Sushi is so expensive when you buy it in a restaurant. Even California rolls at their cheapest cost about $6. If you make your own, they cost less than $1.50! I do love the raw fish kind, but I’m not quite brave enough to make it myself, so here’s the lovely “safe” version (for most palates). You also don’t need a fancy mat.
As with most of my recipes, I have updated this one to include the Instant Pot! I always used to make rice on the stove, but I’ll never go back. Pressure-cooked rice has a superb texture.
Cooking the Rice
Put into the Instant Pot:
1 c. Calrose rice (found in the Asian section of the grocery store)
1 c. + 3 T. water
Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes, then natural release. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, use the directions on the bag to cook the rice on the stove.
Preparing the Veggies and Crab
While the rice is cooking, prepare the other ingredients:
1 medium avocado, cut into 8 slices
1 cucumber, cut into sticks
4 oz. imitation crab, cut into sticks, or a 5 oz. can of real crab, drained
Seasoning the Rice
Once the rice has cooled, season it with the following:
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. sugar
3/4 t. salt
Assembling the Sushi
You will need all of the following:
4 nori sheets (found in the Asian section of the grocery store in packages of 10)
the seasoned rice
the vegetables
the crab
plastic wrap
- Tear off a sheet of plastic wrap and place a sheet of nori on it, shiny side down.
- Place 1/4 of the cooked rice on it, and spread it out almost to the edge (leaving a little space) with a rice paddle or your fingers. To keep the rice from sticking to your hands, have a little water nearby to wet them. You should have a fairly thin layer of rice on the nori.
- Place cucumber sticks, 2 slices of avocado, and 1/4 of the crab on the nori in a line about 1/3 of the way down the square. Roll tightly (but not too tight!) If you’ve done it right, nothing should fall out the ends and the nori shouldn’t rip. It’s amazing that it turns from dry and crunchy into a soft, pliable roll.
- Stick it in the fridge until you’re ready to cut it. I like the start cutting in the middle with a very sharp knife and work my way outward.
Serve California rolls with any of the following:
pickled ginger
soy sauce
wasabi paste
Find more heavenly, international dishes here.
California Rolls: No Mat Required
Equipment
- pressure cooker
- plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 1 cup Calrose rice
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 avocado medium, sliced
- 1 cucumber matchsticks
- 4-5 ounces crab real or imitation
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 4 sheets nori
- pickled ginger
- soy sauce
- wasabi
Instructions
- Cook the rice in the pressure cooker for 6 minutes with a natural release. Let it cool.1 cup Calrose rice, 1 1/4 cups water
- Prepare the filling ingredients while the rice cooks.1 avocado, 1 cucumber, 4-5 ounces crab
- Season the rice.2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 3/4 teaspoons salt
Assemble the sushi.
- Put a piece of plastic wrap on the counter with a sheet of nori on it, shiny side down.4 sheets nori
- Place 1/4 of the cooked rice on it, and spread it out almost to the edge (leaving a little space) with a rice paddle or your fingers. To keep the rice from sticking to your hands, have a little water nearby to wet them. You should have a fairly thin layer of rice on the nori.
- Place cucumber sticks, 2 slices of avocado, and 1/4 of the crab on the nori in a line about 1/3 of the way down the square. Roll tightly (but not too tight!)
- Repeat until you have 4 rolls.
- Cut with a sharp knife and serve.pickled ginger, soy sauce, wasabi