I have a tip from a japanese friend of mine: before add the vinegar: heat it with two teaspoons of brown sugar until the sugar is melted (around 2-3 minutes) let it cool a little (3 minutes or so) then add to the rice, the result is great, it enhances the flavor, and the best part is that the rice is easier to gather.
A tip I learned from some Korean friends... when cutting the nori use a sharp blade dipped in water, it will make the knife slide right through instead of tearing the nori. Re-wet for each slice or two.
Wow! I've always been afraid to try making California rolls because it looked so difficult...my family loves them SO much in self defense I found your recipe. It's authentic and absolutely perfect and a piece of cake to make. I subbed crab instead of salmon but will try salmon too! At our local HEB it's expensive to buy but now I can make my own @ less than half the price and they taste better! Fresher! Thanks for sharing! My only comment is this...when making the rolls dip your fingers in water to spread out the rice on the nori...also dip your very sharp knife in water too...helps to cut the seaweed very cleanly!
have been making similar roll for years--always made rice w/ tbsp sugar and dash salt. have used thin green onion unsmoked lox and always toasted sesame seeds (adds good luck to your life)sometimes using thin strips yellow or red peppers. I serve w/soy sugar chili oil sesame oil to dip and wasabi on the side and of course pickeled ginger. Wrap tightly in saran twisting ends to keep filling in ends. fridge for several hours first to firm--a huge hit at parties!!!
Another variation is to make the rolls inside out; you spread the rice all over a piece of nori flip it over onto the mat lined with plastic wrap place the filling directly on the end of the nori roll up while every quarter turn pulling the plastic wrap tight and then sprinkle with sesame seeds before cutting! Very beautiful!
I make this recipe often with a few variations: 1.as others have suggested I add sugar to the rice mix 2.I don't use as much rice per roll as shown in the picture it's too much 3.I sometimes substitute very fresh tuna for the salmon 4. I add thinly sliced scallions to the cuke / avocado. I love this served with a sweet soy dipping sauce containing 3T soy 2T sake or sherry 1T brown sugar and a sprinkling of sesame seeds! Another good dip for those who like chilli is to use 4T soy 1T rice vinegar dash of hot chilli oil and some red pepper flakes. LOVELY!!!! Finally use wet hands when rolling use a bamboo mat for best results and use a wet knife for slicing. Happy sushi making!
Try to put as little rice as possible on the nori - thin layer just barely cover the nori, add more fillings. Press the rice onto the nori sheets with slight wet fingers and add more fillings. This will make sushi roll more tasty and presentable than the picture show. Crab meat stick & egg omelette can be used as fillings.
Delicious and much easier than I thought sushi would be to make. I used a thin layer of rice as suggested by other reviewers and served them with wasabi soy sauce. One warning: pay a little extra for good sushi nori. The cheap stuff is incredibly fishy smelling and overpowers everything else.
Really squeeze the stuff in the bamboo roller. Cram it in the ends too before cutting.
I found the smoked salmon flavor to be overpowering it may have been the brand I used. But it ended up ruining the whole roll for me personally.
