Filipinos have now adapted to more authentic Asian cuisine specifically Japanese and Korean food. What with the increasing number of expats all over the islands thus causing a mushrooming of establishments selling not only these types of food but ingredients as well.
I believe it is a very good thing that we now love sushi and kimchi because they are actually beneficial to our health.
For now, we start with the growingly popular California Maki. Fun fact though is that this dish may have been created by a Japanese but he made this for Americans to cater to their taste. Traditional Maki used fatty tuna, but it was replaced by avocado and for this recipe, mango. Also traditional Maki is made with the seaweed on the outside, the California has it inside out.
1/2 lemon or 1 whole calamansi, juiced
1 medium
avocado/mango,
peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces 4 sheets nori
4 cups sushi rice, cooked (Sushi/Japanese Rice cooked-2 cups rice in 3 cups water)
1 tbsp. rice wine/rice vinegar
1/3 cup sesame seed, toasted
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into matchstick-size pieces
4 crabsticks, sliced lengthwise
wasabi, for serving
soy sauce, for serving
If using avocados (which is preferred because it has the best texture to replace the protein in traditional sushis which is the fatty tuna), squeeze the lemon juice over the avocado to prevent browning.
Place the freshly cooked rice in a bowl and mix it with rice wine or rice vinegar. Set aside.
Cover a bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap or cling wrap.
Cut the nori sheets in half crosswise. Lay 1 sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the plastic covered mat.
Wet your fingers with water and spread approximately 1/2 cup of the rice evenly onto the nori. Sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds.
Place the second plastic covered bamboo rolling mat on top and flip the two over so that the rice side is down.
Place 1/8 of the cucumber, avocado/mango and crab sticks in the center of the sheet.
Grab the edge of the mat closest to you, keeping the fillings in place with your fingers, and roll it into a tight cylinder, using the mat to shape the cylinder.
It's just simple and easy especially if you have prepared all ingredients and materials you need beforehand.
You can make this and have California Maki in the comfort of your own home.
Enjoy!
