Sushi has been one of the hardest recipes that I’ve dealt with since it requires precision and patience. The longest part is cooking the rice but I recommend you cut the fish and prep the seaweed while the rice is cooking. There are many topping and fillings, don’t feel pressured to use the ones I used for mine. Sushi is whatever you want it to be, and can include fruits, vegetables or even meats.
California Roll Ingredients
1 cup uncooked short-grain white rice
1 Cup water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp white sugar
1/2 cup crabmeat, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
8 sheets nori (dry seaweed)
2 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cucumber, cut into thin spears
2 avocados – pitted, peeled, and sliced the long way
Pinch of Tobiko (tiny fish eggs) (optional)
Directions
Wash the rice in water until the water is no longer cloudy, drain well, and place in a covered pan or rice cooker with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover the pan. Allow the rice to simmer until the top looks dry, about 15 minutes. Mix the rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved, and stir the mixture into the cooked rice until well combined. Allow the rice to cool, and set aside.
Mix the imitation crabmeat with mayonnaise in a bowl. To roll the sushi, cover a bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap. Lay a sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the plastic wrap. With wet fingers, firmly pat a thin, even layer of prepared rice over the nori, leaving 1/4 inch uncovered at the bottom edge of the sheet. Sprinkle the rice with about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds, and gently press them into the rice. Carefully flip the nori sheet over so the seaweed side is up.
Place 2 or 3 long cucumber spears, 2 or 3 slices of avocado, and about 1 tablespoon of imitation crab mixture in a line across the nori sheet, about 1/4 from the uncovered edge. Pick up the edge of the bamboo rolling sheet, fold the bottom edge of the sheet up, enclosing the filling, and tightly roll the sushi into a cylinder about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Once the sushi is rolled, wrap it in the mat and gently squeeze to compact it tightly. Cut each roll into 1 – inch pieces.
More general Sushi Ingredients
1 cup uncooked short-grain white rice
1 Cup water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup imitation crabmeat, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
8 sheets nori (dry seaweed)
2 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cucumber, cut into thin spears
2 avocados – pitted, peeled, and sliced the long way plastic wrap (cling/saran wrap)
low-sodium soy sauce
toasted sesame seeds
Sriracha
wasabi + pickled ginger
Possible toppings
cucumber
avocado
mango
imitation crab meat [cooked]
Directions
Combine 1+1/2 cups of rice with 2 cups of water in a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat after 20 minutes but let the rice stand, covered, for 10 minutes. The best way to ruin the sushi is to roll it in crunchy rice. A taste test will ensure that your rice is perfectly fluffy. For the rice measurements above you’ll need 1/3 cup of seasoned rice vinegar or 1/3 cup of vinegar seasoned with one teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Pour over your rice, fluff with a fork, and taste. Remove rice from heat, add to a bowl and cover with a paper towel.While the rice cooks + cools – prep your veggies! Slice vertically into matchsticks and set aside. Once the rice is done you’ll be ready to roll! Nori on the outside and rice on the inside.Since it’s easiest to make rolls with seaweed on the outside, that’s what we’ll start with for this homemade sushi tutorial! Grab a spoon and spread a thin layer of rice on the seaweed sheet. Place your toppings in the center, very close to one another. If you have large slices or an abundance of ingredients you may want to pile some on top of each other.For rice on the inside: line your veggies and oror seafood on top of the rice Flip the sheet of nori so the rice touches the plastic wrap and then add your vegetables to the seaweed-only side.
The first roll will bind the ingredients into the center. Roll approx 1/4 of the mat and gently squeeze and unfold the bamboo mat. Repeat the process until you’ve rolled the sheet of rice, seaweed, and veggies into a spiral. Give it one last squeeze to seal the deal. Slice into bite-sized discs with a freshly sharpened chef’s knife. If you’re topping your sushi with sashimi or avocado, first tightly wrap the roll in plastic wrap prior to slicing. This will keep everything neat and pretty an avoid the horrific act of flinging avocado slices all over the kitchen. Though if that sounds like fun to you, fling away! I’ll stick with the saran wrap
Well, do that after you steal the end pieces off the roll and shove them in your face!
Possible Toppings for the outside:
chia seeds
sesame seeds
thin slices of fish
shrimp or crab salad
spicy baked seafood
sliced mango
chopped green onion
seaweed salad
and my favorite topping… avocado!
SPICY MAYO:
1 TBSP homemade or store bought mayo
1/2 TBSP sriracha chili sauce
Adjust to your ideal heat level from mild to unreasonably spicy! Substitute with vegan mayo or plain greek yogurt if needed.
PONZU SAUCE:
Ponzu is a citrusy soy sauce with lemon or lime added. May be purchased or easily imitated by adding fresh juice or zest to your favorite soy sauce.
SRIRACHA CHILI SAUCE:
Give your tastebuds a run for their money with straight-up Sriracha. Maybe added to soy sauce, served on the side, or served straight up on your sushi!
Priscilla Vargas