Well, I suppose a non-Linux post is in order. I have tried my hand at making California Rolls again. My brother had a class project that required me to make about a dozen rolls, and I was really impressed with how good they ended up being. So much so, that I decided to share the entire process with you fine people:
Like most processes, step one is to gather your supplies. You will need crab meat (I use imitation), one cucumber, one avacado, wasabi, sushi rice, sushi vinegar, Nori (seaweed) and sesame seeds. It is best if you can find Salmon roe, or flying fish eggs, but in my case I could not find them.
- Wash the starch out of the rice, then cook (1 to 1 portion of rice and water) until the water has evaporated. Let this cool, and continue to fluff. Poor over just a tablespoon of the sushi vinegar per cup. You should just be able to taste it. The rice should be sticky enough to absorb this new liquid and return to a sticky state while it continues to dry. Set aside until it has cooled to room temperature.
- Cut the avocado, and crab meat in half. Peel the cucumbers, and take a spoon tip to clean out all of the seeds in the middle. Cut the remaining cucumber into thin strips.
Take the Nori sheets and cut off 1/3 to throw away. The whole sheet makes for a roll that is too big to manage. Wet your hands, then evenly spread the rice over one side of the sheet. It should stick without any fuss. Do not mash the rice down, but spread sparingly. When you press the sushi roll, the rice will evenly distribute on the roll.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice, then flip the sheet over to make an “inside out” California roll. It should now be rice side down, on top of the plastic sheet, on top of the bamboo rolling mat.
Next, add a thin strip of Wasabi paste. The fresher the Wasabi, the less you should use. It has quite a kick to it.
Next, add the cucumber slices that you prepared earlier.
Next, add the crab meat.
Finally, add the avocado, using a spoon to make small crescent shaped slices to lay on top of the roll. This image is more of what your slices should NOT look like 🙂
Pat yourself on the back – we are half way there. Unfortunately, this is the tricky part. I have seen many a weaker man break down here and cry all the way home to his mother. Position your Nori so that the end of it is lined up with the plastic, and the bamboo mat’s edge. Wet the tip of the Nori so that it becomes sticky and roll the contents over on itself, keeping the ingredients inside. The goal is to make the edge of the Nori that we made wet touch the edge of the Nori on the other side without any tearing, etc. Take it slow, and remember – practice makes perfect.
Press the bamboo mat firmly with both hands evenly distributing the pressure to”squeeze” everything into a nice firm roll. It needs to be tight enough that we can cut it in just a moment without ingredients falling out of the roll. Don’t be afraid to put some muscle into this. Also, tuck the ends of the roll for appearance.
With luck and skill, your roll will hopefully turn out looking something like this. Note: If your roll looks better than this – contact me, I have a business opportunity. 🙂
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The next step is to cut the roll. Make sure that you have a clean cutting surface, a sharp knife, and a that the edge is slightly wet. The water on the knife will keep the rice from sticking to the blade and spilling out its contents.
Here is the end product, ready to be served up on a fancy plate, and dipped in a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi. The best feeling is knowing that you just made this roll for about $1.00 instead of maxing out your Visa at an expensive sushi bar. Enjoy!
See, I DO have other interests besides Linux and open source… Now to sit down with this meal and check out what’s new on Ubuntu!
Thanks to my wife for taking pictures! I truly felt like a professional chef with the camera flashing away while I did my work!
Zone of Mr. Frosti 
That sushi looks pretty good. I must say, even though it’s only 7:30 in the morning, I am now hungry. Darn you and your sushi post! 🙂
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