California Roll (Bento)
California rolls are a favorite in our house. My 8 year likes them so that’s a win for me. While I don’t always roll them with the rice on the outside (it is a bit more work) its nice to take the time to do it sometimes. Make sure before you roll your sushi that you cover your bamboo mat with plastic wrap or the rice will stick and it will be a mess.
The type of rice you use does make a difference with this recipe. Sushi rice is short grain and much stickier than long grain rice, most supermarkets have sushi rice these days or you could stop by your local asian market. One of the things that I’ve found helps to roll these is to leave a bit of seaweed free of sushi rice at the bottom. It creates a better seal and ensures the inner ingredients aren’t overwhelmed by rice.
Another helpful tip when rolling is to make sure that you pull the bamboo mat quite tight so the roll is very secure. This helps to keep the inner ingredients from falling out. Press the mat down as you go when rolling so the rice on the outside is firmly secured.
I typically make this type of sushi on a plastic cutting board. With the rice on the outside it will definitely stick to a wooden cutting board and often times ends up ripping apart the sushi. When cutting into pieces its best to use your sharpest knife, anything dull will just mush the sushi apart. Sometimes the knife might get sticky from the sushi rice, feel free to run it under a bit of cold water to help alleviate that.
If all else fails roll the rice on the inside. To do this just put the ingredients on top of the rice instead of flipping the seaweed over. It tastes just as good and is much less finicky to make. Often I’ll do it this way to save on time if we are having a busy day.
California Roll
Ingredients
- 4 Cups cooked sushi rice
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/3 Cup Rice Vinegar
- Nori Sheets
- Sushi Rice (prepared, see sushi rice recipe)
- Imitation Crab Sticks (cut in half)
- Kirby or seedless cucumbers (cut into thin strips)
- Avocado
- Sesame seeds or Tobiko (optional)
Instructions
- Cook sushi rice according to instructions on package. Making sure to wash well before hand.
- Once cooked mix sugar, salt and vinegar together until dissolved. You can heat up in a saucepan to speed this along if you'd like.
- Slowly drizzle the vinegar mixture over the sushi rice making sure to mix well gently. The rice will become stickier as it cools and the vinegar mixture is more well incorporated.
- Lay your nori down on your plastic wrap covered bamboo mat with the smoother side facing down. Add about 1/2 cup sushi rice to the back using your hands or a rice spatula, spread gently so the nori doesn't rip. Leave about 1 inch at the bottom free of rice.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds or tobiko onto the rice if using and flip the nori over so the rice is facing down on the bamboo mat.
- Add the cucumber strips, crab stick and avocado so each ingredient creates a line on the seaweed (see picture above if needed). The ingredients will overlap.
- Take the bamboo mat and edge of the nori sheet and roll it over the inner ingredients. Make sure to pull tight so the inner ingredients are very snug. Each time you roll another section press the mat well so the sushi rice stays firmly on the nori.
- Once rolled, slice with a sharp knife into bite sized pieces. If the knife is getting sticky, feel free to wet it lightly with cold water to help with cutting.
- If this method doesn't work well for you, please feel free to roll with the rice on the inside. Instead of flipping over the nori once the rice is spread on the seaweed, just add the inner ingredients on top of the rice and roll the seaweed with the seaweed facing out.
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