Filled with creamy avocado, cool crunchy cucumber, and umami-rich "crab," California Rolls in any format—traditional rolls, inside out rolls, even in a bowl—are always a favorite, and this one has a secret ingredient! Shall we?
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What is in a California Roll?
A traditional California roll at its most essential, is makisushi or sushi roll, filled with creamy avocado, crunchy cucumber, and crab, rolled up with seasoned sushi rice and nori.
Different versions of California roll might include rolling "inside out" with the rice on the outside, aka uramaki. Additional ingredients like mayonnaise, sriracha hot sauce, or toasted sesame seeds can be added for texture, flavor or garnish.
Oddly enough, the "crab" in traditional California rolls is usually imitation crab, but that doesn't mean it's not seafood. Imitation crab, the red and white sticks that shred apart to look like crab legs, aka surimi, is made from processed fish.
How to Make California Roll Vegan/Vegetarian
For this version of California Roll, we are replacing the imitation crab, which incidentally replaces real crab, with my not-so-secret-crush ingredient, lion's mane mushrooms. And to be honest, don't mushrooms in a California Roll give more of a "California" vibe than fake crab?
Are California Rolls Healthy?
Yes, yes, absolutely yes California Rolls are very healthy, filled with fresh, nutrient-dense vegetables! To be honest, I can't really think of a case in which California Rolls would not be healthy, barring the usual allergies, sensitivities, etc. And this version subs in brown rice for white rice to increase the fiber content, and omits the refined white sugar that's usually mixed into sushi rice.
Let's get into the individual components' health offerings:
Lion's Mane Mushrooms. If the photos make lion’s mane mushroom look like a brain, well, maybe that’s a good way to remember one of its most important health benefits: brain-protective effects. Studies have shown that compounds in lion's mane mushrooms can protect against Alzheimer’s disease, stimulate the growth of new brain cells, and protect existing nerve cells.
Like other mushrooms, lion's mane contains antioxidants and other compounds that make them anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting. Beta-glucans in lion’s mane are a prebiotic soluble fiber which has been shown to promotes gut health and in-turn reduce the risk of heart disease.
Garlic. Do we even have to spell out the health benefits of garlic? Most of the health benefits of garlic come from sulfur compounds like allicin.
Avocado. When we talk about the health benefits of avocado, we are almost always talking about the health benefits of the natural, plant-based omega 3 fatty acids, the all-star anti-inflammatory compound associated with supporting gut health and reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other inflammation-induced diseases. Avocado is one of the highest concentration, highest quality plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Cucumber. Cucumber is low in calories and fat, and high in water content and fiber, making them ultra-hydrating and great for gut health.
Nutritional Content and Dietary Considerations
As presented, this recipe for California Roll is:
- dairy-free
- gluten-free if you use tamari instead of soy sauce
- refined sugar-free
The nutritional content of each whole roll is:
- 190 calories
- 2 g protein
- 4 g fiber
- 3 g fat
What Ingredients You Need for California Rolls
For the Sautéed Lion's Mane Mushrooms, which you can use in a few different ways, you will need:
- lion's mane mushrooms
- avocado oil or other neutral cooking oil
- garlic powder
- soy sauce or salt
To make the California Rolls, you will additionally need:
- avocado
- cucumber
- cooked short grain rice
- rice vinegar
- nori sheets
- sesame seeds
optional for serving: prepared wasabi, pickled ginger, light tamari/soy sauce
What Kind of Mushrooms are Best?
For this recipe, I use lion's mane mushrooms, pictured above. Some people say that lion’s mane mushrooms are similar in both taste and their shreddable texture to crab and lobster, which makes them a great plant-based or crustacean-allergy substitute for seafood.
To be honest, I personally haven’t noticed that lion's mane mushrooms, or any mushrooms for that matter, taste like seafood. Lion’s mane mushrooms taste, well, like a mushroom. They are milder than shiitake mushrooms, but more intensely “mushroom-y” than a regular white mushroom. However, I do use them in place of crab, or imitation crab as the authentic case may be in recipes or dishes like California Summer Rolls, and Asian Garlic Noodles with Crab.
If you don't have access to lion's mane mushrooms, you can use any flavor-forward mushroom. Shiitake mushrooms are a great substitute for their deep umami flavor and seem to be the most widely available of the cool mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms, milder in flavor than shiitakes, shred apart and have that similar texture and look as crab.
