The world of food mash-ups ranges from total smash hits (like the actually super-delicious cronut) to Frankenfoods that shouldn't exist whatsoever (thankfully the doughnut burger didn't stick around). The latest mash-up is the sushi burrito, basically a burrito-sized sushi roll. It's been available on the coasts, at San Francisco's Sushirrito, New York's Uma Temakeria and LA's Jogasaki Sushi Burrito food truck, and now it's in Chicago. You'll find sushi burritos at Sumo Restaurant in Lincoln Park, How Do You Roll? in the Palmer House, and at Freshii locations around the city. And because I live by the rule "Don't knock it till you try it," I ate them all. While not quite as bad as I was envisioning, none are a substitute for eating the best sushi in Chicago. I started at How Do You Roll?, a chain that sells build-your-own sushi rolls, salads and bowls, as well as composed dishes and "Asian burritos," ($9.45) filled with sushi rice and other ingredients, such as beef teriyaki.

Two offerings more closely resemble sushi rolls, at least on paper—the hamachi roll stuffs jalapenos, cilantro, avocado, lettuce, sprouts and white rice into a warm toasted flour tortilla and comes with a side of ponzu dipping sauce. I opted for the spicy tuna, which includes rice, spicy mayo, avocado, edamame, pico de gallo and a wasabi mayo dip. With peppery cooked tuna, creamy mayo and a warm tortilla, it's more reminiscent of a tuna melt than a sushi roll—not bad, exactly, but it didn't quite capture the spirit of the idea. Next I headed to Freshii for a "Sushiirito," ($8.99) which is wrapped in nori and filled with brown rice, veggies like carrots, cabbage and cucumber, and a choice of chicken teriyaki or kimchi, tofu and lemongrass sauce. The smallest in size, they're also the hardest to eat, since nori is chewy—trying it rip it with my teeth made the whole thing fall apart. As for the fillings, the kimchi provided little heat or piquancy and the lemongrass sauce didn't make much of an impact.

If you swap out the wrapper, this isn't far off from Freshii's other burrito offerings, and you'd never mistake it for sushi. I ended with Sumo's sushi burrito, ($7.50, or $5 before 2pm) the closest to what you'll find at sushi burrito spots on the coasts. Choose from spicy tuna, salmon, shrimp and veggie filling, which joins rice, a cucumber spear, tempura sweet potato, creamy crab salad, a crab stick, avocado and sauces inside rice paper. While the rice paper is easier to eat than nori, it stuck to the foil wrapper and was difficult to remove. sushi making kit brisbaneAll the toppings overwhelmed the salmon, so the spicy tuna is a better bet. food delivery croydon londonIt's basically a supersized spicy tuna roll combined with a California roll—it's probably not what you want to eat every time you get sushi, but I'd rather eat it than that damn ramen burger that won't go away.jiro dreams of sushi online links

04/13/16 Edit: A new sushi burrito spot has opened, the aptly named Sushi Burrito, located at 2904 N Broadway. For any feedback or for more information emailRice paper wrappers can be found in Southeast Asian cooking, where they may be best known for making fresh spring or summer rolls in Vietnamese cuisine. Rice paper wrappers are purchased dried, so they store well and are easy to use, requiring little preparation. Replacing higher-calorie breads with rice paper wrappers can help you lose weight, as can keeping your fillings for rice paper wrappers healthy.venta de sushi online One of the easiest ways to lose weight with rice paper wrappers is to use them as bread substitutes. A serving of one 8 1/2-inch wrapper has 31.3 calories. Compare this to a large pita, which has 165 calories per serving, or a single slice of white bread, with 80 calories per serving, and it’s easy to see how using rice paper can help you lose weight.

If you normally eat two slices of bread per day as part of a meal -- say a lunchtime sandwich -- using two pieces of rice paper instead leads to a deficit of roughly 679 calories per week. The same is true when subbing rice paper for pitas. Over time, this can add up. Traditionally, rice paper wrappers are filled with cooked rice or rice noodles, which help to make the meal more substantial. Instead of using rice noodles, which are higher in calories despite being low-fat, consider filling your wrapper with vegetables, such as leaf lettuce and sliced peppers. Theses vegetables provide fiber and nutrients and are low in calories. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that you eat between 2 and 3 cups of vegetables per day. Using 1 cup of shredded lettuce in place of 1 cup of rice noodles will lead to a calorie reduction of 185 calories each time. Do this regularly, and the calorie difference can add up, helping you lose weight. A diet high in fiber can help you lose weight by making you feel fuller with fewer calories consumed, according to the American Heart Association.

It can also help reduce cholesterol and lower your blood sugar levels. Traditional Vietnamese summer rolls use a mix of pork, shrimp or cooked beef. When making your own, you can choose healthier low-calorie options, such as shrimp, in place of higher-fat ones, such as beef. A 3-ounce serving of shrimp has 71 fewer calories than a serving of lean steak, which can lead to over 2 pounds of lost weight if you substitute shrimp for beef twice a week for a year. While both foods can help you meet the recommended 5 to 6 1/2 ounces of protein per day, shrimp will also help you reach the USDA's recommendation of 8 ounces of seafood per week. In both cases, including protein in your diet can help you feel fuller with less food and fewer calories consumed, reducing your risk of overeating, which can cause weight gain. Take a tip from Vietnamese summer rolls and include fresh herbs in your roll to boost flavor while keeping your rolls low in fat and salt. Rice paper wrappers need to be dipped in hot water to soften before they can be used, but then the paper can be used and rolled up just like a tortilla for a burrito.

While traditional Southeast Asian cuisine sometimes uses the wrappers for deep-fried rolls, keep the rice papers fresh to minimize the amount of fat. The wrappers don’t need to be cooked before using once they’ve been softened. Rice paper rolls stay fresh three to five days if they are kept in a sealed container in the fridge. Bring them to room temperature before eating, and if they are a little hard due to air exposure, simply sprinkle a bit of warm water on the rolls. Let them sit, and they will soften quickly. Gain 2 pounds per week Gain 1.5 pounds per week Gain 1 pound per week Gain 0.5 pound per week Maintain my current weight Lose 0.5 pound per week Lose 1 pound per week Lose 1.5 pounds per week Lose 2 pounds per week How to Bake With Rice Paper Calories in Plain Rice Paper Can You Eat Banana Leaves? Calories in Spring Rolls with Fresh Shrimp The Nutritional Value of Banana Leaves How to Ice a Cake With Rice Paper