I am always on the hunt for great, easy and relatively quick recipes to serve as appetizers, especially if we have company. This time, I had the great honour to be called upon again to collaborate with Janes, as part of the #cuisinezavecjanes challenge, on creating an ideal dish to serve as finger food during cocktail hour.
These little crispy chicken maki rolls are a perfect way to curb everyone’s appetite just enough to tide you over to – a possibly late- dinner and they are definitely a crowd pleaser. As a bonus, if you happen to have young kids around (or pregnant women), they are totally suitable for everyone, since they don’t contain any raw fish.
For this recipe, I used Janes, pub style, chicken fries. They cook in very little time (I used my toaster over to cook them) and they are the ideal size to put into Maki rolls. The crispiness of the chicken fries, paired with the sweet mangoes, the creamy avocados, the crunchy lettuce & cucumbers and a touch of Spicy Mayo*, create a beautiful combo of balance flavours. Add the Sweet Soya Glaze** on top and you have a delectable little bite. In fact, it’s so good that I guarantee you’ll want to make it your whole meal!
- - 6 pieces of Janes Pub Style Chicken Fries
- - 1 cup sushi rice & sushi rice seasoning vinegar
- - 3 toasted Nori sheets
- - 1/3 fresh mango, julienned
- - 1 Lebanese cucumber, julienned
- - 3 small leaves of lettuce (Romaine or other)
- - 1 avocado, quartered
- - 1/4 cup Spicy Mayo*
- - 1/4 cup Sweet Soya Glaze**
- Cook the sushi rice according to package, season with sushi rice seasoning vinegar to taste. This can be done up to a day in advance and store in a tight container. DO NOT put in the fridge, but let it sit on the counter until ready to use.
- Bake the chicken fries according to package ( I used my toasted oven for this and it work perfectly)
- While the chicken fries are baking, prepare all the other ingredients and set aside.
- Have all the ingredients ready before you begin, and have a small bowl or glass of water close at hand.
- Place a sheet of nori on a sushi rolling mat ( I use the bamboo rolling mat and cover it with cellophane. It's a cheap option that works perfectly), shiny side facing down and longest edge facing you.
- Distribute about 1/3 cup of cooked rice on the sheet, leaving about 1 inch of uncovered nori sheet on the long edge opposite from you.
- Arrange the fillings -- lettuce, avocado, mango, cucumbers, 2 chicken fries side by side lengthwise and a drizzle of spicy mayo (about 1-2 tbsp)-- in an even, vertical pattern, about 5 cm (2 inches) from the left edge.
- Using both hands, start rolling the sheet of nori from the edge closest to you, folding it up and over the fillings, then rolling it snugly away from you. I find it necessary to use a sushi-rolling mat here.
- Just as you're about to reach the uncovered strip of nori at the end, dip your fingertips in the bowl of water and dab the nori lightly so it will stick.
- Set aside, seam side down, and repeat with the remaining ingredients to make two more rolls.
- Slice each Maki rolls with a very sharp knife in 8 pieces.
- Serve on a plate or arrange in individual cute little Asian spoons (they are available a in most Asian stores and are very cheap).
- Drizzle with the Sweet Soya Glaze.
- *For the Spicy Mayo, simply mix 1/4 regular mayo with 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce (or more to taste).
- **For the Sweet Soya Glaze: in a sauce pan, whip together 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup soya sauce, 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 1 tsp crushed garlic, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar and 1 tsp corn starch. Bring to a boil, whipping constantly to avoid any spilling, about 5-7 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and has a syrupy consistency. Let cool a little before drizzling on the Maki rolls.