Where to Buy Lion’s Mane Mushrooms
You can buy fresh lion’s mane mushrooms in grocery stores in the section with other fresh specialty mushrooms and at farmers’ markets. The following are where I have found fresh lion's mane mushrooms near me in southern California:
- Whole Foods Market grown by Far West Fungi
- Erewhon Market
- Beverly Hills Farmers Market, Sunday
- Hollywood Farmers Market, Sunday
- Mar Vista Farmers Market, Sunday
- Culver City Farmers Market, Tuesday, from Golden State Papayas
- Santa Monica Farmers Market, Wednesday, from GoldenStatePapayas
- Venice Farmers Market, Friday, from LAFungHi
If finding them fresh is not as easy, even via online, look for dried lion's mane. The mushrooms can be re-hydrated and then used in almost the same way as fresh mushrooms!
If you’re up for it, you can also forage for wild lion’s mane, or grow them at home! More on that later.
What Kind of Rice for California Rolls and Sushi?
Rice used for sushi is short-grain, and almost always white, but in my home kitchen, I use a short- or medium-grain brown rice for the fiber boost. Any rice labeled "sushi rice," or "short-grain Japanese rice" works. If you have access to a Japanese grocery store, look for rice from Koda Farms, which is a multi-generational Japanese rice farming family in California who grows the best rice. Regular white rice and other types of medium- or long-grain rice will not work for sushi as they are not "sticky."
Traditionally, sushi rice is cooked then seasoned with a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. It is this seasoned rice that is technically the "sushi" part of sushi. This California Roll recipe uses plain cooked rice with a touch of vinegar rather than seasoned rice.
If you'd like to make traditional seasoned sushi rice, use this recipe.
Additional Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
Avocado Oil is what I use for sautéing. It has a neutral flavor, a high smoke-point, and some health-supporting benefits. Because the mushrooms aren't cooking at very high heat, olive oil is a good substitute. This is the bottle of avocado oil I currently have on my counter.
Tamari is a Japanese-style soy sauce that is brewed without wheat so it is gluten-free. It is my preference, but regular soy sauce is an almost exact substitute. This is the brand of tamari I use.
Garlic Powder is preferred over fresh minced garlic in this case only for convenience.
Rice vinegar. I use this brand organic brown rice vinegar. If you don't have rice vinegar, use any other light/mild vinegar like apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Nori/Seaweed. Nori are the sheets of dried seaweed used to wrap up the sushi hand rolls. Use a high quality nori to make sure it stays crispy, not chewy. This brand is the best one, validated by a few local sushi chefs. It is available at Japanese markets, online, and in some Whole Foods. As a side note, though not technically California Grown, nori and other seaweed "grows" in the waters off the coast of California!
Toasted Sesame Seeds. Sesame seeds add some texture and when toasted, a layer of umami in addition to the toasted sesame oil. You can buy sesame seeds plain or toasted. Make sure the seeds are toasted. If they are not toasted, toss them in a hot, dry skillet over medium heat for about 90 seconds or until they are fragrant.
Instructions for How to Make California Roll
Shred the lion's mane mushroom into ½-inch wide strips.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the shredded lion's mane mushroom strips in the pan, DRY, i.e. without oil. Allow the mushrooms to brown at their edges. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
Drizzle oil, tamari or soy sauce, and garlic powder over the mushrooms in the pan. Stir-fry until fragrant and the mushrooms have developed a deep brown color. Remove mushrooms from heat.
Place nori sheet with the "rough," non-shiny side up on a bamboo mat with a long side toward you.
Spread the thinnest layer of rice you can on the nori sheet, leaving a half-inch empty border on each side and along the bottom, and 1-inch empty border at the top.
Lay a single line of avocado slices, cucumber slices, and then a 1-inch wide stripe of the sautéed mushroom "crab."
Use the edge closest to you of the bamboo rolling mat to lift the edge of nori over the ingredients, then tuck the edge into the rice with your hands. Continue rolling by using the bamboo mat to tuck and pull.
Cut the roll in half in one long slice with the largest, sharpest knife you have. Wipe the knife blade.
Cut each half again into quarters, then again so you have eight uniform pieces.
Plate California Roll pieces cut side up, garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Pro Tips and Techniques for California Roll
- Make extra. Cook an extra large batch of mushrooms, even throwing in another variety like shiitake or oyster mushrooms and keep them in the refrigerator to eat throughout the week as meal prep! Cook once, eat twice!
