California Maki

I chose this dish because we once made it in a cooking class and it was quite simple. This is a japanese dish that is usually called “California Roll.” It was invented when japanese chefs went to America to seek their fortune, the chefs made the sushi roll inside-out because Americans did not like seeing and chewing the nori when it was on the outside. That was the brief history of the “California Maki.”

Here’s the recipe:

California Maki

2 cups sushi rice

4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed)

1 mango

8 pieces kani (crab sticks)

4 tbsp. japanese mayonnaise

1/2 cup ebiko (shrimp eggs)

Peel a mango and cut it into strips. Cover a bamboo or sushi mat with plastic wrap. Put a sheet of dried seaweed on top of the mat. Spread sushi rice on top of the seaweed and press firmly. Turn the sushi layer over so that the seaweed is on top. Place mango and crab lengthwise on the seaweed. Roll the bamboo mat forward, pressing the ingredients inside the cylinder-shaped sushi. Press the bamboo firmly with hands, then remove the rolled sushi. Spread ebiko around the roll. Cut the sushi-roll into bite-sized pieces. Serve with wasabi or kikkoman.

Makes 4 rolls.

Sushi Rice

2 cups cooked japanese rice

4 tbsp. sweet vinegar for sushi rice

Mi together rice and vinegar till well combined.

Sweet Vinegar

1/2 cup japanese vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Boil together till sugar dissolves. Use for sushi rice.