How to Make California Sushi Rolls!

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6:00 AM

How to Make California Sushi Rolls!
Okay, I am not a sushi chef...and I'm no professional. I know it takes years of training to be really good at sushi--and all the fancy raw fish cuts. I am just a crazy white girl that is too cheap to pay for sushi at a store. I don't use a bamboo rolling mat...or anything fancy. But half my family loves my sushi--the other half gags when they eat it! Hahaha!
My mother-in-law served a mission for the LDS church in Japan when she was 21, and she said she liked the sushi...so totally legit.
Have you ever made your own sushi? Do you like sushi?

Here's what you will need:
Calrose Rice
Rice Wine Vinegar
White Sugar
Salt
Imitation Crab
Avocado
Cucumber
Cream Cheese
Seaweed Wrappers

You can get a Sushi Making Kit if you are going to get serious about it:

Mixing the sushi rice is the most important part. Sushi rice is what makes the sushi.
Sushi is a Japanese dish of vinegar-flavored cold cooked rice served with garnishes. And the rice is so yummy all on it's own. Add some bits of veggies and seafood to the rice and eat deconstructed sushi rolls. Great for those that can't stomach the seaweed.

Make the Sushi Rice:
2 cups of Calrose Rice
Rinse and drain the rice until the water turns clear
Then put the rice in a sauce pan with 3 cups of water
Heat up until boiling, then turn down to just a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 18-20 minutes without lifting the lid.

Mix up:
1/2 cup of Rice Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup of White Sugar
and 1 tsp of Salt
After the rice is cooked, pour the vinegar mixture on the rice and stir in.
Then cover the rice and place in the refrigerator until the rice is cold.
I usually make the rice a day ahead of when I assemble the sushi.

Here's a video of the simple process. It's at 2x speed so you don't have to watch my chubby hands too long! Haha!

Chop up the crab and veggies and open up the cream cheese.

Place the seaweed wrapper on the working mat with the shiny smooth side facing down. Cover the top of the seaweed with the sushi rice. It's super sticky, so it can be a bit of a mess.

Then line up the middle ingredients. Long thin strips of crab.

Long thin pieces of avocado

Then long strips of cucumber

And a long thin strip of cream cheese.

Then roll from the bottom, encasing all the inside goodies and roll up as tight as possible. This is where a bamboo mat would help...but I just do it with my hands and it works out just great.

Then use a sharp knife and slice the sushi roll into bite size pieces. Some people love dipping in wasabi and ginger....but I am much too wimpy for it! I pour a little soy sauce and spicy brown mustard on them...that is my favorite! Once you know the process, you can add whatever you like in them...I'd avoid the raw fish personally.