Basic California Roll Recipes

CALIFORNIA ROLL RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Season the sushi rice with the rice vinegar, fanning and stirring until room temperature.
• On a rolling mat, place one sheet of nori with the rough side facing upwards.
• Wet your hands and grab a handful of rice and place it on the nori. Spread the rice evenly throughout the nori without mashing the rice down. Season rice with a pinch of sesame seeds, if using, then flip it over so the nori is facing upwards.
• Arrange, in a horizontal row 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the bottom, the crab followed by a row of avocado and a row of cucumber.
• Grabbing both nori and the mat, roll the mat over the filling so the extra space at the bottom touches the other side, squeezing down to make a nice tight roll. Squeeze down along the way to keep the roll from holding its shape.
• Transfer the roll onto a cutting board. Rub a knife on a damp paper towel before slicing the roll into six equal portions.
• Enjoy!

CALIFORNIA ROLL

Steps:

• Squeeze the lemon juice over the avocado to prevent browning.
• Cover a bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap. Cut nori sheets in half crosswise. Lay 1 sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the plastic covered mat. Wet your fingers with water and spread about 1/2 cup of the rice evenly onto the nori. Sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds. Turn the sheet of nori over so that the rice side is down. Place 1/8 of the cucumber, avocado and crab sticks in the center of the sheet. Grab the edge of the mat closest to you, keeping the fillings in place with your fingers, and roll it into a tight cylinder, using the mat to shape the cylinder. Pull away the mat and set aside. Cover with a damp cloth. Repeat until all of the rice has been used. Cut each roll into 6 pieces. Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.
• Place the rice into a mixing bowl and cover with cool water. Swirl the rice in the water, pour off and repeat 2 to 3 times or until the water is clear.
• Place the rice and 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer the rice into a large wooden or glass mixing bowl and add the vinegar mixture. Fold thoroughly to combine and coat each grain of rice with the mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature before using to make sushi or sashimi.
• Yield: 4 cups

SUSHI RICE AND CALIFORNIA ROLLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Drain well. If you have a rice maker (way easier!), follow rice maker instructions and cook on the white rice setting then skip to step #4
• Put drained rice in a heavy sauce-pan and add 2 cups cold water. Cover tightly and set the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium and let cook covered until all the water is absorbed (7-8 min). Do not remove the cover to check, but listen for the bubbling to stop.
• Once you hear a faint hissing sound, reduce the heat to very low and cook another 6 min. Remove from the heat and let stand 15 min covered. This is the basic white rice eaten with japanese meals.
• Transfer the hot rice to a large bowl and break it up to get rid of all the hot clumps.
• Let the rice cool down until it is just warm, then stir in your cooled sushi vinegar
• Wrap your sushi matt in plastic wrap before using it (this makes it re-useable and you don't even have to wash it!).
• Fold the pieces of nori in half to split them.
• Toast your sesame seeds over medium heat, stirring constantly until golden. Slice up your veggies.
• Spread a generous handful of sushi rice onto the 1/2 sheet of nori. Use your WET FINGER TIPS (keep your hands wet to prevent sticking) to spread the rice evenly over the entire surface of the nori.
• Flip the rice covered piece of nori over so the rice is facing down (this way, your rice will be on the outside). Place your fillings across the center of your rice in the middle of the sheet (don't overfill or the roll won't seal).
• Start rolling away from you using your matt to firmly keep the roll in place. Apply some pressure to make a tight roll. If its not tight enough, it will be difficult to cut. Once the roll is complete, sprinkle the roll with toasted sesame seeds while it is still on the mat so you can turn it easily.
• Run your sharp knife through a damp paper towel before slicing so the rice won't stick as much. Cut the roll in half, then line the two halves up and slice even 1-inch rings. I have found that it slices easier when you slice quickly.

CALIFORNIA SUSHI ROLLS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine rice and water; let stand for 30 minutes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from the heat. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes., Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved., Transfer rice to a large shallow bowl; drizzle with vinegar mixture. With a wooden paddle or spoon, stir rice with a slicing motion to cool slightly. Cover with a damp cloth to keep moist. (Rice mixture may be made up to 2 hours ahead and stored at room temperature, covered with a damp towel. Do not refrigerate.), Sprinkle toasted and black sesame seeds onto a plate; set aside. Place sushi mat on a work surface so mat rolls away from you; line with plastic wrap. Place 3/4 cup rice on plastic. With moistened fingers, press rice into an 8-in. square. Top with one nori sheet., Arrange a small amount of cucumber, crab and avocado about 1-1/2 in. from bottom edge of nori sheet. Roll up rice mixture over filling, using the bamboo mat to lift and compress the mixture while rolling; remove plastic wrap as you roll., Remove mat; roll sushi rolls in sesame seeds. Cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make eight rolls. Cut each into eight pieces. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and ginger slices if desired.

