Kaiju Platter Recipe

Cook sushi rice

Rinse 3 cups short-grain sushi rice under cold water until the rinse runs clear. Drain and place in a rice cooker with 3.3 cups water. Cook according to rice cooker instructions (or simmer on stove: bring to boil, reduce to low, cover and cook 18 minutes, then rest 10 minutes off heat).

Season rice

While rice cooks, combine 5 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over low heat just until sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Transfer cooked rice to a large wooden or plastic bowl and gently fold in the vinegar mixture with a rice paddle, fanning as you fold until slightly glossy and room temperature. Cover with a damp towel to keep moist.

Prepare vegetables and proteins

Slice avocados thinly and toss lightly in a bowl with a teaspoon of rice vinegar to slow browning. Julienne cucumber into matchsticks. Butterfly cooked shrimp and slice eel into 1/4" strips. Slice raw tuna and salmon into thin sashimi slices (about 1/4" thick). Keep proteins chilled until assembly.

Make spicy tuna mix

In a bowl combine 8 oz chopped raw tuna (reserve some for topping if desired), 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Mix gently until evenly combined. Adjust heat with more chili sauce or sriracha to taste.

Make spicy mayo

Combine 1 cup Japanese mayonnaise with 4 tablespoons sriracha. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a squeeze bottle for easy drizzling.

Classic Dragon Roll (makes 2 rolls)

Place a bamboo mat wrapped in plastic on work surface. Lay 1 sheet nori shiny side down. Wet your hands and spread ~1/2 cup sushi rice evenly over nori leaving a 1" top border. Sprinkle a pinch of sesame seeds. Flip nori so rice faces down on the mat. On the nori side close to you, place 4 tempura shrimp in a line, a few cucumber sticks, and a thin line of avocado. Roll tightly using the mat to form a cylinder. Transfer roll, top with overlapping avocado slices to cover the roll, brush with unagi sauce, and garnish with sesame seeds and masago. Repeat to make second roll.

Spicy Tuna Volcano Roll (makes 2 rolls)

On a nori sheet, spread ~1/2 cup rice, flip so rice faces down. Place a line of spicy tuna mix and cucumber, then roll tightly. Slice the roll into 8 pieces. Mound an extra tablespoon of spicy tuna on top of each piece and drizzle with spicy mayo and unagi sauce. Garnish with scallions and masago.

Rainbow Roll (makes 2 rolls)

Make an inside-out roll with shredded imitation crab and avocado inside (spread rice on nori, flip, add filling, roll). On top of the sliced roll, layer alternating slices of tuna, salmon and avocado to create a colorful 'rainbow' effect. Brush lightly with a mixture of unagi sauce and mirin (1 tbs mirin + 2 tbs unagi sauce) and sprinkle furikake and sesame seeds.

Volcano / Kaiju centerpiece roll (1 large roll)

For the Kaiju centerpiece, use 2 nori sheets overlapped for a larger roll. Spread about 1 1/4 cups rice across, flip, place tempura shrimp, avocado and cucumber. Roll and slice into 10-12 pieces. Arrange pieces in a mound on the platter. Top each piece generously with a mixture of spicy mayo and extra chopped spicy tuna, then torch lightly if desired or broil 30–60 seconds to warm the topping. Drizzle unagi sauce and sprinkle masago and scallions for dramatic presentation.

Arrange the completed rolls attractively on a large platter: place the Kaiju centerpiece mound in the center, surround with Dragon Rolls, Rainbow Rolls and Spicy Tuna Volcano slices. Fill gaps with extra sashimi slices of tuna, salmon and eel.

Drizzle unagi sauce and spicy mayo across the platter in decorative streaks. Place small mounds of pickled ginger and wasabi on the side, and scatter toasted sesame seeds, masago and thinly sliced scallions over the rolls. Serve with a small bowl of sushi soy sauce for dipping.

Serve immediately at room temperature (rice should not be hot). Keep leftover raw fish refrigerated and consume within 24 hours. Leftover assembled rolls are best eaten the same day; store loosely covered to avoid sogginess and re-slice before serving if necessary.