Sushi 101 - California Roll
Most people outside of Japan start their first sushi-making experience with a California roll. And, for good reason. It is a popular roll for people who can’t have or don’t necessarily care for raw fish because it is made with imitation crab meat. The California roll is an “inside out roll,” which means that the rice is on the outside! Let’s get rolling! Makes 2 sushi rolls, 16 pieces.
Rice Ingredients:
1 cup short grain white sushi rice
1 cup water
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Sushi Roll Ingredients:
1 nori sheet
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
2 stalks surimi (imitation crab meat), torn into long pieces
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 English cucumber, julienned
Serve with: wasabi paste pickled ginger soy sauce
Directions:
(1) Prepare the Rice: Rinse the rice in a colander until the milky water runs clear. This releases any of the excess starches and helps the rice from becoming gummy.
(2) Combine the rice, water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a pressure cooker and stir to combine. Lock the lid and select the rice function. Once the rice function is complete, release the pressure, and let the rice sit on warm for 5 minutes.
(3) Cover a sushi mat with plastic wrap, removing all air. Fold one sheet of nori in half, then flip and fold it again to score, separating the nori into two equal pieces. Place the nori on the plastic covered bamboo mat.
(4) Place 1/2 cup rice in the center of the nori sheet. Use your fingers to evenly cover the nori with rice leaving 1/2” of the nori exposed on one end.
(5) Sprinkle half of the black and toasted sesame seeds evenly over the rice.
(6) Flip the nori sheet, rice side down on the bamboo mat so the nori is facing up. Add the filling in a line at the center of the nori, starting with the imitation crab meat, then the cucumber, ending with the avocado.
(7) Roll the sushi by holding the filling ingredients in place with your fingers while lifting the end of the mat with your thumbs. Slowly roll the sushi using the mat and pressing firmly. Once the mat has completely covered the ingredients, unroll the mat and then finish rolling the sushi by repeating the same turning action again, further down the roll. Apply slight pressure to give the roll a firm, uniform finish. There should be a small overlap of nori/rice without filling at the end.
(8) Unfold the mat from the sushi. Dip a clean chef’s knife in water and cut the roll in half. Wipe the blade on a damp towel, then dip the knife back in the water, and cut the halves into halves, and the quarters into halves, to create eight even pieces. Clean the knife between each cut. Repeat steps 3-8 for the second roll. Don’t overstuff your roll! It can be easy to overstuff a half sheet but doing so will make it impossible to roll and you will lose your precious fillings!
(9) Properly plate the roll by slightly separating the pieces, offsetting them from one another so you can see the contents inside each individual piece. Serve them with sides of pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce.
