For a day commemorating a Mexican military victory back in the 1860’s, you’d think that Cinco de Mayo would be a bigger deal in Mexico than the states. An excuse to drink beer, make merry, and eat greasy tacos, the truth is that the holiday is as American as apple pie. It’s hardly our only holiday that’s lost a bit in translation, or invented by greeting card companies, so such a revelation is hardly shocking. A cultural mishmash of customs both authentic and artificial, it may not have the deep meaning that so many partiers wish to believe, but still offers plenty of joy to those who wish to participate.
Since we’ve already asserted that it’s not quite Mexican and not recognizably American, why not go all out and throw another culture into the mix? Fusion usually brings up bad memories of overwrought, underdeveloped “concept” dishes, but it needn’t be that way! Enjoy it for what it is, not what it “should” be- What could be more fitting idea for this non-holiday after all?
Guaca-maki, a maki roll stuffed with brightly spiced and zesty guacamole, smoky roasted red peppers, crisp romaine lettuce, and some meaty strips of grilled veggie burgers for protein. Admittedly, adding burger bits to sushi was a bit wilder than I wanted to swing on this already crazy concoction, but for a quick meal, it was the only option on hand. Next time, I might recommend black or pinto beans to round this roll out. Finally, this inside-out roll is coated in a crunchy exterior of crushed tortilla chips, and served not with soy sauce, but hot salsa.
It’s certainly not for everyone, and not something I would ever serve to serve to “serious” company, but it doesn’t hurt to play with your food every once in a while. Leave your preconceived notions of sushi and Cinco de Mayo at the door- You just might like it if you try it!
you could “seriously” serve these to me – I love the idea. I have made “sushi” rolls with jalapeno before… dios mio!
I just found your site on foodblogs.com so I thought I would stop by and take a peek. I just subscribed to your blog feed and can’t wait to see what your next post will be!
hehe this is awesome!!:) Happy cinco de mayo and have a wonderful weekend!
I would have no issue with you serving them to me in a serious manner or a non-serious manner. Either would be fine! :-) They look delicious and I like the veggie burger idea!
Thanks for teaching me a little bout Cinco de Mayo – seems like the perfect excuse to eat and be merry :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Such a great idea!
Ha! I love this. Needless to say. I’ll take any excuse to eat sushi and a completely misguided Mexican turned American holiday sounds good to me!
The best part about Cinco de Mayo is that it’s my birthday! ;)
Very original! That pleases me :)
Great Idea for a maki roll. Happy Bleated Cinco De Mayo.
I love it! Why not play with you food? Especially with more traditional sushi options out of the question, I think this is a very creative spin. Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous! The texture of your rice looks spot on by the looks of the photo.
i love how playful this is hannah! the thought of maki rolled in crushed tortillas and dipped in salsa made me smile :D
“Guaca-maki”— that made me laugh! I’m glad you play with your food. It’s interesting.
Oh heavens, this looks soo good! pinning this to make for later!
Actually this is a recipe with great potential. I’d probably use steak or chili glazed fish instead of burgers, but I’m no vegetarian.
delish…..
Gracias! Inter-culture recipes? A few days ahead and this will be a trending recipe up for cooks. We can always work around it and make each inter-culture recipe perfect!
Never had sushi before, but I would LOVE to try this. Can you give a description on how you made it?
You can find a great tutorial on how to make maki sushi like this here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/02/sushi-101-how-to-make-sushi-rolls/
Just substitute the ingredients I listed for my version, and roll away! :)
[…] or simply uncreative menus. You could truly put anything in the middle of your maki, including veggie burgers and guacamole, if you so wished. Go ahead, use this as an opportunity to empty out your fridge, freezer, and […]