CALIFORNIA MAKI

Also called California Rolls, though this is a traditional Japanese food, California Roll was first made in Los Angeles, California, and eventually became popular all across the United States by the 1980s.  

Prepare the following:

Nori (Japanese Roasted Seaweeds) 

Cooked Japanese Rice (4-5 cups)

Cook Japanese rice according to package instructions.  Once the rice is ready, put it in a big bowl, set aside and  in a small bowl combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt, stir well.  Pour this mixture into the Japanese rice then mix well.

1/2 cup water& 1/2 cup Mirin (Japanese Rice Wine), 1 tsp sugar, dash of salt

Crab Sticks

Cucumber sliced, seeded

2-3 pcs. Ripe Mango, Sliced

Japanese Mayonnaise

Tobiko Sashimi (fish roe or eggs)

This will add a splash of color  and texture to your maki.

For the dipping Sauce:

Kikkoman Soy Sauce and Calamansi or Lemon

Prepared Wasabi

You will need :

Sushi Mat 

Prepare the Sushi Mat by covering it with Cling Wrap  or Plastic to keep the rice from sticking to the mat.

Very sharp Kitchen Knife

Procedure:

Cook Japanese rice according to package instructions.  Once the rice is ready, put it in a big bowl, set aside and  in a small bowl combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt, stir well.  Pour this mixture into the Japanese rice then mix well.

Prepare the Sushi Mat by covering it with Cling Wrap  or Plastic to keep the rice from sticking to the mat.

Carefully fold a piece of Nori sheet and cut it into half.  Lay  a piece of Nori towards the bottom of the mat. 

Spread about a half-cup of rice on top, spread the rice out to the edges of the nori in a thin even layer, add more rice if needed.  Once you got the whole Nori covered with rice up to the edges, flip the rice and nori over so that the rice is in the bottom and the nori is facing up, this is where you will put all the other ingredients inside the roll.

Put a few strips of crab sticks, followed by mango, cucumber, and  squeeze Japanese mayonnaise on top.   Be careful not to add too much filling or your roll won't seal properly.

To roll, hold the edge of the mat with your thumbs, then lift the Nori and roll the sushi away from you.  Keep the filling in place with your fingers,  use the mat to continue rolling the rice over the filling until the rice hits the nori,  roll it into a tight cylinder.  

Allow the roll to sit for a minutes before cutting it.  Use a very sharp,  wet knife,  and cut the roll into sixths.  Arrange on a serving platter and serve.   Enjoy!