California Rolls!

A few years ago, I went on a cruise.

Do you care? No, but I do want to brag about my sushi making skills. I actually took a class on the ship and have a certificate-- not even kidding. 

It's been quite a while since I've made some at home so I decided to do it tonight.

Depending on where you are, it can be difficult to find the right ingredients for sushi, but I managed to find them: sushi rice, nori (seaweed), imitation crab. The rest are pretty simple, like avocado, cucumber, and any sauces you'd prefer. I also like to use sesame seeds and scallions as toppings.

The first thing I did was start the rice. It was a basic process: 1 cup of rice to 1 1/4 cup of water brought to a boil then covered and simmered for 25 minutes. Since we're working with our hands, I wanted to let this cool way down before working with it. The sushi rice is very sticky and needs to be, so I'm not stirring it up at this point.

Meanwhile, I started prepping the cucumber. I can't remember how I used to slice it and really struggled this time. It needs to be very thin so I tried a French fry approach and it seemed to work... eventually. I waited to chop up the avocado and crab meat until I was closer to **rolling time**. 

(JULIENNE! That's what I did with the cucumbers)

I created a quick vinegar mixture for the rice, which consisted of 3 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, and about 1/8 cup (sorry) white wine vinegar. I just combined these 3 ingredients in a skillet to combine them properly then combined it GENTLY with the rice in a separate bowl.

For the filling, I decided to not use the imitation crab in its packaged form. I personally prefer it to be more shredded, so I crushed it up and combined it with a little bit of sriracha mayo. Then I quickly sliced up the avocado and got to work with the rolling. 

I covered the bamboo roller in Saran wrap and sprayed it with olive oil spray. Then, wetting my hands with water, I grabbed a golf ball sized handful of rice and smoothed it down the long edge of the bamboo. The water helps with handling the rice. (of course, I forgot to take a pic of this.) Then I very softly spread the rice across the roller.

Next, I placed a row of the avocado down the long edge, then added the cucumber and crab. (forgot the pic of this too :/.) 

It's pretty easy to roll sushi. Just 

After you've rolled it up nice and tight, it's time to slice them into the bite-sized pieces you know and love. Wet that knife! I'm amazed every time how much easier handling the sushi gets when you add just a touch of water. 

With this meal, I wanted a *crunchy* version of the California roll. The crunch? Fried onions and sesame seeds. The sauce? Spicy mayo and hoisin since I couldn't find eel sauce.

And there you go.