California Rolls

I am introducing American-born Japanese food, the California Roll. Featuring colorful fillings like avocado, crabmeat, and with decorations on the outside, too. Enjoy making them!

Prep time 40min
Ingredients makes 3 rolls

1/2 avocado


Lemon juice


70g crabmeat

100g fresh fish such as tuna or salmon
 or squid

10 shiso leaves(or basil leaves)

3 sheets of nori(seaweed)

1 egg
 and a pinch of salt

Toasted sesame seeds


Wasabi paste, to taste


Soy sauce, to taste

Sushi Rice


600 g freshly cooked rice


3 tbsp rice vinegar


2 tbsp sugar


2 tsp salt


3 sheets nori

Directions

1. Cut the avocado into 1 cm-wide slice, then squeeze lemon juice over it to prevent browning.

2. Cut the fresh fish into 1 cm-wide strip.

3. Make Sushi rice. Mix the vinegar, sugar and salt together, then sprinkle over the freshly cooked rice. Mix in with a cutting motion to make sushi rice.

4. Place a sheet of nori on a sushi mat (or on a thick cooking towel), then evenly spread sushi rice across it, leaving about 1.5 cm at the top of the nori.

5. Place plastic wrap on top of the spread sushi rice, then flip over the sushi rice and nori. Place the fish and avocado, crabmeat on the bottom third of the nori.

6. Tightly roll up the nori and sushi rice while pressing in on the fillings.

7. Roll it up the rest of the way. When you get to the end, squeeze it gently to even out the shape, then wrap in plastic wrap.

8. Make an egg sheet. Mix egg egg with salt, then spread evenly in a heated frying pan. When the surface of the omelet becomes dry and the edges start to turn up, remove the egg crepe, by hand. Rap one roll with the egg sheet.

9. For other rolls, sprinkle the roll with sesame seeds or rap with big shiso (basil)leaves.

10. Wrap the rolls in kitchen wrap once more, then slice them (still wrapped) with a sharp knife into 1.5 cm-thick slices.

11. Remove the plastic wrap and arrange to serve, with soy sauce and wasabi on the side.

The portion of the nori left without sushi rice on it is meant to serve as a "tab" to make the final rolling cleaner and easier!