Sushi: California Roll

Happy Friday! Thank goodness we are at the weekend!!!! I am ready to spend some major hours napping and making up for the week! Today brought a rainy and rare, non-eventful day for me. I had more time for some cooking (though I was tempted to bake and feed the hubster cookies for dinner- do you think he would mind? ;) ). Well- with the extra time I had to cook- I decided that I would make sushi. Unfortunately, the hubster is not a big fan of seafood (ironic, given that he is from Louisiana). I on the other hand, am a HUGE fan of sushi- so to compromise (because that is what people tell me makes a successful marriage)- decided I would make a "semi" seafood sushi- ie: the California Roll. I mean who does not love a basic, california roll.

Luckily- for my birthday this year, the hubster bought me the sushi magic kit! It's a tool that helps with the rolling of sushi. It's actually a pretty niffty tool. I also have a bamboo mat but I think I'll stick to using the sushi magic for now. It also has wonderful tutorial videos on youtube that you can watch to help make sushi- I found the videos quite helpful. It also comes with a sashimi making tool, but I did not make shashimi (this time). However, until now, I have not used my sushi magic (and my birthday was in January)- so it had been awhile. Well I whipped out the sushi magic and was ready to make some sushi- I was excited! Suprinsingly, it was way easier than I thought and not even close to being messy. I was blown away! Today marks an exciting day for me- the day I learned to make sushi. I spend tons of money a year making the hubster take me to sushi restaurants, but now I am happy to say that I have an inkingly that I can start making sushi myself....so stay tuned....

I made two versions: regular (with nori on the outside) and inside-out (with rice on the outside).

CALIFORNIA ROLL

A For the Love of Dessert Original Attempt

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE RICE
2 c. uncooked sushi rice
3 c. of water
1/2 c. of rice vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt

FILLING
1 c. of imitation crab meat (shredded)
1/2 c. of mayonaise
Nori Sheets
1 cucumber, cut into thin 5 inch strips
Avocado pitted, peeled, and sliced the long way
Sesame seeds for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Using a rice cooker, cook the rice with the specified amount of water. Once cooked, do not open the rice cooker right away, allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Then open the rice cooker and let rice cool completely (set aside). On the stovetop- combine rice vinegar, olive oil, sugar and salt- until completely dissolve, allow to cool completely. Once cooled, mix in with rice. For the filling, mix the imitation crab meat with mayonaise.

To assemble to the sushi, place the nori sheet on bamboo mat, wet your fingers and push down rice evenly over the nori (the water will prevent the rice from sticking). Place the immitation crab meat mixture in the center, making a 1/2 inch strip (no thicker as the sushi will not close). On the end closest to you, place the cucumber strip- placing the cucumber here, will prevent the imitation crab meat from shifting. Then on the other side of the imitation crab meat strip, place the avocado. Roll sushi closed. The garnish with sesame seeds. To cut into pieces, wet the knife (for the same reasons you want to wet your fingers)- this will allow the knife to cut through nicely.

Enjoy,
Chika