Baked Chicken Rolls with Spicy Mayo

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make baked rolls? Start with the sushi rice. Use short-grain Japanese (sushi) rice — it has the stickiness the rolls need. With any other kind, the rolls will likely fall apart. Put the rice in a bowl and rinse it about 4 times, until the water runs clear. Transfer the rice to a saucepan and add water in a 1:1 ratio. Cover with a lid and set it over the heat.

2. Step 2:

   

   Bring the water to a boil (keep the lid on the whole time). Once it boils, turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the rice cook for 15 minutes — by then all the water will have absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the rice rest, still covered, for another 10 minutes to finish steaming to the right texture. Cooked rice roughly doubles in volume.

3. Step 3:

   

   In a separate small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Set it over low heat and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve into the vinegar — but don't let it come to a boil.

4. Step 4:

   

   Take a wooden bowl (a hangiri, if you have one) and wipe it down with a damp paper towel so the rice won't stick. Transfer the cooked rice into it. Pour the vinegar mixture over the back of a wooden spoon, drizzling it in a thin stream evenly over the rice. With a wooden paddle, gently fold the seasoning through the rice using a cutting motion. Then let the rice cool completely, covered with a damp towel.

5. Step 5:

   

   Wrap your bamboo rolling mat in plastic wrap. This keeps things hygienic and makes the mat easy to work with — nothing sticks and the mat stays clean. It also extends the mat's life, keeping rice and filling from working into the bamboo slats and meaning you have to dampen it less often.

6. Step 6:

   

   Cut the nori sheet in half. Lay one piece on the mat, shiny side down. Mix up some hand-dipping water (tezu): stir together rice vinegar and water in a 1:3 ratio in a small bowl. Wetting your hands with this makes the rice easy to handle, and you can dip your knife in it when slicing the rolls too.

7. Step 7:

   

   Take about 150 g of rice and spread it over the nori so that it overhangs one edge by 1 cm and falls 1 cm short of the opposite edge. Cut the chicken into medium strips and fry it in vegetable oil. Cut the cucumber into thinner sticks. Flip the nori so the rice faces down. Lay the filling across the middle — cream cheese in the center, with cucumber and chicken on either side.

8. Step 8:

   

   Holding the filling in place, gently roll it away from you so the rice on the overhanging edge meets the rice on the nori. Press the roll firmly with the mat to make it tight and round. Set it at the edge of the mat and tuck in each end to neaten it up. You should end up with an even, round roll. Roll it in the mixture of white and black sesame seeds, then slice it with a sharp knife into 8 equal pieces.

9. Step 9:

   

   Arrange the sliced rolls on your work surface. Make the spicy sauce: stir together the mayonnaise and sriracha. Spoon the sauce into a piping bag and snip off the tip. Pipe a little cap of sauce on top of each roll.

10. Step 10:

    

    Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the prepared rolls on it. Put them in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 5–7 minutes, until the sauce caps are nicely browned.

11. Step 11:

    

    Take the finished rolls out of the oven and arrange them on a platter. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.