To make the rice we used a rice cooker and added butter and rice vinegar to taste.  We made it fluffy but not too sweet.  We wafted it outside to cool it down.

To make the Spicy Tuna, we used the following ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Tuna (negitori if they have it – just means it’s mashed)
• 3 tbsp QP Kewpie mayonnaise
• 1/8 lb Masago (fish roe)
• 3 stalks green onion
• half a lemon’s zest
• 2 tbsp. panko (kind of like tempura flakes)
• hot japanese red pepper – any kind will work – to taste

The consistency was thick and I messed around with the mayo and the panko and then added the hot pepper until it was juuuuust right.  If it gets too hot, you can always add more panko to neutralize the heat a bit.

Adding the QP mayo to the spicy tuna

I attempted to make my roll without seaweed on the outside, the way the real chefs do it.  I wrapped the bamboo roller thingy with high quality Japanese plastic wrap (it was just regular wrap) and then laid a sheet of rice on top of it with wet hands.  It’s the same process when using seaweed, except there is no plastic wrap involved, you just lay the seaweed (nori) down on the roller and add the rice on top of that.  Then you add the fillings; we added the spicy tuna, avocado and japanese cucumber.

Adding the spicy tuna fillings to the rolls

I forgot to put seaweed on the inside of the roll which probably would have made it hold together a little better.  I put a little Masago and some roasted sesame seeds on the outside of the roll to give it a little pizazz.  A little Gushi sauce on top and it was delicioso.

Tasting the goods, no seaweed, professional

Grant’s first roll came out a little lopsided but it tasted divine.  Also, he had on his extra-sanitary cooking shirt which kept any chest hair from getting into the rolls.

Grant's masterpiece(s)

We used about a third of a pound of Blue Fin Tuna to make the nigiri.  Nigiri is just a small lump of rice with a little wasabi and a slab of sashimi (raw fish) on top.  I think these are what put me over the edge.

Maguro. Booyah.

Reider was a natural, rolling the maki like a pro.  He knew it too.

Reider showin' off