California Roll

Questions About California Roll

The Method for California Roll

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1. Rinse the rice in cold water, swirling and draining, five or six times until the water runs nearly clear. Drain for 15 minutes.

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2. Cook with the measured water in a rice cooker, or bring to a boil in a covered pan, reduce to the lowest heat for 12 minutes, then rest off the heat, still covered, for 10 minutes.

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3. Warm the vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved. Tip the hot rice into a wide non-metal bowl, pour the seasoning over a spatula to distribute it, and cut it through the rice with slicing strokes while fanning. Cool to body temperature.

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4. Lay a sheet of nori shiny-side down on a cling-film-covered bamboo mat. Spread a quarter of the rice over it in an even layer with wet hands, right to the edges.

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5. Scatter with sesame seeds, then flip the whole sheet over so the rice faces down onto the mat.

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6. Lay crab, avocado and cucumber in a line across the lower third of the nori and pipe over a little mayonnaise.

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7. Roll away from you using the mat, tucking the filling in tightly with your fingers as the edge comes over, then squeeze the finished roll gently along its length to compact it.

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8. Cut into eight with a very sharp knife, wiping the blade with a damp cloth between every single cut. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

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Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

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Worth Getting Right

• Keep a bowl of water with a splash of rice vinegar beside you for your hands; the rice will not stick.
• Do not over-fill. A first-timer's instinct is always too much filling, and the roll will not close.
• Never refrigerate sushi rice — cold makes it hard and dry. Keep it covered with a damp cloth at room temperature.

Swaps and Variations

• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.

What to Serve With It

Cold sake, or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc · Serve with miso soup and edamame · Finish with green tea ice cream

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Japanese Milk Bread (Shokupan), Nasu Dengaku.

Storage

Eat within 4 hours. Sushi rice deteriorates rapidly and avocado browns; this is not a make-ahead dish.

What's in a Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

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