California Rolls with Crab

Ingredients

• Nishiki rice 5 oz
• Rice Vinegar for Sushi 2 spoons
• Crab Meat 5 oz
• Avocado 5 oz
• Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise 0 oz
• Tobiko Caviar 5 oz
• Dried Nori Seaweed 5 pieces
• Wasabi to taste
• Pickled garlic to taste

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1

Thoroughly rinse the rice in cold water five or even six times, until the water runs clear and no longer appears cloudy. While rinsing, avoid rubbing the rice too vigorously to prevent breaking the grains; simply stir and move the rice gently with your hand.

Step 2

Then transfer the rice to a sieve placed over a bowl and let it sit for fifteen to twenty minutes: the water will drain off, and at the same time, the necessary amount will penetrate the rice. After this, cook it in a rice cooker with an equal weight of water — this will take about half an hour. It should then rest in the switched-off but closed rice cooker for another fifteen minutes.

Step 3

Stir vinegar into the hot rice thoroughly, so that it absorbs completely. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for another fifteen minutes. Prepare the crab (it should be boiled for about twenty minutes in unsalted water, then cooled). The tastiest meat is in the second segment. First, remove the hard plates from it, then cut through the chitin and extract the flesh. It should be finely chopped.

Step 4

Peel the avocado. You'll need narrow slices, and it's easiest to first cut them from the whole fruit, and then separate them from the pit and remove the skin.

Step 5

Wrap the sushi mat in plastic wrap. On the matte side of the nori sheet, spread warm rice evenly in a thin layer, about the thickness of a grain of rice.

Step 6

Flip the seaweed sheet over so the rice side is down. Place two slices of avocado in the center. Next to it, draw a line with Japanese mayonnaise. Finish with a strip of crab meat.

Step 7

Roll the sushi—do this gently, shaping it without pressing too hard: you can make it square or round in cross-section. Coat the roll in tobiko, which is flying fish roe.

Step 8

Trim the edges with a knife for neatness, cut the roll in half, place the halves snugly against each other, and slice them into three equal parts. Arrange the rolls on a plate, and add pickled ginger (preferably white, not pink) and wasabi (ideally grated, not powdered).