Sushi - Dragon Roll aka. Caterpillar Roll

This roll will take some skill to make - mainly in the area of thinly slicing and fanning out the avocado on top of the roll... I love this roll mainly because it looks so dang good - it tastes good too but I just love the look. Now you will see that the photo does not jive up with the recipe - The main reason for this is that Lisa doesn't like BBQd eel so I used tempura shrimp inside. It's really dang good with the tempura shrimp...

Nori
Sushi Rice
Tempura Shrimp
1/2 Avocado
Cucumber
Unagi Sauce (Eel Sauce)

You don't quite need a whole sheet of nori for this roll but you will need 3/4ths of one. So sight half the sheet, then half again and cut along that line. Take about a cup ball of sushi rice and spread it over the dull side of the nori. Turn the nori over and put it on a plastic wrap covered rolling mat.

Sushi On!

~Nikko

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Spicy Tuna Roll

Lisa's favorite roll is the Spicy Tuna Roll... I like them too - spicy is good! Making sushi rolls at home is pretty easy. You need to practice making the sushi rice (that's another post on here) for that is base of all sushi.

Ahi Tuna, diced
1 tsp mayo - you can omit this if you don't want it but it helps everything hold together
1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce - more or less depending on your taste - I like more

Dice your tuna and put it in a bowl. Put in a spot of mayo and the Sriracha hot sauce; mix it all together well. Be careful when you mix because we do not to smash the tuna... Once you have everything mixed up give a small piece a taste to make sure everything is good for you.

Prepare your nori and rice like you would for any standard roll. Lay down a nice row of your prepared tuna. Roll it up and slice - some say you have to have an odd number of slices and some say even is ok. Whatever you decide to do just make sure all your pieces are even. Sushi is pretty food so make sure it looks good...

Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko



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Sushi - Crunchafornia Roll

I tried something new last night and came up with The Crunchafornia Roll... A twist on the standard California Roll. I proved the concept last night and will have photos and a video up soon. I made it two ways - the first was to make your standard California Roll then dust it in corn starch then dunk it into a tempura batter then fry the whole thing. The second way I did it was just to take the crab sticks and tempura them and put them into the normal California roll. Both ways were good. I'm going to be doing them again and have some people over to see which version wins the taste test...

Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko

Fresh Thai Green Curry - Shrimp

Fresh Thai Green Curry

The curry paste you can buy in the store is good but cumbersome to use, CurrySimple is really good and makes making Thai curry at home even easier - but FRESH is now and always will be the best...

I had always used the paste until we hooked up with CurrySimple which is what we use 90% of the time - I had wanted to try my hand at making fresh green curry and I have to admit at first I was a bit skeptical. After the first bite I was hooked! This is a bit more time consuming to make but well worth the effort. I still use the past and CurrySimple but again, Fresh is best...

1 Stalk lemongrass
3-4 Lime leaves (available at finer markets or most all Asian/Chinese markets)
1/2 Tbsp corriander ground
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tsp shrimp paste (will not miss this if you don't use it...)
1 Tsp sugar (this plays a big part in this so don't omit it)
3-5 Green chilies - we use 2-3 sorrano and 1-2 jalapeno peppers
2 Bunches green onions
3 Cloves garlic minced
1.5" Piece ginger pealed and chopped roughly
1/2 Cup fresh cilantro (coriander) including stems
1 Tsp dark soy sauce
1 Can coconut milk (do not shake this up! You need to separate off the fat)
1 Cup sweet basil chopped roughly

Start by preparing the lemongrass - Remove the bulb and any though outer leaves. Thinly slice then mince the lower half of the stalk - the top half can be discarded. Place in a food processor. Add everything else but the coconut milk and basil to the processor bowl and blitz until it all comes together - you're not looking for a paste here but you want everything well incorporated with itself.

You will want to fry up the curry before you add the shrimp. The best method to do this is to fry the curry up in the coconut milk. Separate the thick fat part of the coconut milk and add it to a pan. Turn up the head to a medium/medium-high - once up to temp add the fresh curry. You will want to cook the curry for about five minutes. Once the curry gets to a happy place add the remaining coconut and bring it to temperature. Once heated add your shrimp and cook it through (3-5 minutes depending on your shrimp - will be a nice pink when done). Best served with rice but works well with pasta as well...

