Chicken Mayo Roll Experiment

Sushi Slice and Hand roll attempts

(makes 1 sushi slice or 6-8 hand rolls)

I've worked out that my main inspirations for cooking are: my stomach and my tastebuds. Not a shocking realisation, but really most of the time i like to cook what i feel like eating. Luckily, or unluckily, i always feel like eating. 

And i wouldn't consider my taste buds picky, but they can tend to be very specific and know what they want. 
Anyhow, my inspiration to try this came from my love for this chicken mayo roll my friend Lisa introduced to me about 5 years ago. It's at a regular looking sushi joint at Wynyard station called Megumi... Or so it seems on the outside. In fact, this chicken mayo roll is the best chicken mayo roll in the world championship chicken mayo roll contest! I know right, I didn't expect it either! I sometimes, well actually often, get off the train just to get a sushi roll or 2, and hop back on the train. I've worked out that it takes under 2 minutes. So worth it. It's just chicken, mayo and lettuce and rice. So simple, and yet so satisfying.

By the way Lisa, it really does taste better with avocado in it.

Prep time: 30 min, Waiting time: 30-60 min 

Cooking/Assembly time: 20-30 min (depending how many you make)

Sushi slice: FAIL (but worth a try)

Hand roll: PASS

Ingredients:

2 C sushi rice

8-10 pieces of seaweed 
white vinegar
sugar

1/2 kg chicken thigh fillet

2 T soy sauce

2 T mirin

2 tsp sugar

Japanese Kewpie Mayo

3-5 lettuce leaves

2 avocado

Method:

1. Clean the chicken and cut them into fillets. 
NB. How you cut the chicken isn't too important. Ultimately you want to put a thin strip into the hand roll, or a small square into the slice, but I find the chicken is easier to cut after it has been cooked.
2. Marinate the chicken in soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Leave overnight or for at least 30 min.
3. Cook the chicken and let it cool, before cutting into your desired shape. 
4. Cook the sushi rice according to the instructions on the back of the packet. Once cooked, add 2 T white vinegar, 3-5 tsp sugar into the rice, or to taste. Mix it through and let the rice cool for at least half an hour.

N.B. If the rice is too hot when you try to roll the sushi, it will soften the seaweed and cause it to break easily. 
5. Prepare the lettuce by tearing palm-sized pieces.

Sushi Slice: 

1. Put one piece of seaweed on a plate or flat chopping board. Spread a thin even layer of sushi rice on top, leaving a 1-2cm border.

2. Add the avocado, lettuce and mayo on top. Add the chicken (cutting into small bite-size squares).

3. Add a thin layer of rice on top, and a piece of seaweed and cut into 16 bite-size pieces.


Problem: When cutting into smaller slices, cutting into the chicken resulted in the mayo and avocado squeezing out the side. This also happened when trying to bite into the sushi = very very messy.

Hand Roll

1. Cut the square piece of seaweed into half.

2. Spread a thin layer of rice about 3cm from the right edge, taking up about half the roll.

3. Wrap the chicken, avocado and mayo (squeeze enough for the length of the roll) in the lettuce.

4. Place the lettuce at a 45˚ angle on the right end of the rice, and roll into a hand roll by tucking the seaweed in and packing firmly.

A clear winner: The hand roll is a much better option than the sushi slice because it keeps everything together in a compact, easy to eat roll that fits in your hand.