Fleishig “Sushi” Platter

I was tickled pink when these scrumptious “sushi” rolls came out as perfectly amazing as I had envisioned. They held together just right, sliced beautifully, and had superior flavor in each bite. I tried out an assortment of combinations, and all were tasty and fun to create — be daring and use whichever combos you’d like!

Yields 12 rolls

2 cups cooked sushi rice, room temperature
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
½ tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
¼ tsp smoked paprika, or to taste
¼ tsp curry powder, or to taste
2 tsp cornstarch
¼ cup water
12 spring roll wrappers
3 grilled or broiled chicken breast halves, sliced into thin strips
4 hot dogs (assorted flavors), scored
½ red pepper, very thinly sliced
oil, for frying
spicy mayo and sushi sauce, for serving

In a glass bowl, combine sushi rice with vinegar, salt, and sugar. Divide into three bowls. Sprinkle ¼ tsp smoked paprika into one bowl and ¼ tsp curry into the other. Mix gently into rice, and add additional spices if desired. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl.

Working with one spring roll wrapper at a time, place a wrapper on a flat work surface, facing you on a diagonal. Place 4 tablespoons of rice of your choice and spread a thin rectangular layer onto the lower half of the diagonal. Place either chicken strips or a hot dog horizontally along
the center of the rice rectangle, along with a red pepper slice.. Fold over spring roll from the bottom up, covering chicken/hot dog and encircling it in rice.
Stir cornstarch-water mixture and brush over open edges of the spring roll. Fold left and right edges towards the middle of the roll, and then continue rolling upwards, forming a tight roll. Use additional cornstarch mixture as needed to soften and seal the
dough. Set aside and repeat with remaining rice, chicken, hot dogs, and spring roll wrappers, to form 12 rolls.

In a large deep pot, heat over medium heat about 1½–2 inches (4–5 cm) of oil for frying. Lower heat. Working with 4 rolls at a time, fry until golden, turning so it browns evenly. Remove from pot to paper-towel lined pan to drain, and continue frying remaining rolls. Allow rolls to cool and slice into 1-inch (3-cm) slices with a sharp knife. Arrange on a large platter and serve alongside spicy mayo and sushi sauce. NOTE: For even more variety, try thinly sliced carrots instead of pepper, and slow-cooked pepper steak instead of the chicken.

(Originally featured in FamilyTable 642)