For some reason unbeknownst to me, I was struck with a stroke of craziness this past week! I think it’s because two of my current projects were wrapping up and I felt the need for a creative challenge.

A recipe for tuna poke crossed my desktop a little while ago. Then at Ross Dress for Less, of all places, I picked up a package of spring roll wrappers. I had all necessary ingredients in the fridge and pantry and thought I’d try them both for dinner. Quite truthfully, while I enjoy playing with cooking some sort of Asian-style foods, poke and spring rolls were far from my usual culinary adventures. I thought take the challenge and give them a try.

Tuna poke. Aldi sells a nice one pound package of tuna steaks for under $5. Yes, it’s not sushi grade tune, but it’s pretty good quality for the amateur. Take one pound of tuna* and cut into smallish cubes. Combine ¼ cup of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar or mirin, 1 ½ teaspoon of sesame oil, 1/3 cup of chopped scallion, and ½ teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds. Marinate the tuna in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

*Note: Lightly frozen fish is easier to cut than fresh or thawed.

Prepare the sushi rice. Prepare 1 ½ cup of sushi rice mixed with 1/4 cup rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt. Add three cups of water to a medium pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes on stovetop, until tender. I cooked mine in my handy rice cooker.

Prepare the ponzu sauce. Whisk together ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup fresh lemon juice and zest of one lemon, and 2 tablespoons of mirin. You can add this to the cooked rice or simply add some to the poke as you eat it.*

*Constant Companion enjoyed this sauce mixed with the spring roll dipping sauce.

Poke Assembly. Fill a bowl with the rice. Top with the marinated tuna. Add many other thinly cut vegetables into the bowl, around the edges. I used edamame and thinly sliced cucumber. Top with thinly sliced seaweed sheets and toasted sesame seeds.

Spring Rolls. This was the real challenge with decidedly more steps and ingredients than my usual cooking.

Preparations. Prepare your ingredients in advance, the mis en place as it’s called on many tv cooking shows. Remember, I used ingredients that were on-hand in my pantry. Thinly slice the following into matchsticks: carrots, English cucumber, and mango. Add fresh mint, basel, and cilantro leaves.

Prepare about 18 medium-sized shelled shrimp. Submerge in boiling water for only 1 minute, followed by ice bath to stop the cooking. Slice shrimp in half long-ways. Following package instructions prepare 4 ounces rice noodles/vermicelli in the remaining shrimp water.*

*Four ounces was too much for the 8 spring rolls I made; sometime afterwards, Constant Companion enjoyed the leftovers!

Dipping sauce. Mix together ½ cup of peanut butter, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon grated sugar, and 4-6 tablespoons water or more to reach the sauce consistency you prefer. You can also use a tablespoons of oyster sauce or hoisin sauce.

Spring Roll Assembly. Briefly dip spring roll wrappers in warm water one at a time. Working on a clean kitchen towel, add the ingredients; I started with the vegetables, then the noodles and shrimp, then the herbs. Fold the top and bottom  of the wrapper to cover the ends and gently roll as tightly as possible. The towel is an excellent tool to help with the rolling especially if softened wrappers stick. This recipe makes eight spring rolls.

I was unable to learn the perfect time for wrappers to be not too soft or not too crunchy. When another stroke of cooking craziness strikes I’ll see if I can determine this.

Constant Companion and Daughter were impressed with my efforts – both the not too perfect look and the taste. The craziness was well-enjoyed!