Prepared...at Home: California Roll

I think that it's safe to assume that most people would not be comfortable with the idea of making sushi at home. Sushi is one of those foods that holds a certain mystique: it's almost universally liked, comes in infinite varieties, and involves a certain ritual of preparation and eating. Sushi is something that you go out for, as opposed to staying in for.

Last year, I was at a used book sale, where I stumbled across a sushi cookbook for a laughably low price. I bought it, thinking, "How much can I lose?" and got reading.

A few days later, I made my sushi attempt with Alex assisting me. We washed and prepared the rice, making sure to cook and prepare it carefully, before slicing all the ingredients for California Rolls: avocado, cucumber, and imitation crab meat. Then, very, very carefully, we assembled, rolled, and sliced our rolls before digging in with a great deal of satisfaction and pride.

Recently, I purchased some inexpensive sushi making tools from my grocery store; I bought a combination paddle and bamboo mat set and then a fresh pack of nori (seaweed) sheets. Last time, in lieu of a bamboo mat, I had used my placemats wrapped in plastic to roll my sushi (too industrious for words, I know), so I was very excited to have a real mat.

Tonight, I tried again. I once again made the simple California Roll, but this time using my new tools. It all worked out really well, and I had five whopping sushi rolls to show for my efforts.



The Recipe:

Sushi Rice:

2 cups short grain sushi rice

2 cups water, in addition to water for draining

2 tbsps rice vinegar

2 tbsps salt

2 tbsps sugar


Before beginning, you will need to rinse your rice. Put it into a large bowl and cover it with cool water. Swirl the bowl around and pour the water out. Repeat rinsing and swirling until the water is clear.

Put 2 cups water into a medium saucepan. Add the rice and bring to a boil, then put on lowest heat setting. Cook covered and undisturbed for 15-20 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, salt, and sugar and heat them in a small saucepan so that they combine. Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice, folding in with a paddle or large wooden spoon so that all the grains are coated. Let sit until room temperature.

To make the California Roll:

1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced

1 small cucumber, sliced into long thin slices

1 pack imitation crab meat sticks

1 pack nori sheets

sushi rice from above

Cover your bamboo mat with plastic wrap and place a nori sheet shiny side down. With the paddle, take a heap of rice (about 1/2 cup) and place it in the center of the sheet. Then, using the paddle, spread it out up to the edges of the sheet (like buttering toast). Then, near the edge closest to you, place a piece of cucumber, avocado, and crab meat in a row. Then, pick up the mat side closest to you and flip it over quickly to roll the sushi in a tight cylinder. keep rolling and collecting the mat in your hand until the roll is complete.

Slice your rolls with a very sharp knife, and serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger!