California Rolls Recipes

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

CALIFORNIA ROLLS

Steps:

• Wash the rice until the water rinses clear. Drain the rice in a colander and let it stand for 30 minutes. Place the rice in a pot or rice cooker, and add 4 cups of water or follow the instructions on a rice cooker. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, place a damp towel over the rice, and let cool for 10 minutes.
• You can find sushi vinegar prepared at a grocery story or you can easily make it by pouring the vinegar, sugar and salt into a pan under low heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved. If you like sweeter vinegar, just add more sugar.
• Pour sushi vinegar over cooked rice and mix it gently. You can do this in a wooden bowl for making sushi rice or in your rice cooker by turning off the cooker and pouring the vinegar and mixing gently and evenly and leaving it until it cools down to room temperature. The lid should remain open.
• Cover a makisu (sushi rolling mat) with plastic wrap. Place half of a sheet of the seaweed over the plastic on the mat. Place a handful of rice across the seaweed and spread it evenly over the seaweed. Toss the imitation crab with the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Place some of the imitation crab meat meat along the center of the rice. Add some cucumber and avocado along the center of the rice. Using the mat and plastic wrap, roll the rice around the filling and press lightly to seal. Remove the mat and plastic wrap and sprinkle the roll with sesame seeds. Cut the sushi roll into bite sized pieces. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

CALIFORNIA ROLLS

Steps:

• If the crab is in sticks, cut in half. If in chunks, roughly chop. Transfer to a small bowl and fold in the mayonnaise, if using, until well combined; set aside.
• Combine the rice vinegar with 1 cup water in a small bowl. This will keep the rice from sticking to your hands.
• Place a bamboo sushi mat with the slats running crosswise directly in front of you on a clean work surface. Lay 1 piece of the nori, shiny-side down, with a short side closest to you.
• Lightly moisten your fingers with the vinegared water, and scoop up about 3/4 cup (a loose mound the size of a tennis ball) of the sushi rice with your hand and spread in a thin, even layer onto the nori, leaving a 1/2-inch strip uncovered at the edge closest to you. Flip over so the rice side is on the mat to make inside-out rolls.
• Smear a dab of the wasabi crosswise across the center of the nori. Top with some of the crab, cucumber and avocado, without overstuffing the roll. Add a squirt of Sriracha, if using.
• Lift up the uncovered strip of the nori and roll into a log over the rice and fillings with your fingertips as you roll. Wrap the roll in the mat, lining up one end of the roll against the edge of the mat. Firmly tug on the rounded mat over the roll as you pull on the edge of the mat to tighten the roll. Flip the roll over to line up the other end against the edge of the mat and repeat the tugging. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice.
• Moisten the edge of a sharp knife, slice the roll in half crosswise. Line up the two halves. Wipe the knife with a damp towel and cut the 2 rolls crosswise into half again. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve the rolls with wasabi and soy sauce
• Place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water, massaging the rice, until the water runs clear. Drain well.
• Transfer the rice to a rice cooker, add the water and cook according to the manufacturer's directions. (Alternatively, combine the rice and water in a 2-quart heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is shiny and tender, 20 minutes.)
• Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and kombu in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Meanwhile, transfer the rested rice to a large wooden salad bowl and delicately spread into an even layer using a silicone spatula. Let the rice rest again for about 15 minutes undisturbed.
• Slowly drizzle most of the kombu vinegar all over the rice and gently fold together, without smashing any grains of rice. You can press any large lumps apart and fold the rice back into the vinegar. Taste the rice and, if desired, add more of the kombu vinegar. Continue to press the rice apart until no lumps remain and the grains are uniform and shiny. You can keep the sushi rice covered in a large Dutch oven lined with plastic wrap until ready to use. Makes about 6 cups.

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 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:

• 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