It was brought to my attention recently from a TikTok follower that there was no copycat Cactus Club Prawn Crunch Roll on TikTok…so I made one!
Why You’ll Love This Prawn Crunch Roll
This roll is pretty easy and features a sushi base roll that uses soy paper and prawn tempura. Now you can easily buy a tempura mix but I like to use my own.
It also comes with two sauces, a really nice sweet and salty soy glaze and Sriracha mayo that I amped up a bit because I do think the Sriracha flavor changed.
Now the number one question I always get asked when I use soy paper is where do I buy it. I buy mine from the Fujiya on Clark Drive and they come in these half sheets with fun colours and I’m using the sesame one for this recreation.
Although I have to use 2, half sheets are easy to use cause it’s about the size of the mango and avocado so it’s easier to make. It’s also a great alternative if you don’t like seaweed.
How To Serve This Prawn Crunch Roll
This recipe is served with 2 sauces:
One is a Soy Glaze and the other is a Sriracha They are both worth it to make and takes about 10 minutes to put together!
This dish is also garnished with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. I thought the sauce and mayo was a flavour bomb enough, that I personally don’t use the extra soy sauce but that’s how Cactus Club serves it.
The Prawn Crunch Roll Tips
Make sure your Prawns or Jumbo Shrimp (it’s basically the same thing) is properly cleaned and deveined. The vein at the top of the shrimp (backside) is the poop that needs to be removed. However, the vein at the belly (under the shrimp) is a just a regular vein so you can leave that one.
I like to add a little bit extra padding of breadcrumbs at the tail so it’s more even.
The soy glaze comes together quickly so if it’s too watery, add more corn starch and if it’s too thick, add water. Bring it to a quick boil and then reduce the heat, it will thicken as it’s cooling so it does take some patience! I’m bad at it too.
The Prawn Crunch Roll Recipe
Ingredients:
Rolls:
- 2 Sheets of Sesame Soy Paper (or 4 Half Sheets)
- 1/2 Cup Sushi Rice
- 1/2 Cup of Defrosted Mango or 1/2 Fresh Mango
- 1/2 Cucumber
- 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1/2 Avocado (the other half is for the garnish on top)
- 1 Tbsp Kewpie Mayo
Soy Glaze:
- 1.5 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Hoisin
- 2 Tsp Honey
- 1 Tsp Corn Starch
- 4 Tbsp Water
- 2 Tsp Rice Vinegar
Prawn Tempura
- 4 Prawns or Large Shrimp
- 1/4 Cup Soda Water
- 1/4 Cup of Flour
- 1/4 Cup of Corn Starch
- 2 Eggs (Yolks and Whites Separated)
- 1 Pinch of Salt
- 1/4 Cup of Corn Starch
- 1/2 Cup of Neutral Oil
Siracha Mayo
- 3 Tbsp Kewpie Mayonnaise
- 1 Tsp Sriracha sauce (or to taste)
- 1/2 Tsp Chilli Oil (optional, for extra heat)
- 1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Tsp Rice Vinegar
Instructions:
Prepare the Ingredients:
- Cook sushi rice according to package instructions. Once cooked, mix in 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar and let it cool.
- Peel and dice the mango.
- Slice the cucumber into thin strips.
- Mix tempura bread crumbs with corn starch.
- Beat the egg
Prepare Prawns:
- Start by peeling and deveining the prawns. Pat dry with paper towels and make 2-3 small slits on the underside of shrimp in order to make it straight.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of corn or potato starch, and 1 pinch of salt.
- In a separate bowl, separate beat the egg yolks.
- In a third bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- In the same bowl as the egg whites, add in the soda water and flour/corn starch mixture and mix in for 30 seconds.
- Dip each prawn in the other 1/4 of cornstarch, shaking off any excess. Then dip in the egg yolks, the egg whites mixture , and finally the panko breadcrumbs making sure each prawn is fully coated.
- Heat up a pan with neutral cooking oil and cook the prawns lightly in 1-2 mins on each side until brown and crispy.
Make Soy Glaze:
- In a saucepan, combine dark soy sauce, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, hoisin, honey, corn starch, water, and rice vinegar.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then let it cook down until it thickens. Set aside to thicken as it cools adding more water or boil with more corn starch for a thicker glaze.
Assemble Rolls:
- Lay out a sheet of sesame soy paper (sesame seeds on the outside)
- Spread a thin layer of sushi rice over the paper.
- Place mango, cucumber, and avocado at the edge of the roll.
- Optional: Lightly spread the kewpie mayo.
- Roll the paper tightly into a roll.
Slice and Serve:
- Slice the sushi roll into bite-sized pieces.
- Salt the prawn tempura and also slice into bite size pieces.
- Arrange the sushi pieces on a plate.
- Drizzle with soy glaze over the sushi.
- Place the prawn pieces on top and drizzle on the siracha mayo.
- Garnish with radish sprouts/cilantro leaves on top.
- Serve with wasabi and pickled ginger on the side.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
