It’s easy to make your own California rolls give it a shot and you’ll be surprised how fast you get the hang of it.
With a little practice, you’ll be a master while you’re at it you might as well roll in the whole-grain goodness of brown rice.
- SERVES 6 TO 8
For the rice
2 cups (500 mL) of short-grain brown rice
4 cups (1 L) of water
2 tablespoons (30 mL) of sugar
2 tablespoons (30 mL) of rice vinegar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) of salt
For the shrimp
1 pound (450 g) of shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 ripe avocados
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons (10 mL) or so of Sriracha or your favourite hot sauce
For the rolls
8 sheets of nori seaweed
1 cucumber
Soy sauce
Pickled ginger
Wasabi paste
Begin by making the rice. Combine the rice and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a furious boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Cover, reduce the heat and, without lifting the lid, slowly simmer until the rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the sugar, rice vinegar and salt until dissolved. Transfer the rice to a large bowl. Drizzle in the vinegar mixture while gently stirring the rice, evenly coating the works but not stirring long enough to get it mushy. Spread the rice on a baking sheet to cool quickly.
Next, make the shrimp. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the shrimp. Cover the pot, remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain out the shrimp and drain well. Scoop the avocado flesh into a medium bowl and mash it coarsely. Chop the shrimp into small pieces and stir into the avocado along with the green onions and hot sauce.
Set up your sushi rolling station with a very sharp chef’s knife, a finger bowl of water and a bamboo sushi mat. If you don’t have a sushi mat, cut a square of parchment paper or double-folded plastic wrap about 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger than a nori sheet.
Cut the cucumber into thin wedges as long as the width of the nori sheets. Lay a sheet of nori, shiny side down and with a long side closest to you, on the sushi mat. Wet your fingertips and spread a little less than 1 cup (250 mL) of the rice in a thin, even layer over the sheet, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) border at the far edge. Lay a wedge or two of cucumber along the edge of the rice closest to you, then evenly top with some of the shrimp mixture.
Gently lift the mat and carefully roll the fillings over onto the rice. Continue rolling, compacting everything tightly together, folding back the leading edge of the mat as you go. Use your finger to lightly moisten the exposed edge of the nori with water. Finish rolling as the moist seaweed adheres to itself. Set the roll aside, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, forming 6 to 8 sushi rolls.
Using a wet knife, slice each roll into 6 or 8 pieces and arrange on a festive platter. Serve with soy sauce, ginger and wasabi.
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