- Cutting California Roll. Use the sharpest knife with the longest blade that you have. Start the cut closest to the handle, then in one single sweep, slice through the roll. Using one motion rather than sawing back and forth will keep the nori from tearing.
- Shape as many rolls as you need for a meal before actually sitting down to eat and save them as full rolls on a plate with a loose cover. Then you can cut the rolls into individual pieces right before plating and serving.
Tools and Equipment
As I always say, you don't need any special equipment to make almost any recipe. However, in the case of sushi rolls, there are a couple of gadgets and tools that might make it a LOT easier to roll up your spicy tuna rolls.
- Bamboo sushi rolling mat to roll the nori and rice.
- Rice cooker. Rice cookers run the full gambit of types, features, and prices. I have two, this standard Japanese brand, and this fancy Korean brand, which the NYTimes loves. This is a smaller, affordable version of the Korean one.
- All-purpose 7-inch chef's knife to cut rolls in a single long stroke, rather than sawing back and forth, which will tear the nori and smash the roll.
- Large Cutting Board. A large size cutting board is stable, sturdy, and has enough surface area to prep multiple vegetables
- Glass mixing bowls
- Soy sauce dishes
- Stainless steel chopsticks
Advance Prep, Leftovers and Storage
California Rolls once rolled, do not keep well as leftovers because rice gets hard in the refrigerator.
However, you can keep the cooked mushrooms and cooked rice in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to two days, or in the freezer for three months. Reheat each component separately and make rolls, or make it easy and throw them into a bowl for a California Bowl.
How to Spice Up California Rolls
The recipe for the sautéed lions mane mushrooms, and the sushi rolling technique are open for interpretation and creativity. Here are some ideas for substitutions when certain ingredients may not be available, or there is a dietary concern:
- Make it a Bowl. Arrange all of the ingredients—seasoned rice, sliced avocado, chopped cucumber, cooked mushrooms—in a bowl, garnish with julienned nori and toasted sesame seeds. You can also use Korean-style salted, toasted nori called "gim" to eat with the bowl.
- Make it Spicy California. Add 1-3 teaspoons hot pepper powder—my preference is always for Korean gochugaru—or a drizzle of other hot sauce like sriracha when cooking the mushrooms.
- Fresh crab. Instead of mushrooms imitating imitation crab, you can go back to the original and use actual fresh crab. You will need about 1 cup of cooked crab meat, or 8 ounces by weight.
- Firm tofu. You can absolutely make a version with tofu. Grate extra firm tofu on the large holes of a box grater to get the "shred" texture, and cook in the same way as the mushrooms. Start the recipe with the ingredients in the same proportions, though you may need to add a little more soy sauce/salt because tofu has such a mild flavor.
- Add more vegetables. If you wanna up the nutrients, thin out the rice to make room inside the roll and add more vegetables, either more of the avocado and cucumber, or different kinds. Some of the favorites in this house: asparagus and baby spinach (pictured above)
What to Serve with California Rolls
A generous serving of fresh and umami-rich mushrooms rolled up with healthy fat avocado and hydrating cucumber can be an entire meal! But if you like to have additional sides, here are some great suggestions to pair with:
- Spicy Cucumber and Avocado Salad
- Roasted Zucchini with Miso
- Sesame Spinach
- Scallion salad
- Miso soup
California Roll with Mushrooms Recipe
Ingredients
for Sushi Rice
- 2 cups warm cooked short-grain brown rice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
for California Roll
- 12 ounces lion’s mane mushrooms shredded
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 sheets sushi nori lightly roasted
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 large firm-ripe avocado sliced length-wise into ¼-inch thin strips
- 2 Persian cucumbers sliced into long, ¼-inch thin strips
- to serve: light soy sauce for dipping, prepared wasabi, pickled ginger
Instructions
Make Sushi Rice:
- Sprinkle rice vinegar over warm cooked sushi rice. Using a large wooden spoon or spatula, gently fold rice to distribute vinegar and sesame oil.
Cook Mushrooms:
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the shredded lion's mane mushroom strips in the pan, DRY, i.e. without oil. Dry sautéing will draw out some of the excess moisture from the mushrooms. Allow the mushrooms to brown at their edges. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
- Drizzle avocado oil, tamari or soy sauce, and garlic powder if using, over the mushrooms in the pan. Stir fry until fragrant and the mushrooms have developed a deep brown color. Remove mushrooms from heat.
