Tempura Rolls with Crab Stick, Cream Cheese, and Mayo

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make tempura rolls? Gather all the ingredients and equipment. You'll need a bamboo rolling mat, plastic wrap, and a deep fryer or skillet. Adjust the salt and sugar to taste — the amounts here are what work for me, but you may want more or less.

2. Step 2:

   

   Prepare the rice. Use short-grain rice or sushi rice — it has the stickiness you need. With any other kind, the rolls will likely fall apart. Put the rice in a bowl and rinse it 4 times, until the water runs clear. Transfer it to a saucepan and add water in a 1:1 ratio. Cover and set over the heat.

3. Step 3:

   

   Bring the water to a boil, keeping the lid on the whole time. Once it boils, lower the heat to its minimum and cook the rice for 15 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for another 10 minutes so it reaches the right texture. Cooked rice roughly doubles in volume.

4. Step 4:

   

   In a separate small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Warm it over low heat to dissolve the sugar and salt, without letting it come to a boil. Wipe down a wooden bowl with damp paper towels so the rice won't stick to it.

5. Step 5:

   

   Transfer the cooked rice to that bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the back of a wooden spoon, letting it drizzle evenly over the rice. Gently fold it in with a wooden paddle. Then cool the rice completely, covered with a damp towel.

6. Step 6:

   

   Wrap the bamboo mat in plastic wrap. It keeps things clean and sanitary, makes the mat easier to work with, and prevents rice and filling from getting stuck between the slats — so you'll need to dampen it less often and it'll last longer.

7. Step 7:

   

   Make the filling. Spoon the cream cheese into a piping bag and snip off the tip when you're ready to use it. It helps to take the cheese out of the fridge ahead of time so it's easier to work with. Chop the crab sticks small, put them in a bowl, and mix with a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise.

8. Step 8:

   

   Make the batter for frying. Pour cold water into a bowl, add the salt, and stir to combine. Add the flour one heaping spoonful at a time, mixing as you go, until it's all in and the batter is smooth and lump-free. Put the panko in a separate dish, one that's easy to roll the rolls around in.

9. Step 9:

   

   Start assembling. Lay a sheet of nori on the mat, glossy side down. Mix a little hand-dipping liquid — rice vinegar and water in a 1:3 ratio — in a small bowl; wetting your hands in it makes the rice much easier to handle. Use filtered water here, since it goes right into the food.

10. Step 10:

    

    Spread one-third of the rice evenly over the nori, leaving the far two-thirds bare. Pipe one-third of the cream cheese over the rice and add one-third of the crab-and-mayo mixture.

11. Step 11:

    

    Once the filling is in place, start rolling, pressing the roll firmly with the mat as you go. Dampen the bare strip of nori with water to seal the roll shut. Shape it into a round log, then square up the ends by tapping them in on both sides. Make 2 more rolls the same way.

12. Step 12:

    

    Cut each rolled log in half. Dip the cut ends in the batter, then dip the whole roll, and coat it in panko. Pour the oil into a skillet, pot, or deep fryer. Heat it to about 300–320°F (150–160°C) and fry the rolls one at a time for 30–40 seconds each.

13. Step 13:

    

    Fry until golden. I used a deep fryer, so the rolls were fully submerged. If you're using a skillet and the oil doesn't cover them, turn them as they fry so they brown evenly on all sides.

14. Step 14:

    

    Plate the fried rolls right away, or let them cool a little and cut each one into pieces for easier eating. Serve with wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger.