The california roll is typically the first roll that a sushi virgin will try and in my own personal experience, it was the beginning of a life long obsession…
The combination of sticky rice, crunchy cucumber, creamy avocado and flaky crab meat all wrapped up in sheets of nori may be simple, but there is just something about a california roll that everyone loves. It doesn’t matter how many fancy, exotic rolls are on the table, there is a really good chance that a california roll was ordered too… because everyone loves them!
Now, just because you love sushi, doesn’t mean that you can or even want to roll your own, but you do not have to be sushi rolling aficionado in order to enjoy the wonderful flavors of sushi at home.
How, you may be asking yourself? The answer is this california roll sushi bowl…
Begin by cooking 1 1/2 cups of short grain white rice according to the manufacturers instructions. Add 3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar and fluff the rice to work the vinegar throughout. Set the rice aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
You will also need…
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- Crab (fresh or imitation) – flaked into bite sized pieces
- English cucumber – either diced or thinly sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
- Avocado – thinly sliced or mashed
- Nori (dried seaweed sheets) – this is what sushi is traditionally wrapped in and it really helps to bring the flavors of this bowl together
- Wakame (seaweed salad) – this is optional, but I highly recommend it
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There are several sauce options for this bowl. The easiest is just a simple drizzle of soy sauce, but if you want a little kick of flavor and heat added to your bowl, I highly recommend mixing up a simple spicy mayo by combining 1/4 cup of mayonnaise (an Asian mayo, if you can find it) and 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce.
Both of these ingredients are easily found in the international aisle of most grocery stores and together they create a fabulously creamy sauce with just the right amount of heat to finish off this bowl perfectly.
Now that everything is prepped, it is time to assemble your california roll sushi bowls.
Start by dividing the sticky rice between 2 shallow bowls and then add your flaked crab, ribbons of cucumber, sliced avocado, a little bit of wakame and a few strips of nori. Drizzle the bowl with spicy mayo (or soy sauce) and sprinkle some sesame seeds over everything.
My favorite way to build the perfect bite is to put a little bit of everything in a little strip of nori and enjoy! It gives you everything you crave about a great piece of california roll with just a few minutes of work and no rolling required.
This california roll sushi bowl is delicious, refreshing, light and flavorful plus it really hits the spot when you are craving sushi at home.
Itadakimasu!
California Roll Sushi Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of short grain white rice, cooked
- 3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
- 6 ounces of crab (fresh or imitation), flaked
- 1/2 of an english cucumber, diced or sliced into thin ribbons
- 1 small avocado, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup of wakame (seaweed salad)
- 2 sheets of nori, cut into strips
- sesame seeds (garnish)
Spicy Matonnaise
- 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce
Instructions
- Cook 1 1/2 cups of short grain white rice according to the manufacturers instructions
- Add 3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, fluff to combine and set aside for now
- In a small dish, combine 1/4 cup of mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce and set aside
- Assemble the bowls by dividing the sticky rice between 2 shallow bowls and adding the flaked crab, ribbons of cucumber, sliced avocado, wakame and several strips of nori
- Drizzle with spicy mayonnaise and some sesame seeds
