Homemade California rolls with salmon and cucumber. Today's recipe!

Preparing rolls requires attention to detail, particularly ensuring that the rice remains warm during the rolling process. This helps it stick better and maintain its shape. Chef Yevhen Klopotenko shares his method for making California-style rolls with cream cheese and cucumber.

Ingredients:

For the rice:

• short-grain rice – 200 g;
• water – 300 ml;
• rice vinegar – 50 ml;
• sugar – 1 tsp;
• salt – ½ tsp;
• soy sauce and wasabi for serving.

For uramaki rolls:

• cooked rice – 200 g;
• nori – 2 sheets;
• cream cheese – 100 g;
• cucumber – 100 g;
• white sesame seeds – 40-60 g.

Preparation Method:

Rinse the short-grain rice several times. Pour in 300 ml of water, bring it to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes covered. Remove the rice from the heat and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. In a separate bowl, prepare the dressing by bringing 50 ml of rice vinegar to a boil with 1 tsp of sugar and ½ tsp of salt. Pour the mixture over the rice and stir well.

For the uramaki roll, wrap a bamboo mat in plastic wrap and spread 100 g of rice in a rectangle slightly larger than the nori sheet you are using. Place the nori sheet on top of the rice.

Using a pastry bag, squeeze about 30-50 g of cream cheese on top. Then add 50 g of cucumber, cut into sticks.

Roll the mat tightly to form the roll. Slice it into bite-sized pieces. Coat each piece in sesame seeds. Repeat the same process with the second sheet of nori from the beginning. You will need about 40-60 g of sesame seeds for 2 rolls. Serve the rolls with wasabi and soy sauce to taste.