California Rolls

California rolls are a type of Japanese sushi that has rice on the outside. They contain cucumber, crab (or imitation crab), avocado, and rice with vinegar. Sushi is a well known Japanese food in Korea and many Koreans like sushi, including me.

Yield: 8 Rolls

Short Korean Lesson

• IlBon (일본) = Japan
• HanGuk (한국) = South Korea

Video Instructions

Main Ingredients

• 4 Sheets Dried Seaweed (Laver) for Kimbap or Sushi
• 1½ Cup Crab Sticks (5 Pieces)
• 4½ Tbsp Mayonnaise
• 1 Seedless Cucumber (⅛ tsp Salt)
• 1 Avocado
• 8 tsp Sesame Seeds
• Bamboo Mat

Rice Ingredients

• 4 Cups Cooked Short Grain Rice (or Sushi Rice))
• 2 Tbsp Brown Rice Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• ¼ tsp Salt

Dipping Sauce Ingredients

• Some Soy Sauce
• Some Washabi

Directions

Cut the seedless cucumber into ¼-inch strips that are cut to the length of the seaweed. Make 8 strips. If it is not a seedless cucumber, remove the seeds and then slice it. Sprinkle ⅛ tsp of salt on the slices and set them aside while you are preparing the other ingredients.

Shred about 1½ cup of crab sticks and cut them into 1-inch lengths.

Mix the crab with 4½ Tbsp of mayonnaise in a mixing bowl. You can adjust the amount of mayonnaise.

Cut one avocado in half and remove the seed. Tip: Tap the seed with your knife and twist the knife – the seed will pop out easily.

Divide the halves in half and peel the skin.

Slice each quarter into 4 pieces. You will get 16 slices total. Cover the slices with plastic wrap while preparing the other ingredients in order to retain the color.

Combine 2 Tbsp of brown rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp of sugar, and ¼ tsp of salt in a small bowl. Mix everything together until the sugar and salt dissolve.

Put 4 cups of cooked short grain (or sushi) rice into a large bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture into the rice and mix it gently.

Obtain 4 sheets of dried seaweed for kimbap or sushi. Cut them in half with scissors.

Wrap a bamboo mat with a piece of plastic wrap. This will help prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo mat. This helps when making the roll and it also helps with the cleanup.

Place one piece of the dried seaweed on top of the bamboo mat. Spread ½ cup of cooked rice evenly on it. Sprinkle about 1 tsp of sesame seeds on the rice.

Flip the seaweed and rice over so that the rice will be on the bottom.

Place 1 piece of cucumber, some of the crab stick mixture, and 2 pieces of avocado on top the seaweed in a line. It might be easier to divide the crab mixture ahead of time into eight divisions.

Instead using a crab meat mixture, some people simply cut the crab stick into ¼-inch strips and squeeze some mayonnaise on top.

Sart rolling with the bamboo mat!

Remove the bamboo mat.

Slice the roll into eight pieces. Tip: Cut it half and then slice both halves together.

 

Serve this with soy dipping sauce, wasabi paste, and pickled ginger or garlic if you have them. I like many of different kinds of Japanese food, so I was happy to share this Japanese sushi recipe with you.