California Rolls Recipe

California Rolls are a popular and delicious sushi option, loved for their creamy avocado, fresh cucumber, and savory imitation crab wrapped in perfectly seasoned rice and nori. This recipe guides you through making authentic California rolls at home with fluffy sushi rice and fresh ingredients.

California Rolls Recipe

Serving: 6 California rolls
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the rice:
2 cups short grain Japanese rice
2 cups filtered water
1 Kombu, 1 x 2 inches, cleaned with damp towel

Vinegar mixture:
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Additional ingredients:
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, sliced into 1/3 inch pieces
1 avocado, sliced into 1/3 inch pieces
1/2 lemon
6 imitation crabs, halved
3 nori sheets, halved
6 teaspoons white toasted sesame seeds

Sides:
Soy sauce
Pickled ginger
Wasabi

Tools:
1 rice cooker (or pot)
1 small pan
1 large mixing bowl
1 clean kitchen towel
1 rice paddle
1 bowl water
1 bamboo rolling mat
1 large Ziploc bag
1 sharp knife

California Rolls Instructions

1. Cook the rice:

• Rinse the rice under running water until the water becomes clear to remove surface starch and prevent stickiness. Drain for 10 minutes.
• Transfer rice to a rice cooker, add filtered water, and place the kombu inside. Cook on rice setting and cook until done for about 30 minutes.
• If you don’t have a rice cooker, place rice and water in a pot, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let it rest, covered, for 15 minutes.

2. Prepare other ingredients:

• Squeeze lemon juice over avocado slices to prevent browning.
• In a small pan, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Warm over low heat, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat before boiling.

3. Mix the sushi rice:

• Transfer cooked rice to a large mixing bowl (traditionally a wooden tub). Sprinkle the vinegar mixture evenly over the rice.
• Using a rice paddle, gently cut and fold the vinegar into the rice without smashing the grains. Fan the rice occasionally to cool it down.
• Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the rice cool to just above room temperature.

4. Assemble the California rolls:

• Prepare a bowl of water to wet your fingers during assembly.
• Cover a bamboo rolling mat with a large Ziploc bag for easy cleanup. Lay one half-sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the mat.
• Wet your fingers with water and evenly spread about 1 cup of rice over the nori. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice.
• Flip the nori sheet so the rice side is down on the plastic-covered mat.
• Place 3 slices of avocado, 2 pieces of imitation crab, and 1 slice of cucumber in a line along the center of the nori.
• Grab the edge of the mat closest to you and roll tightly into a cylinder, pressing gently to seal.
• Use a sharp knife to cut each roll into 8 pieces.

5. Serve the California rolls:

• Serve the California rolls with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce on the side.

Tips & notes

• Rinse the rice thoroughly: This is key to achieving perfect sushi texture and preventing it from becoming gummy.
• Add kombu to the rice cooking water: It adds subtle umami flavor to the rice, enhancing its taste.
• Cool the rice properly: Fanning the rice helps it achieve the ideal sticky yet separate grain texture.
• Keep your hands wet: Wet hands prevent the sushi rice from sticking while handling and rolling.
• Use a sharp, damp knife: This ensures clean cuts of the rolls without squashing them.
• Cover the bamboo mat with plastic: Makes rolling easier and cleanup faster.