Cuisine: Sushi Burrito

A secret passion of mine now goes public: I like cooking. Like, seriously.

So I’ve opened a new category dedicated to this, partly to document my own recipes, and partly to breathe new life into the blog. This specific platform has transformed over the years from a technical blog, political, social media, ethics, business, and culture, and now it’s time for a new stage – Food.

I’m not a chef. But I dabble in French cuisine, Thai, Lebanese, sushi, Chinese, Peruvian Ceviche, Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Italian, and of course American BBQ.

Shout out to Rania!

Today’s menu: Sushi.

Last year I tried replicating one of NYC’s trends that never took off; The Sushi Burrito. Although it looks spectacular, it tasted like the offspring of two drunken Japanese chefs on a vacation in Tijuana. An enjoyable experiment, but one not to be repeated anytime soon.

Some notes while you sushi up:

Add some white vinegar to the rice so it doesn’t clump when you roll it, add salt to taste. Do not use soy it will make the rice grey and look dirty.
You can use fresh ginger and boil it, but I used prepackaged.
Wasabi powder can be made into paste easily.
Seaweed wrap can be purchased in specialty stores.
Sharpen your knife… Like a lot.
Make sure you have a sushi mat. It’s hard to roll without it – this isn’t Wara’ Areesh lol.

Slice these guys into long slivers:
Fresh salmon.
Fresh whitefin tuna.
Fresh jumbo shrimp.
Fresh octopus.
Cucumbers.
Avocado.
Mango.

Have these at hand:

Wheat tortilla.
Soy sauce.
Vinegar.
Puppy to eat the leftovers.
Caviar.
Sushi wooden mat to roll with.
Wrapping paper to put on top of the roll, do nothing sticks.

Lay a bed of rice on top of a seaweed wrap (or rice then wrap depending on what you’re making)
Place the fish on top of the rice.
Add cucumber, or avocado, or feta cheese. Make sure you alternate combinations!
Roll snuggly.
Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes so the rice holds together.
Roll with crouton bits on the outside (like garlic bread and crunch it up so it becomes like powder)

Slice and dice using a broad blade.
Put spicy mustard as topping (the Hamze special!)
Decorate with caviar or crab mesh or small slivers of fish or shrimp.

For the burrito:
Same as above, but the first layer is 100%wheat tortilla bread, then the seaweed wrap, then rice then fish.
Refrigerate 5 min.
Do not slice:)
Grill final roll for two minutes like a sear. Do not let heat get to the rice!
Burrito will be nice and crispy on the outside, while still cold and fresh on the inside.