Inside-out roll sushi

uramaki

Despite appearances, this type of rolled sushi is easier to prepare than the traditional nori-outside version. This is because the amount of rice used isn’t so crucial, and furthermore, inside-out rolls can be prepared in advance, as it is less important for the nori to stay crisp. The “California roll” demonstrated here traditionally contains cooked crabmeat and avocado. It was first created by an American-born Japanese sushi chef in the early 1970s for some of his customers who were less keen to eat raw fish and also didn’t like the sensation of biting into crisp nori. It has since become a classic.

MAKES 36 pieces | PREPARATION TIME 35 minutes, plus sushi rice and ingredient preparation

INGREDIENTS

For the vinegared water

2–3 tbsp rice vinegar | 1 cup water

For the sushi rolls

3 sheets nori seaweed | 1 quantity sushi rice | 4oz (120g) crabmeat | 1 baby cucumber or ¹⁄₄ large cucumber, cut into pencil-thick strips | ¹⁄₂ cup mayonnaise | wasabi paste (optional) | 1 medium avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced lengthwise into thin strips | 6 tbsp flying fish roe

METHOD

1 Mix the ingredients for the vinegared water in a small bowl and set aside. Lay a bamboo rolling mat on your work surface and cover it with plastic wrap. Break a nori sheet in half across the grain and place it on the mat.

2 Dip your hands in the vinegared water, take a good handful of rice about 3¹⁄₂oz (100g) in weight, and place it in the middle of the nori. Use your fingers to spread an even layer of rice to the edges of the nori. Pick up the rice-covered nori and quickly turn it over on the mat.

3 Lay the crab and cucumber along the center of the nori. Add a line of mayonnaise on one side and a thin smear of wasabi on the other, if using. Arrange the avocado on top.

4 Lift up the near edge of the mat, holding the fillings in place with your fingers, if necessary. Start rolling to join the 2 edges of the rice and nori sheet together.

5 Gently squeeze along the length of the roll to mold it together, then lift up the front edge of the mat and push the roll forward to join the 2 edges of nori. Use gentle but firm pressure to shape the log into a round or square shape.

6 Open the mat. Spoon the fish roe onto the sushi roll, and use the back of a spoon to spread the roe over it. Turn the roll over to coat underneath it. The roe does not have to cover the sushi perfectly. Repeat to make 6 sushi rolls.

7 Dip a cloth or kitchen towel in the vinegared water, use it to moisten a sharp knife, and cut each roll in half. Place the 2 halves next to each other, moisten the knife, and cut twice to give 6 equal-sized pieces per roll.

Inside-out roll sushi