Roll Sushi:
- Lay one sheet of toasted nori on bamboo sushi rolling mat with the shiny side face down and the longer edge of the rectangle facing you. Spread ¼ cup of prepared sushi rice over nori in a very thin layer, leaving a ½-inch margin at the top and bottom, along the longer edges. Sprinkle the rice with ½ tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds.
- Arrange a line of 4-6 avocado slices, then cucumber slices, then about 2 tablespoons of the cooked mushrooms from end-to-end, about ⅓ of the way away from you.
- Carefully lift the edge closest to you over the avocado cucumber and mushrooms. Use the bamboo mat to pull the edge over the ingredients. Roll the sushi, gently squeezing the bamboo mat to shape the roll into a cylinder. The far edge of the nori should “seal” closed on its own.
Cut California Rolls
- Using the sharpest, longest knife you have, cut the roll into eight (8) ½-inch wide pieces. To do this, cut the roll in half. Wipe the knife’s blade with a damp cloth or paper towel, then cut each half into halves, wiping the knife between each cut to make the cleanest cuts. Cut the quarters into halves again.
- Serve with small dipping bowls of light soy sauce, prepared wasabi, and pickled ginger.
Notes
Food for Afterthoughts
The California Roll makes me mad.
Every time I go to a Japanese restaurant or sushi bar, I crinkle my nose when I see California rolls on the menu. If someone actually orders a California Roll, I just have to *sigh* I don’t know the history of how the California roll came into existence, but I’d be willing to bet my own bamboo mat that it wasn’t a sushi chef in Japan that created the original pseudo-sushi that is the ancestor to things like Rainbow Rolls, Las Vegas Rolls and Godzilla forbid, cream cheese stuffed Philadelphia Rolls.
But even with my mild aversion to the idea of a California roll, I have to admit that I love all the components: crabmeat, avocadoes, cucumbers. So every once in a while, I allow the California roll to serve as the inspiration for a super easy throw-together meal for a hectic weekday that would make Rachael Ray nervous about her job – a California roll in a bowl, properly referred to as the California Böll here at the Delicious Life.
Make a California Roll into a California Boll
Steamed white rice brown rice with quinoa is the base. Two cups of hot cooked rice get tossed with a tablespoon each of rice wine vinegar and soy sauce (more if you’re a saltaholic like me), and a teaspoon each of sugar, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. Fresh hot rice tastes the best, but re-heated leftover rice works well since it will have things added to it anyway. Pile the rice into a bowl, and then add the ingredients that make a California roll: avocado, cucumber, chopped crab meat, and garnished with toasted nori. Yes this is a weekday meal and I had to use “krab” meat because who the hell is going to the fish market on a Thursday to buy live crabs, steam them, and pull their meat for a stupid rice bowl?
Variations of the Böll make it onto the Delicious dinner table fairly often for weekday meals. When I am good, and can plan in advance, I make the big Sunday dinner something that includes a large pot of rice, with the intention of having leftover rice for Sushi Roll Bölls all week.
With the same rice base as the California Böll, a substitution of broiled unagi (freshwater eel) instead of crabmeat along with the avocado and cucumber and drizzled with the sweet unagi kabayaki sauce becomes an Unagi Roll Bowl. Served with fresh maguro (tuna), chopped scallions, and a drizzle of spicy sriracha and sesame oil it's a Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl. Add all manner of colorful raw fish and you have a Rainbow Roll Bowl.
I put my foot down, however, at cream cheese. Never ever, not even for a pseudo sushi bowl, should one add cream cheese to sushi.
LACheesemonger says
Ah come on now Sarah, now you're really insulting me.
Let's take a look at the very 1st post I made to your blog about Typhoon... shall we?....dance.
"ESSAY 5" ...(origin of California Roll)
http://www.thesushibar.com/ssushi_chipcolumn.shtml
Ah yes, that post that the CHLA team deleted, one 'controversial' paragraph went about like this on a 1k post rant about the excessive use/misuse of 'authentic' on CHLA's board by ignorant 'experts' who don't know what they are talking about:
"I was in Little Tokyo waiting for the former Fujiyoshi restaurant to open when I walked into the clothing store next door. A young college aged, Japanese temp saleswoman who did not speak English all that well, was asked by yours truly, if she had been next-door to try the sushi. She said no and that she also worked part-time at a Japanese restaurant near the Beverly Center, but that she likes sushi... " I like California Roll and spicy tuna roll". Seriously, arrgh, the youth of Japan has been corrupted by Americanized/Western cultural fastfood mentality! You can get either of these now 'traditional' (as long as you were born in Japan in the last few decades) sushi items at many a sushi bar in Japan. Blasphemy for us 'old-farts' " CHLA hits the delete button, hehe.
