Sushi nachos

An Asian-inspired twist on a favourite dish!

This dish is basically a deconstructed California roll, one of the most popular varieties of sushi. The wonton crisps are a cinch to make and form an ideal base for the rice and toppings, but you could use tortilla chips as well. Just like traditional nachos, this Asian-inspired dish can be prepared to suit your tastes and whatever ingredients you have on hand. You can add more wasabi powder to the dressing if you prefer your sushi hotter; have fun playing around with toppings too!

Ingredients

Rice:

• 2/3 cup (160 mL) short grain (Calrose) rice
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt

Dressing:

• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) wasabi powder
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) hot water
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) cold water
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) ginger juice (from jar of pickled ginger)

Toppings:

• 2 sheets nori (toasted seaweed) cut into 1/2 x 2  inch (1.25 x 5 cm) strips (or nori flakes)
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) finely chopped pickled ginger
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) finely shredded carrot
• 1/2 large seedless cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 2 sticks surimi (mock crab meat), thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) sesame seeds, toasted

Approximately 30 – 35 wonton crisps.

Method

• Rinse rice and place in saucepan with 1 1/3 cups (310 mL) water.
• Cover; bring to boil; simmer on lowest heat for 20 minutes.
• While rice is cooking, put rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a glass measure or bowl and bring to a boil in the microwave, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved.
• Transfer cooked rice to a shallow, large bowl and stir in vinegar mixture; stir often while cooling.
• While rice is cooling, prepare all the toppings and refrigerate until needed.
• For dressing, in a small bowl stir wasabi powder into hot water and stir in cold water, soy sauce, and ginger juice.
• When rice is at room temperature, cover and refrigerate if not assembling nachos right away. When ready to assemble, bring rice back to room temperature, using microwave, before proceeding.
• Lay wonton crisps on a platter or tray, overlapping to make a bottom layer with as few holes as possible. Sprinkle with rice, distributing evenly.
• Sprinkle nori strips or flakes over rice. Sprinkle pickled ginger over nori and rice.
• Sprinkle green onion, grated carrot, cucumber, avocado and surimi (if using) over rice mixture.
• Drizzle with dressing – enough to add flavour but not too much so crisps don’t get soggy. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Serve immediately.

Serves 6 – 8 as an appetizer.