Stir Fry Hand Rolls

Sometimes I’m incredibly lazy. Now and then, those instances coincide with an undeniable craving for sushi. Today, was one of those days. The last thing I felt like doing was making sushi rice. All that rinsing and soaking and seasoning. Don’t get me wrong, the process is well worth it, but sometimes a girl gets tired. Should she still be denied sushi? Not on my watch.

Though maki rolls do require the use of serious sushi rice in order to work, temaki, better known as hand rolls, do not. During my early restaurant days at Sushi Yoshi, the family meal every Sunday was make-your-own hand rolls. Since fish delivery was on Monday, the chefs would chop up all of the leftover fish into itty bitty bites, then toss it with rice, scallions, sesame seeds, and scrambled egg. All of us cooks and waiters would gather around a massive bowl of the stuff, then fill hand roll after hand roll until we were positively stuffed.

This method is still a favorite go-to lunch or dinner for me. The filling can be hot or cold, and works with just about any odd-ball set of leftovers or forgotten ingredients that your fridge might be harboring. I was fortunate today, when I found a pint of mushrooms, a bag of carrots, and a fresh avocado, primo fixin’s for Stir Fry Hand Rolls.

If I had my way, I may have also added a big chunk of marinated tofu.

Stir Fry Hand Rolls
Makes about four servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more to taste)
• 1 pint sliced mushrooms
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, tamari or Bragg Liquid Amino
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• four half-sheets Sushi Nori
• Sriracha and Mayo (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the brown rice and set it aside to cool slightly. If you have the microwavable steam-in-the-bag rice handy, or some leftover rice from another meal, that makes this process even quicker.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a hot skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper, and saute for about 30 seconds, just long enough to become fragrant. Add the mushrooms and carrots, then saute for about two minutes.
3. Add the ginger, soy sauce, and scallions, and toss together. Saute for about one more minute, then remove the stir-fry from the heat.
4. Place a sheet of nori on your palm, and add a few tablespoons of rice to the middle. Squirt the rice with a little sriracha or mayo (or spicy mayo if you are so well equipped), then add a slice or two of avocado and a few tablespoons of the stir fried veggies.
5. Now to wrap it up. You are basically making an ice-cream cone shape out of the seaweed and fillings. Tuck the corner closest to you under the far side of the rice, then roll it over until the cone is closed. Your goal is to make a cone that is closed on the bottom and open on the top. (Check out this video to see a hand roll being made.)
6. Eat the hand rolls right away, while the nori is still crispy. If I’m making these for myself, I usually just make them (and eat them) one by one.

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