Sushi 101, and for those who missed it Typhoon's top dog chef uses Westernized two-edged knives to cut his sushi, not the traditional (and potentially sharper edge, from craftsmen that go back the knife making and samurai swords) single-edged specialty Japanese knives.
I suppose I could give you a few more links about Japanese knives, various types of steel used for the ultra expensive custom models that are priced at over $1k.
Hmm, now did DS see the Jonathan Gold article (and has the hot to trot Sarah been to Koi yet to... um, hookup ;-) ?) about how Shige (Shibucho on Beverly, which is NOT a dump) only serves what 'da princess' would consider traditional sushi?
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/05/32/restguide-sushi.php
See, that's why you cannot even believe the so-called experts. Now assuming, I could get Sonya Choi to put up with the hyperactive DS (well since they both like to cook Korean food at home, umm well of course Sonya does have a French chef b/f... which would make DS kind of jealous, lol); I was thinking DS could join us sometime when we head on back to a rare appearance at Shibucho for the usual suspects of loads of wine, food- challenged, Shige prepared meals to work with the wines, and NO karaoke. I mean you can only make sushi for how many decades before you get kind of bored with it. Throw in a gang of wine weenies/ corkheads; hellbent on challenging the chef to come up with mostly Japanese influenced, but fusion with Mediterranean/Italian cooking, et viola Japanese pizza, cause we joked with him (not a good idea, given his sometimes whimsical moods) about how the rich but acidic 1992 Alsatian Riesling Sonya brought would go great with pizza... if only this were an Italian pizzeria.
So there you have it, thinly cut Japanese eggplant slices, with a medium-coarse tomato puree (Momataro?), and grated Italian parmesan sprinkled on top and then quickly melted down with the broiler. What you see in the decanter, next to my bottle of 1995 W-S Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir-sexy sweet with some types of sushi, is the 1992 Williams-Selyem Zinfandel-hehe only 15.6% alcohol, but given Sonya and that other lightweight from 'Da Bronx, a person even more hyper that Sarah!, in the picture, were starting to burp 1/2 way through the meal of umm, 8 opened-but not all finished bottles (from the hillside portion of the Martinelli vineyard, which is where the oldest 90+yr vines are, nicknamed but never used on the labels before the younger generation of Martinelli's took over from Grandpa Leno Martinelli.... 'Jackass Hill', cause it took a jackass/mule to pull carts up the super steep hill, where machinery could not go, to load up the picked grapes), it was an 'Bacchanalian feast' as it were,
Not sure DS could handle that, and no sex- kind of like the interviewer from GQ with Goddess Supreme Jessica Alba (whom I'll tell you I'm quite jealous of, started becoming a sophisticated wine drinker in her teens, now that's just not right... and I highly doubt she could tell you all these different nuances and different varietals as claimed in the article... but still, if JA wants to drink up a storm with me and some tasty food sometime, I'm available, lol!
http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_847 )
Oh sure we had some maguro sashimi as a palette cleanser towards the end of the meal, but other than that, no real 'traditional' sushi. More fusion than anything else.
Then again, DS doesn't even read the links I provide, so would it be worth it to have her along if she only pays attention to what she wants to pay attention to??? Hmm, her bio says 'big brain'; but apparently big brain needs to be slapped up side the head on occasion ;). So I say to DS, "you're bad". Then she does the comeback line that Sandra Oh's character from Sideways says, "I know, I need to be spanked". Uh huh, me thinks DS is a bit on the silly side when she goes out, I could be wrong though... 1st, 2nd, 3rd impressions and so on ;)
No matter how steady your hands are, without a flash, it's impossible to get sharp/blur-free pictures at slow shutter speeds. You need either a expensive, big SLR digicam; or a newer model Point-N-shoot that has a image sensor that goes up to at least ISO rating of 1600, like the Fuji F10.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v103/udaman/Sushi%20Shibucho/eggplant-pizza.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v103/udaman/Sushi%20Shibucho/dessert.jpg
M$ Word tallies, ~999 words, not quite up to DS’s usual 1k+ average…I guess I just don’t have her gift for gab :(
BTW-CHLA team, try & delete this from DS's blog, she'll get a full version via e-mail anyway, so there!
