato mixture and mix to combine.
4. Make crispy rice: Rinse rice until water is clear. Drain and add rice and water to pot, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and cover for about 20 minutes, until water is absorbed. Stir in rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Place rice on top of cellophane into a container, pressing to mold. Place into refrigerator until cool, wet knife and cut into rectangles, smoothing edges to the desired shape. Heat pan over medium heat and add oil, wait until oil is hot and then add the pieces of rice. Cook for roughly 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
5. Assembly: Finely slice avocado and green onion for garnish. Layer the avocado on top of the crispy rice, and then add the spicy tomato mixture. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.