California sushi rolls
serves 6
Uramaki-zushi, or 'inside-out sushi
rolls' coated with toasted sesame seeds and filled with crab, creamy
avocado, and strips of cucumber.
1 quantity sushi rice
¼ cup lightly toasted sesame seeds
8 crab sticks — each cut in half lengthwise (or use fresh crab)
½ cucumber-peeled, seeds removed and flesh cut into thin strips
2 avocados — peeled, and flesh cut into strips
4 sheets nori (seaweed) — each cut in half crosswise
Japanese soy sauce
Pickled ginger (gari)
Wasabi paste
¼ cup lightly toasted sesame seeds
8 crab sticks — each cut in half lengthwise (or use fresh crab)
½ cucumber-peeled, seeds removed and flesh cut into thin strips
2 avocados — peeled, and flesh cut into strips
4 sheets nori (seaweed) — each cut in half crosswise
Japanese soy sauce
Pickled ginger (gari)
Wasabi paste
1. Prepare the sushi rice and the
filling ingredients, then place half a sheet of nori on a
chopping board and spread ¾ cup of cooked and cooled sushi
rice evenly over the top by pressing with wet fingertips (to
prevent the rice sticking to your hands).
2. SPRINKLE a heaped teaspoon of
toasted sesame seeds evenly over the rice.
3. WRAP a sushi rolling mat
completely with plastic wrap (which prevents the rice from
sticking to the mat), then place the rice-topped nori sheet on
top of the mat so that the nori is facing up. Next, arrange
two halves of crab stick down the center of the nori.
4. ARRANGE some strips of cucumber
and avocado down the center of the nori also.
5. ROLL up the sushi tightly with the
sushi mat to form a neatly packed cylinder. (You can use some
of your fingers to push the filling in tight as you roll.)
6. SQUEEZE firmly to make sure the
sushi roll is tightly packed.
7. CUT each sushi roll in half using
a sharp, damp knife, then place those two halves together and
cut both in half, then cut each of those halves in half to
make 8 pieces of sushi. Repeat the rolling process with the
rest of the ingredients.
8. SERVE the sushi with a small bowl
of shoyu (soy sauce) for dipping, wasabi paste (Japanese green
horseradish), and slices of gari (Japanese pickled ginger) for
cleansing the palate between sushi pieces.