Jennifer says
Wow! That's a mouthful!
Anyway, I have to secretly admit I had a Philadelphia roll last week. Not the most authentic piece of sushi in the world but it was pretty darn good. Do I get kicked out of the club?
sarah says
congratulations, cheesemonger! your post actually stayed permanent! and yes yes, i do click through your links - when they're clickable - otherwise, ctrl+c, ctrl-v is too much effort for me ;) now, how do i respond to all those other comments you made...? just one - absofockinglutely yes i am silly when i go out (no, i'm not a lightweight, for fox ache i'm korean) - LOL! also, food and dining out just can't be taken too seriously or else i'd be disappointed a lot more, dontcha think?
jennifer: i am LOL about your philadelphia roll! why be secret about it! stand up! be proud! eat a philly roll and say you liked it out loud! lol! i certainly don't keep to myself what i like and don't like, and neither should anyone else! ;)
Stephanie says
Oh, that's brilliant. Why haven't I thought of this? And there's some fairly decent vegetarian crab out there...thanks for the recipe!
Stephanie says
Oh, that's brilliant. Why haven't I thought of this? And there's some fairly decent vegetarian crab out there...thanks for the recipe!
s says
this is a great idea. i always get like the fajita bowls but this is good easy idea.
i really enjoy your blog!
Sam says
i like this idea but sans cucumber
i also like california rolls
there si something so satiftying about avocado
umm, avocado maki, yum.
isn't it time lacheesemonger got his own blog?
Clare Eats says
I agree sam!
I like this with a big pile of smoked salmon instead of the faux crab mmmmmm
sarah says
if i didn't feel so damn guilty about it (focking bridesmaid dress - LOL!), i'd eat an avocado boll, a la sam! just rice and avocado - how delicious would that be?!?!?
and salmon would be awesome! i've never made a smoked salmon boll - now what would go with that? (not cream cheese! ;) )
sarah says
if i didn't feel so damn guilty about it (focking bridesmaid dress - LOL!), i'd eat an avocado boll, a la sam! just rice and avocado - how delicious would that be?!?!?
and salmon would be awesome! i've never made a smoked salmon boll - now what would go with that? (not cream cheese! ;) )
Sam says
oh shit - i forgot - i have a bridesmaid dress to fit into, too, come october.
damned calories in the scrummy avocado.
duckduckgoose says
Last night I had a bowl with quinoa, lemon, green onion, blue cheese, smoked trout and avocado. I guess that's my crazy version. For somebody who claims not to like rice you sure seem to eat it often. Why torture yourself? It would be just as good with quinoa, pasta, wild rice, kasha, cous cous, etc.
sarah says
oi, sam! isn't it torturous!?! *sigh* come holiday season right after though, NO restrictions! ;)
duckduckgoose: VERY interesting combination! smoked trout actually sounds great - i don't think i've ever tasted it before.
hee hee. actually, the rice is done for others who eat with me. when i make my portion, usually i substitute crumbled TOFU for rice! looks exactly the same ;)
i have not yet made anything with quinoa at home, though i have tried it many times before.
on a side note - i actually don't love pasta/noodles that much either. my carb/starch of choice is always...BREAD. :)
duckduckgoose says
It would definitely make a good sandwich.
Anonymous says
very tasty, thanks! jp! ;)
Anonymous says
Wonderful blog. Keep up the good work.
LACheesemonger says
And speaking of all things Japanese authentic & traditional ;); who is going to the annual Tofu Festival, as part of LA's Nisei week Aug. 13-14th?
http://www.tofufestival.com/mainpage.html
http://www.tofufestival.com/food.html
Spam Musubi, Tofu Tacos, Tofu Cheesecake, Tofu Ice Cream, Tofu Chili, and OMG Sarah... Tofu Nachos! Chased with a yummy 'traditional' Soy Milk Tea Boba, Passion Fruit Juice w/Boba. ;-) Gotta go!
Actually, I don't really hate Tofu, Royal Star makes a tasty good seafood chowder with soft tofu squares; which was recommended by the former sweetie of a cashier/hostess as something easy to swallow, for my mother when my mother's throat was all swollen and in pain from radiation treatments and removal of malignant tumor under her tongue
Spam spam, spam spam... wonderful Spam! Bo Boba, boba boba...wonderful Boba!
