California Rolls

Method

1. Rinse rice in several changes of cold water until runoff is less cloudy, then drain for 10 minutes. Cook with the measured water using a rice cooker or a tightly covered saucepan. For a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, turn very low for about 15 minutes, then turn off and rest covered for 10 minutes. Follow the rice packet if it requires a different water ratio.
2. Dissolve sugar and salt in the vinegar. Tip hot rice into a broad non-reactive bowl and fold in the seasoning without crushing grains. Spread loosely and fan for about 15–20 minutes until only slightly warm; keep the total unrefrigerated rice-handling time within 1 hour under this plan.
3. Cover a bamboo sushi mat with food-safe film. Cut six half-sheets of nori and prepare dry cucumber and avocado strips. Use ready-to-eat crab sticks according to their pack instructions; mix with optional mayonnaise only if using shredded rather than whole sticks.
4. Place one nori half shiny side down on the mat with its long side facing you. With lightly damp clean fingers spread about one-sixth of the cooked rice, around 80–95 g, in a thin even layer over the nori. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and carefully turn it rice-side down.
5. Lay one-sixth of the crab, cucumber and avocado across the nori, close to its near edge. Lift the mat and roll away from you, tucking the filling inside. Pull the mat back as you roll so the film does not become trapped in the food. Press gently to make a compact cylinder, not mashed rice.
6. Repeat for the remaining rolls. With a sharp knife dampened between cuts, halve each roll, then cut each half into four pieces. Wipe the blade often rather than forcing a blunt knife through the filling.
7. Serve immediately with soy sauce and ginger. Refrigerate finished rolls promptly in a covered container and use the same day. The vinegar seasoning is for flavour, not a validated preservation treatment; do not display the rolls at room temperature for a long buffet service.