Cuscowilla Cooking Class Recipe

Check out this great recipe for California Rolls from our Sous Chef Carly, who taught our cooking classes in November and December.

California Rolls

Rice
1 cup sushi rice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl cover the rice with cold water, stir the mixture, and pour off the water. Continue to wash the rice in the same manner until the water runs clear. Drain the rice well, in a heavy saucepan combine it with 1 1/2 cups water, and let the mixture stand for 30 minutes. Bring the liquid to a boil, covered, over high heat and simmer the rice, covered, over low heat for 10 minutes. Cook the rice over high heat for 1 minute and remove the pan from the heat. Let the rice stand, covered, for 15 minutes and transfer it to a ceramic or glass bowl.
While the rice is cooking, in a small stainless steel or enameled saucepan combine the vinegar, the sugar, and the salt and cook the mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Let the mixture cool. Add the vinegar mixture, a little at a time, to warm the rice, stirring the mixture gently, and let the vinegared rice cool, covered.


Rolls

1 avocado, halved lengthwise, pitted, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices
six 8 x 7-inch sheets of nori
3 cups rice
1 tablespoon wasabi powder, combined with 1 tablespoon cold water
1 package Surimi (imitation crab), cut in half horizontally
½ cup toasted sesame seeds

Lay a dry sudare (a bamboo mat used for rolling sushi and other foods) on a work surface so that the slats run horizontally. Put a piece of the nori on the sudare with a long side facing you and with dampened hands spread 1/2 cups vinegared rice onto it, leaving a 1-inch border along the top edge. Spread a small bit of the wasabi paste horizontally across the center of the rice. (Use the wasabi paste sparingly as it is very hot.) Sprinkle with sesame seeds and flip roll over. Arrange 3 avocado slices overlapping slightly in a horizontal line in the center and top them with slices of surimi. Grasp the edges of the nori and the mat from the side facing you, lift the nori and the mat slightly, and roll the nori evenly and tightly away from you, pressing down slightly with each quarter turn. Seal the roll with a drop of water on the far edge of the nori, press the seam closed, and transfer the roll to a cutting board. Make 5 more rolls in the same manner. With a serrated knife dipped in hot water trim the ends of the rolls and cut each roll crosswise into six 1-inch sections.