Then there's Arcadia's, LA 18- Harvest Moon Festival... will they even have any decent mooncakes, and shouldn't they have put on the event in August, instead of Sept18th???
Last but not least, we can expect lots of 'authentic' & 'traditional' (well at least for the last decade or so... that's old enough to become 'cultural'... pop culture, isn't it ;) ) at the 32st Los Angeles Korean Festival, in commemoration of the 100th year Korean immigration, September 22-25.
http://www.lakoreanfestival.com/festival.htm
With so much tradition & 'authenticity'; maybe I should get away from food & wine for a spell lol, and see Wong Kar Wai's new American release movie '2046'- futuristic/sex thriller; that could be fun ;) ? A modern day version of that 'classic' (it's more than a decade old so it qualifies as a classsic, doesn't it- Sharon Stone sex thriller 'Sliver'? Doh.
kirk says
Don't forget tofutti!!! I usually go every year - can't miss tofu-zilla after all!
tara says
Lovely and fresh looking for a hot day - and as mentioned, a great sandwich filling (I'm already partial to crabmeat/lobster club sandwiches with avocado).
Anonymous says
O come on the california roll help americans get introduced to sushi,and is a gateway to help them explore sushi options.May they will try nigiri,or guncan maki on the next visit to thier local sushi su?aka sushi restrant.
have a nice day
CHEF B
Sarah J. Gim says
That's actually very, very true, Chef B. I shouldn't be such a hater :) And the reality is, when I am REALLY in a bind, I run into a grocery store and pick up a CA roll.
Anonymous says
isn't this just a variation of hwae dup bap?
Sarah J Gim says
anonymous: kind of, but the hwae dup bahp I've always seen has raw fish. i don't trust myself enough with raw fish at home. hell, apparently i don't even trust myself with real fish since i used "krab" meat. ;)
and besides, hwae dup bap is really in a class by itself, since it should have enough gohchoojahng to burn a hellmouth of a hole in your intestines.
Corinne says
I know this is a superold entry... found it on Tastespotting... this is a great idea! pseu shi! I love it!
A says
I saw this on tastespotting.com as well; great recipe! I added a bit of wasabi paste to it, and went way heavy on the soy sauce. Yum.
Anonymous says
There is a form of this type of "sushi bowl" already in Japanese cuisine; it's called Chirashi-sushi ("Chirashi" means to "scatter" pieces of fish/veggies/condiments over sushi rice). In restaurants the sashimi (raw fish slices) are beautifully arranged with other ingredients like shiitake mushrooms or avocado. I'm sure you'll find it at many Japanese restaurants. Food bloggers should learn more about what's out there in a culture's cuisine before stating it as your own.
Sarah J. Gim says
You are so right, Anonymous. I should be shot with stale scones for such flagrant food blogging misconduct - firstly for not doing 6 weeks of proper research before writing about something I throw together for dinner on a weekday, and secondly, for invisibly claiming chirashi sushi as my own (my own what? creation? recipe?) even though technically, if I were to claim anything at all, it'd be my invention of hwae duhp bahp since I'm korean.
rad.
amy says
Methinks that this is *awesome* Very creative. I likie : P
Jackie says
What a brilliant idea. I love the idea of a deconstructed California roll sushi. Rolling sushi can be such a pain, next I have a craving for sushi, I'll try that :)
Hillary says
I agree that the California roll shouldn't be considered sushi...I'm not so big on them either. I mainly dislike them because they are often made with imitation crabmeat. Nice bowl idea.
Kevin says
Deconstructed sushi is a great idea!
Bogita_ says
I just made this tonight ( sorry to post on a 3 yr old thread, but I just found this on Pinterest). This was amazing to eat on a hot night because the ingredients are so fresh and the rice is the only thing that has to be cooked. I added water chesnuts and vidalia onion to mine. It was a give hit, thanks!
Sarah J. Gim says
bogita: don't apologize for posting to an "old" recipe! (can't believe this California "Boll" is SEVEN YEARS OLD!)
it's always nice to be reminded of good foods to make again ;D the water chestnuts are a *great* idea to add texture...love it! thanks! ~ sarah
jason says
I like that you elaborated on WHY you don't like the California roll and look down your nose at people who eat it.