BASIC CALIFORNIA ROLL

Steps:

• Slice the ends off of the cucumber, then cut into quarters lengthwise. Thinly slice each quarter lengthwise to make spears.
• Stir chopped crab sticks and mayonnaise together in a small bowl.
• Lay 1 sheet of nori on a bamboo mat. Pat a thin, even layer of rice over the nori with wet hands, leaving a 1/3-inch edge at the bottom. Sprinkle rice with sesame seeds. Carefully flip over.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the crab mixture in a line across the sheet about 1/3 of the way from the top. Layer with 1 to 2 cucumber spears and 1 to 3 slices of avocado.
• Using the bamboo mat, roll the sheet tightly into a cylinder, starting at the top edge. Moisten the uncovered edge with water and finish rolling once you reached the bottom. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Slice each roll into 3/4-inch pieces. Garnish each piece with 1/8 teaspoon tobiko.

CALIFORNIA ROLL

Steps:

• Wrap a sushi rolling mat completely in plastic wrap and set aside.
• Bring water and rice to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer rice to a bowl and cut in rice vinegar using a rice paddle or wooden spoon. Season with 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Combine crab meat with mayonnaise in a small bowl.
• Place a sheet of nori on a flat work surface. Spread a thin layer of rice on top of the nori. Place the nori, rice side down, on the prepared rolling mat. Place 2 to 3 avocado slices on top of the nori in one layer. Top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the crab mixture. Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons tobiko lengthwise on one side of the avocado-crab mixture, and 2 cucumber strips on the other side. Using the mat as a guide, carefully roll the California roll into a tight log. Remove the rolling mat. Top roll with more tobiko, cover with plastic wrap, and gently press the tobiko into the top of the roll. Remove the plastic and cut roll into 6 even pieces using a wet knife. Repeat with remaining sheets of nori and filling. Serve garnished with pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi paste

CALIFORNIA ROLL SUSHI

Steps:

• Wash the rice in several changes of water until the rinse water is no longer cloudy, drain well, and place in a covered pan or rice cooker with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover the pan. Allow the rice to simmer until the top looks dry, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let stand for 10 minutes to absorb the rest of the water.
• Mix the rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved, and stir the mixture into the cooked rice until well combined. Allow the rice to cool, and set aside.
• Mix the imitation crabmeat with mayonnaise in a bowl, and set aside. To roll the sushi, cover a bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap. Lay a sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the plastic wrap. With wet fingers, firmly pat a thin, even layer of prepared rice over the nori, leaving 1/4 inch uncovered at the bottom edge of the sheet. Sprinkle the rice with about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds, and gently press them into the rice. Carefully flip the nori sheet over so the seaweed side is up.
• Place 2 or 3 long cucumber spears, 2 or 3 slices of avocado, and about 1 tablespoon of imitation crab mixture in a line across the nori sheet, about 1/4 from the uncovered edge. Pick up the edge of the bamboo rolling sheet, fold the bottom edge of the sheet up, enclosing the filling, and tightly roll the sushi into a cylinder about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Once the sushi is rolled, wrap it in the mat and gently squeeze to compact it tightly.
• Cut each roll into 1 inch pieces with a very sharp knife dipped in water.

CALIFORNIA SUSHI ROLL RECIPE

Steps:

• Wrap the sumaki with plastic wrap. This will prevent rice from sticking on to the surface of the sumaki. Place the half sheet of nori horizontally. Lightly wet your hands, and cover the nori with layer of rice. TIP: It is better to make a narrow rice ball the length of the nori first, and place the rice ball on the bottom edge and spread the rice by pushing the rice towards the upper portion of the nori.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds as desired. After the rice is evenly spread out, flip the nori, so that the rice side is facing the sumaki, and the nori side is facing up. Place your ingredients in the bottom portion of the nori (not too close to the bottom edge). TIP: Mix crab meat with mayo to make a dressing. For imitation crab, dice up the imitation crab into smaller pieces first before making a dressing.
• Using the sumaki, fold the bottom portion inwards so that it covers the ingredients. It is ideal to have about an inch or inch and half of nori left over (you do not want to over stuff the roll).
• Apply pressure on the sumaki so that the roll is tight, and continue to wrap the remaining portion. The inside ingredients should be wrapped about 1.5 times, rather than just once.
• When cutting the roll, place the roll out of the sumaki onto a cutting board. Moisten the knife with a wet towel, and cut it into halves first. Then, line up the two halves and cut it into 3 evenly spaced pieces so that you will get a total of 6 pieces from a single roll. TIP: When cutting a sushi roll, do not attempt to "chop" it by pressing hard. Rather begin with the front edge of the knife, and while pressing down, pull the knife backwards towards you, so that you are "slicing" it. It will prevent the roll of being squashed and give you a cleaner cut.

EASY CALIFORNIA ROLL SUSHI SALAD

Steps:

• Rinse rice in a strainer under cold water until water runs clear. Transfer rice to a medium saucepan, add 3 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook under rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine rice wine vinegar, sugar, and sake in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until sugar is completely dissolved, about 1 minute.
• Place cooked rice in a large bowl. Stir in vinegar mixture until well combined and let sit for 2 minutes. Stir again. Add imitation crabmeat, cucumber, and chopped avocado; mix well. Use soy sauce to season individual portions.