How to make your own California Sushi Roll
Sushi is something of a trend right now, all over the world people are experiencing new types of sushi.
But for many people sushi is just not easy to obtain. Whether it be budget reasons, or the fact that you may not have a local sushi restaurant in your area, sushi can be prepared from items found at your local grocery store.
In this article, I will teach you how to construct a “California roll.”
The California roll is a maki-zushi (roll), a kind of sushi roll, usually made inside-out, containing cucumber, imitation crab stick, and avocado. In some countries it is made with mango instead of avocado. Sometimes crab salad is substituted for the crab stick, and often the outer layer of rice (in an inside-out roll) is sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds or tobiko.
The California roll has been influential in sushi’s global popularity and in inspiring sushi chefs around the world in creating their non-traditional fusion cuisine.
In this tutorial though, we will not being rolling the sushi “inside out”, as it is not for beginners.
So let’s make a California Sushi Roll!
First off, here is a list of tools and ingredients you will need.
Ingredients:
Imitation Crab Meat (Walmart)
Fresh Avocado (Walmart)
Fresh Cucumber (Walmart)
2 Cups of white rice (Walmart)
5 toasted seaweed wraps (Walmart)
2 oz of mayonnaise (Walmart)
3 tsp Sriracha sauce (Amazon)
Tools:
Bamboo Sushi Rolling Mat (Amazon)
Sharp Knife
I found that using latex gloves when applying the rice made it much easier to deal with and mold.
Let’s begin by cooking your rice now, because by the time you’ve finished peeling and slicing your avocadoes and cucumbers, it will be ready.
Take your avocado and slice it around the circumfrence, cutting down all the way to the seed. Then, slowly pry open the avacado exposing a half with seed, and a half with out.
Gently scoop the avocado seed out with a spoon.
Next, peel your avocado until there is no rough skin left.
It should look something like this.
Now, take your avocado and cucumber, and slice them horizontally, making small sticks of each vegetable.
Once you have your vegetables cut accordingly, prepare your sushi rolling area.
I cover my bamboo rolling mat with some non-stick cling wrap, to keep it fresh, and to keep a clean area around the sushi.
Place your toasted seaweed wrap foil side down. (If you see lines in your seaweed wrap, turn it over and place it down.)
Then, apply your rice about a half inch think, covering the seaweed wrap, until there is about an inch left at the top.
Find the center of your rice, and place your cucumber and avocado down. (Don’t worry if they are too long, you can always trim.)
Next, take some of your spicy mayo and place onto of your veggies, giving some stickyness to it.
Now take your crab meat stick, and place it on top or to the side of the veggies, whatever is comfortable for you.
Once you’re satisfied with the rice, and placement of your ingredient, begin making a circle or tube, with your rolling mat and the sushi.
Squeeze and mold the roll until it feels tight, then roll the remaining sushi up until you run out of rice.
Now you should have a decent roll, but it’s not complete.
Grasp the top edge of your bamboo rolling mat and sushi, and pull north as you hold the sushi roll in place with the palm of your hand. Kind of like pulling cling wrap from a roll.
When you feel it is tight and secure, finalize by rolling the wrap up! (Use a little bit of rice if you need to make the end of the seaweed stick together.)
It should look something like this.
Next, take your sharpest knife, and gently slice the sushi into small rolls, according to your fancy.
Add some spicy mayo to the top for some pizazz and presto!
You’ve just made your very own California Sushi Roll!
Congratulations!
Not bad for your first time creating an exotic dish hm?
Now that you’ve made one, you should be able to make quite a few more! Personally, I find that making the “Tiger Roll”, with Shrimp Tempura is great for beginners too.
I really hope I’ve helped you with this article, and I’d love to hear how it came out for you, or what types of variations you’ve created, so leave me a comment below!
About the Author
Doug Montgomery or Douglife, is a freelance web designer, Social Media & S.E.O. intern, and part-time blogger based in Central Florida. In his free time he enjoys playing World of Warcraft, cooking, and his Chihuahua Dexter.
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Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen Bamboo Sushi Mat with Paddle $0.01 A fun tool for the adventuresome home chef, this sushi mat set from Helen’s Asian Kitchen makes sushi rolls, also known as maki zushi. Sewn from slender but durable strands, the sushi mat rolls into a tidy cylinder to shape the rice, seaweed, veggies, and seafood that make up maki. The sushi paddle is well suited to scooping and spreading sticky rice before rolling. Crafted from bamboo, a renewabl… |