Make your plate look good - remember you eat with your eyes before your mouth...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Fresh Thai Green Curry Shrimp 1 of 2



Fresh Thai Green Curry Shrimp 2 of 2

Chilled Cucumber-Chickpea Soup

This is a start to finish in 25 minutes dinner...

1 Coriander Paprika Spice Rub mix (see below)
1/2 Lb peeled and deveined cooked shrimp chopped
2 Medium cucumbers seeded and chopped
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
2 Cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 Tsp ground coriander
1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
3 Cups ice cubes
1/2 Cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 Green onions, thinly sliced

For the Coriander Paprika Spice Rub

1 Tsp ground Coriander
1/2 Tsp paprika
1/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp ground black pepper

1. Prepare the Coriander Paprika Spice Rub. In a medium bowl toss the shrimp with the spice rub; set aside. Thinly slice enough cucumber to measure 1/3 cup; set aside. Peel, seed, and cut up the remaining cucumbers.

2. In a blender combine the cut-up cucumbers, chickpeas, tahini, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, coriander, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

3. Just before serving, with the motor running, add ice cubes, a few at a time, through the lid opening until smooth and thickened (blender should be about full). Pour into bowls. Top soup with the shrimp, sliced cucumber, tomatoes, and green onions.

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Video Coming August 09 2009...

Panko Taliapa with Sweet Chilli Sauce

I love fish of all shapes and sizes. Taliapa is one of my favorite fish to prepare. It's flexibility is what makes it so fun to work with. I've been thinking of a pan fried panko crusted taliapa and this is the result.

2 Taliapa fillets
2 Cups Panko bread crumbs
2 Eggs
2 Tsp water
CurrySimple Gourmet Sweet Chilli Sauce
Olive oil for frying

Crack the eggs into a dish and lightly beat with the water. Put the panko bread crumbs in another dish. Now you should flour the fish then run them through the egg then into the panko. I didn't take the time to flour the fish before I started - It's ok - you don't have to but it will help the crust stay on the fish. Anyhow - Fish - Egg - Panco - rest for at least a few minutes before pan frying. In a good sized pan heat some light olive oil to a medium heat. Fry the fish in the oil for about 3-5 minutes on each side. Once plated pour on the CurrySimple Gourmet Sweet chilli Sauce and enjoy!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Avocado & Shrimp Salsa

Avocados and shrimp are a match made in heaven. If you ask me the light creaminess of the avocado goes well with the light taste of the shrimp.

This fresh salsa doesn't take much prep.

1 small red onion
1 or 2 tomatoes
1 large avocado
1 jalapeno
6 boiled shrimp (can be grilled too)
lime juice
cilantro would be nice if you have it.
salt & pepper

Dice everything up and mix it up in a bowl. Let sit i the fridge for 20 min to get happy. Eat & Enjoy!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Chilli Lime Squid O's

I woke up today wanting squid for dinner. I'm Greek, these kind of things happen to us every once and a while. Anyway, I went to the market after work and the squid looked great, and smelled like the sea (like it should). I bought some and took it home - the rest is history...




1/2 small red onion diced
1/2 cup bell pepper diced (green, yellow, and red)
1/2 pound squid rings
1/2 bottle CurrySimple Gourmet Chilli Lime Sauce (yes they use 2 L's in their Chilli)
Cilantro
Lime wedges

Soften the onion in a spot of butter w/ a small pinch of salt. Once softened, add the peppers and cook for 1 minute. Add the rinsed squid to the pan and the chilli lime sauce - it will only take a few minutes for the squid to cook - DO NOT over cook them or you'll have a bowl full of rubber bands to eat... Squid either stays in the pan for just a few minutes or and hour no in between.

You could serve this over rice but I say just enjoy the squid. The chilli lime sauce has a good flavor and is a bit spicy (which is nice)...

Give this one a try - If I can do it - So can you...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Play With Your Food...

I try not to take life too seriously - And you shouldn't either. Sometimes you need to enjoy your food before you consume it. There's really no point other than that I'm trying to get across in this entry, so there you have it...

This dish came from the California Pizza Kitchen - Thai Linguini...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko