Friday? Well that was fast!
Hi there friends… good week so far? By the time you read this post, it’ll likely be Friday or almost Friday… and you know what that means…it’s almost the “freak’n weekend” :-). No complaints about that, but how is it that the weeks fly by so quickly?
Any exciting plans for the weekend? Cooking up something new in the kitchen? We love hearing from our readers. Leave us a comment below.
California rolls… sushi?
Are California rolls considered sushi? According to Wikipedia, “A California roll is a makizushi, a kind of sushi roll, usually made inside-out, containing cucumber, crab meat or imitation crab, and avocado.” Hey… if it’s on the internet, it must be true 😉
I tried making California rolls almost 2 years ago. It was my first attempt ever. My first roll looked like a cross between a winter tire and wagon wheel. Nope, I didn’t take pictures of that! The second roll was so much better and I was pretty proud of my accomplishment. I do have a shot of that attempt – check it out on Instagram. Keep in mind that it was taken before Liz and I started the blog.
Outside of my comfort zone…
It had been a long time since I had made California rolls, so I was a little apprehensive at first. I think that’s a pretty natural emotion when you’re trying something that’s outside of your comfort zone. The ingredients are very simple and there aren’t very many of them. I think what keeps most people from trying this dish is the process. But, I promise you, it’s really not that difficult!
Give it a try!
Read the recipe before you start and have all your ingredients ready, and then go for it! Maybe it’ll take you a few attempts… and that’s okay. It feels really good when they turn out and they look awesome on the plate! It’s even better when they taste amazing too.
If you enjoy California rolls, give this recipe a shot. You’ll be surprised with how attainable it is. Try something outside of your comfort zone, and remember to eat well, friends!
Oh… one last note. If you’re new to sushi, you might be wondering what the little green blob is in the picture. That’s wasabi. If you’re trying it for the first time, don’t start with a spoonful! You might experience an unpleasant surprise. Imagine really hot spice going up your nose! Yikes. Don’t say I didn’t warn you :-). Test out a tiny bit first to figure out if you like it. It’s not for everyone. I like it in small doses.
Most people only eat California rolls at restaurants. Maybe because they look hard to make? They're not! Give it a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
- 1 cup uncooked sushi rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into thin strips
- 1/2 avocado (ripe but not overly soft)
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 4 long pieces imitation crab (surimi)
- 2 sheets nori (toasted seaweed sheets)
- 1 tbsp black and white roasted sesame seeds
- soy sauce, for serving on the side
- pickled ginger, for serving on the side
- wasabi paste, for serving on the side
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Steam the sushi rice with 1 1/2 cups of water for about 25 minutes. You can also do this in a pot. Follow the rice instructions for best results.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, salt and sugar, until both the salt and sugar are dissolved.
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Once the rice is cooked, transfer the rice to a large bowl.
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Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and carefully mix with a wooden spoon.
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Set the bowl aside and let cool for about 25 minutes. Once it's cool, the rice will be sticky, but not wet.
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Peel and seed the cucumber, and cut into thin sticks (like long matchsticks or a little thicker).
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Cut the avocado down the centre and around the stone. Twist it apart and remove the stone. Spoon out the flesh from the shell.
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Cut one half of the avocado flesh into slices. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the avocado slices to prevent it from turning brown.
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Set aside your imitation crab.
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Cover the (bamboo) sushi rolling mat with plastic shrink wrap and place it on the table.
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Place a sheet of nori on the rolling mat, shiny side down.
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Wet your (clean) hands and scoop out about one cup's worth of rice in one hand. Place it on the nori sheet.
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Pat and flatten the rice carefully across the nori sheet to cover it almost to the edges. Don't press down too hard. Get a little more rice from the bowl if what you have won't cover the sheet.
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Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the rice evenly.
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Carefully flip the nori sheet over so that the rice is now on the bottom. Don't worry, the rice will stick to the sheet while you're flipping it.
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Place the avocado, cucumber and crab meat across the nori sheet evenly (so that every cut piece has a little of each). Note: This photo was taken before we made two adjustments. We spread the avocado a little closer to the edges, to cover the full width of the sheet and we brought all the ingredients a little lower on the nori sheet. It should be placed about a quarter of the way up the nori sheet (from the edge closest to you).
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Place your thumbs underneath the mat under the edge closest to you, and use your other fingers to carefully pull the fillings inward as you roll the matt over and around the fillings into a cylinder. Close your hands and squeeze gently on the mat to shape the cylinder. Pull away the mat and roll the rice a little forward using the mat. Press the mat over the rice gently again to form the cylinder. Slowly repeat this step until you've formed a nice round roll.
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Wet your very sharp knife and cut the roll into 8 equal pieces. Note: Keep wetting the knife after each cut. Use sawing motions rather then pressing down. An easy way to cut the pieces in equal sizes, it to keep cutting each half in half until you have all 8 pieces.
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Now place your sushi pieces on a serving dish, along with the soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger. Enjoy! You just made homemade California rolls... be proud!
There are work arounds, but ideally you'll have a:
- very sharp knife
- sushi rolling mat and plastic shrink wrap to cover the mat
You can replace the rice vinegar, sugar and salt with the same quantity of sushi vinegar.
Wash/wet your hands often when working with the rice... its sticky!
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