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I adore sushi. We don’t go out to eat as often as we’d like since it can sometimes lead into a big adventure with our 2 year old thinking that the cutlery can be used as musical instruments or something else that makes the other patrons in the restaurant stare and smile sympathetically at us.

Even though it is more comfortable dining at home with our lil guy, we always make the effort to try to get our sushi fix at least once a month at this local Japanese restaurant we found recently.

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I am always fascinated when I watch the sushi chefs work their magic. They make it look so effortless as does Nami. Her creations are just breathtaking and truly inspiring.

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I had been wanting to try making sushi rolls at home for a very long time. It always looked so intimidating that I put it off. I even bought the bamboo rolling mat years ago and it just sat tucked away in a drawer.

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For some reason, I was brave enough to try making a California Roll the other day. The main reason could be because I simply haven’t felt like turning on the stove or oven these days.

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I know the California Roll isn’t a super exotic roll but I felt comfortable starting with this as my first roll since their was no raw fish. So I got the ingredients ready and checked out a few sites for inspiration and guidance as well as YouTube and I can finally check making a California Roll off of my culinary bucket list. Yay!

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Although they are far from perfect and will never even look half as good as my inspirational sites, I was just relieved that they didn’t fall apart.

It definitely took some practice to get the technique down. My first roll did not turn out too well but by the last roll, I had gotten better and the rolls were starting to look decent.

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Ty and our lil guy really loved them and gobbled up so many in one sitting. It was so cute to see my lil guy trying to use his learner chopsticks to pick these up and in the end just used his fingers and popped the whole rolls in his mouth.

It was fun putting these rolls together and I will definitely be making these again and maybe even try my hand at different rolls the next time 🙂

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Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Homemade California Rolls

Recipes adapted and inspired from: FoodNetwork, Just One Cookbook, Various YouTube Videos

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Finger food Friday – Homemade California Rolls

Prep Time

20 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

This sushi recipe is just as much fun to make as it is to eat! Nori, rice, and fresh veggies make this recipe a delicious, bite-sized meal!

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Japanese

Keyword: california roll sushi recipe, easy sushi recipe

Servings: 4 sushi rolls

Calories: 331 kcal

Ingredients

• 4 sheets of unseasoned nori
• 1 large cucumber peeled, seeded, and cut into matchstick-size pieces
• 2 medium avocados peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
• 1/2 lemon juiced (for avocado)
• 2 cups of cooked sushi rice
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds toasted
• 4 crabsticks cut in half lengthwise

Serving Suggestions:

• pickled ginger
• wasabi
• soy sauce can substitute with coconut aminos or tamari

Instructions

1. Squeeze the lemon juice over the avocado pieces to prevent browning.
2. Cover a bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap.
3. Cut nori sheets in half horizontal.
4. Lay 1 sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the plastic covered mat. Wet your fingers with water and spread about 1/3 cup of the rice evenly to cover the nori.
5. Sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds.
6. Turn the sheet of nori over so that the rice side is down.
7. Place crabstick in the center of the sheet.
8. Place a cucumber, avocado above the crab stick.
9. Grab the edge of the mat closest to you, keeping the fillings in place with your fingers, and use your thumbs lift the mat and rice over the filling.
10. Use the mat to continue to roll upwards into a tight cylinder. Once the mat has been completely rolled into a cylinder, wrap the mat tightly one more time to compress the rice so that the roll does not fall apart.
11. Peel the mat backwards and cover the rolls with a damp cloth. Repeat until all of the rice has been used.
12. Using a sharp knife to cut each roll into bite sized pieces.

13. Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Finger food Friday – Homemade California Rolls

Amount Per Serving (1 roll)

Calories 331 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g32%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Sodium 24mg1%

Potassium 675mg19%

Carbohydrates 32g11%

Fiber 9g36%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 330IU7%

Vitamin C 20.5mg25%

Calcium 148mg15%

Iron 2.7mg15%

* Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy using the WPRM recipe calculator. It is best to make your own calculations to ensure accuracy. We expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.