What is a lion king roll?
Lion king rolls are similar to a California roll but with flamed salmon on top, which makes a huge flavour difference! A quick google search shows people baking their lion king rolls in the oven but I’m sorry, that sounds terrible. Why would you bake sushi???
My local sushi joint Kotobuki in Brisbane, Australia, did a great lion king. After moving away, I tried to recreate their recipe for years – there was something sprinkled on top of the salmon that I could never quite figure out. Finally on a trip back to Brisbane, the staff shared their secret – the last thing I was expecting! They added cheap parmesan cheese on top – the kind that comes in a shake bottle. So you layer salmon, kewpie mayo and then add a generous sprinkle of cheap parmesan and next flame the whole thing with a kitchen torch. Amazing!
How to make lion king rolls
You can read my full guide on sushi rice here with tips and techniques, and the recipe is also below.
Prepare your ingredients
First make your imitation crab mix. In a California roll, sticks of imitation crab are used but in a Lion King, we first shred the crab and then mix it with kewpie and green onions. Take 2 strips of imitation crab and shred them with a fork. Add a generous squeeze of kewpie mayo and a finely sliced green onion. Taste it and adjust accordingly – you might need a little more kewpie!
Assembly
Lion kings are uramaki rolls (rice on the outside) so first you need to cover your rolling mat in plastic, or put it inside a giant ziplock bag. Take a full sheet of nori and place it on your rolling mat, shiny side facing down.
Start by spreading a thin layer of seasoned sushi rice onto the nori, covering the whole sheet. You don’t need to leave a gap of nori across the bottom without rice when making uramaki rolls. Fill the whole sheet!
Pick up your nori and flip it over. Add your cucumber, imitation crab mix, avocado slices and start rolling. Apply gentle pressure with your finger tips to the bottom of the roll and slowly close up the whole thing.
Flame the top
Take 5 or 6 slices of salmon and arrange them across the top of the sushi roll – cover the whole roll! Add a generous squeeze of kewpie mayo and a good shake of cheap parmesan cheese (crazy, I know!). With your kitchen torch, flame the whole thing. The little bits of parmesan will fire up and sizzle. Voila!
Lion kings are now a staple in my sushi platters and always a big hit.
Sushi rice
Materials
Rice seasoning
- 4 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
Rice
- 2 cups Japanese short grain rice
- 2 cups Water (purified if possible)
- 2 tbsp Sake
- 1 piece Kombu (approximately 10cm x 15cm)
Instructions
Rice seasoning
- Mix all the ingredients together until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Mix it periodically as you wash, cook and steam the rice.
Wash the rice
- Add your rice to a medium saucepan or rice cooker insert and cover it with cold tap water. Swirl the rice around with your hand to release starches. The water will become milky white. Tip the water off, using your hand or a strainer, add more water and repeat the process 4-8 times until the water is pretty clear.
- Add 2 cups of water, preferably filtered, and 2 tbsp of sake (optional). Add a piece of kombu (also optional) and let the rice soak for 30 minutes. You will notice that the rice looks whiter at the end of the 30 minutes.
Cook the rice
Stove top:
- Take out the kombu and put the saucepan on the stove on medium high. Once the water comes to a boil, put the lid on, lower the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Do not open or stir the rice during this step.After 15 minutes, take the saucepan off the heat and let it sit with the lid still on for 20 minutes.
- Using a rice paddle or wooden spoon, gently mix your rice. Put the lid back on and let the rice steam for an additional 5 minutes.
Rice cooker
- Take out the kombu and put the insert into your rice cooker. Turn it on and let the rice cook.
- Using a rice paddle or wooden spoon, gently mix your rice. Close your rice cooker and let the rice steam for an additional 5 minutes.
Mix seasoning with rice
- Tip the rice into your hangiri, a large flat bottomed bowl or roasting pan and spread it out. Pour over the rice seasoning and gently stir it through the rice using a slicing gesture. Your aim is to cool down the rice as quickly as possible without breaking up or mashing the grains.
- Stand in front a fan, AC unit or use a hand fan as you stir the rice. This will help it cool down as quickly as possible. Keep mixing until the seasoning is mixed through and the rice looks shiny.
- Wait until the rice is cooled to room temperature before using it. You can cover the hangiri / bowl with a damp towel so it doesn't dry out.
Lion king roll
Materials
Sushi rice
Fillings
- Cucumber, cut into thin strips and seeds removed
- Avocado
Imitation crab filling
- 2 strips Imitation crab
- Kewpie mayo - a generous squeeze
- 1/2 strip Green onion - finely sliced
Toppers
- Salmon to cover the whole row
- Kewpie mayo - a generous squeezze
- Parmesan cheese, the cheap shake stuff
Instructions
Sushi rice - see our link above
Imitation crab mix
- With 2 forks, shred your crab sticks until they are in little strips
- Generously add a squeeze of kewpie mayo
- Add your green onions
- Mix everything together
Assemble
- Spreading a thin layer of seasoned sushi rice onto the nori, covering the whole sheet
- Pick up your nori and flip it over
- Add your cucumber, imitation crab mix, avocado slices
- Apply gentle pressure with your finger tips to the bottom of the roll and slowly roll up the whole thing
- Arrange slices of salmon across the top of the sushi roll
- Add a generous squeeze of kewpie mayonnaise over the whole roll
- Add a generous shake of cheap parmesan cheese on top of the kewpie
- Flame everything with a kitchen torch until the salmon has some colour
