Easy California Rolls

This is first time we tried California rolls; it is fun but tricky business. For the first timers, I would use seaweed because it is much easier to wrap.

Ingredients:
Vinegar Mixture:
5 Tbsp.  Rice vinegar
1 Tbsp.( Mirin)(rice wine)
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp salt

 Rice:
1 Lb. short grain Japanese rice
2 ½ C water
 
4 Sheets Seaweed (nori)
 
Filling ingredients:
5-6 big size shrimp (shelled and rinsed)
Long seedless cucumber (we sliced as thin long sheets.)
Fresh salmon or tuna would be ideal for rolls; however, it is not available mostly the times so, we can use smoked salmon, or crab fish.
Avocado (please see photos) long thin pieces.
 
1/2 C light soy sauce
3Tbsp wasabi. (I used wasabi powder and made the paste myself) please see the photos.
Pickled ginger (available at stores)
 
Materials:
Colander (to wash and drain the rice)
Sharp knifes
Soop spoon
Bamboo rolling mat
Kitchen chopsticks
Large flat dish (or wooden bowl for rice to cool)
Rice paddle
 
Making:
 Rinse the rice until water clears and drain at least for an 1/2 hour.
In the meantime, prepare vinegar mixture
Add vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small pan and bring to a boiling point. Take it off the heat and let it cool down
Transfer the rice in a cooking pan
Add 2 1/2 C water turn the heat high close the lid and wait until it boils.
Turn the heat low and cook the rice for 5 minutes.
Turn the heat simmer and open the lid let rice cook 15 more minutes.
Transfer the rice into a flat large dish or wooden tray
Spread the vinegar on to rice and mix by folding with a rice paddle.
 
Prepare filling ingredients:
Cut the cucumber
Cook the shrimp (saute with a 1 tsp. olive oil couple of minutes)
 
Prepare the wasabi (see the pictures.)

 Making the rolls,
This is truly a talent!
Place the bamboo mat on a wood cutting board
Place the seaweed on it
Take ½ C cooled rice and spread flat and thin layer on the seaweed (rice is very sticky and hard to handle but wet your fingertips with rice vinegar mixed water.
Put a thin line of wasabi mix along your side of the rice
Place cucumber slices, shrimp or salmon sheets avocado slices as a line
Start rolling with the help of bamboo rolling mat.
At the end wrap the bamboo around the roll for a few minutes for the roll settle down and place a side.
Cool the rolls down in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to be able cut the rolls easier.
 
Mix soy sauce and wasabi to dish the rolls and place a few pieces of pickled ginger.
Pickled ginger is actually eaten between different types of sushi to clean the mouth from previous fish taste. So it is not necessary for California rolls , but we like it after every bite it is good for digestion.
 
 4/24/24

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ROLLING CALIFORNIA WRAPS

PREPARING INGREDIENTS