Matt and I have spent our fair share of time in sushi restaurants, and we love the occasional splurge, but it’s so easy and fun to make, that we love to turn sushi making into a date night in. On another note, it’s also one of our favorite appetizers to serve at a party. Our home-made California roll is so simple to do, requires just a few ingredients and is such a huge hit! So let’s do this….
Ingredients: the amounts all depend on how many rolls you want to make, I’ll list enough for 2.
- Nori “dried seaweed”
- 2 cups cooked short grain sushi rice
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 6 oz. chopped Krab “Imitation crab”
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise (this amount depends on how wet or dry you prefer your Krab salad so adjust accordingly)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 cucumber seeded and sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
- optional sesame seeds for garnish
- saran wrap
- a bowl of water for your hands
- bamboo sushi mat
How to-
- Start by making the sushi rice- you will need to mix the rice vinegar and sugar together and stir until dissolved. Add the mix to the hot rice and combine well. Lay the rice on a sheet pan or plate so it can cool and dry. You want this to be sticky, not wet, and completely cooled before you start to roll.
- Make your Krab salad- combine the krab and mayo and season. You can also add celery, onion, carrots or cucumber to jazz up the salad, but I prefer the simple salad for sushi.
- Prepare and lay out your avocado and cucumbers so you can easily grab everything while you prepare your roll.
- Wrap your bamboo mat in saran wrap to protect the mat and keep the roll smooth. Place a small bowl with water in it (to dip fingers) next to the mat. Transfer the sushi rice to a bowl so it’s easier to grab, and lets roll!
- Place your nori shiny side down and lay a layer of sushi rice on top, because of how sticky the rice is, dip your fingers in the water so its easier to spread. Leave 1 inch on top of the nori free of the rice, that will be the flap that holds the roll together. If you want the rice on the outside flip over the nori so the rice is face down, if not then don’t.
- Place your krab salad in a row down the middle then the avocado and cucumber.
- Now it’s time to roll, the most important thing is to keep the roll tight so when you cut it the ingredients all stay inside. Now, roll and tuck, keeping the bamboo mat on the outside, just keep rolling and tucking. At the end take some water on your fingers again and wet that last inch of the nori, this will act as glue then finish off the roll. Thats it, tada!! Your very own hand made California roll, congrats!! Just slice and serve alone or with sides of wasabi, soy sauce and pickled ginger! Enjoy!
Good luck!
Nikki
