Classic California Roll – 2 Ways 經典加州卷 (兩式)

My kids love Japanese food, I guess that runs in the family!  Unlike my Little Girl, my Son is not quite fond with raw fish or sashimi, just yet.  My Little Girl is definitely more adventurous in terms of trying new food.  But one item that they both enjoy is California Roll!  Well, honestly, I think California Roll is in the “American food” category, not Japanese.  Ha!  Of course, I’m not going to be technical with my kids.  After all, I always encourage them to try different/new food, and California Roll is definitely a good starting point when you are new to Japanese food.



That’s why today I am sharing with you on how to make the Classic California Rolls in 2 different ways 經典加州卷 (兩式).  These are quite easy to prepare as you can see from the video tutorial above.  I prepare rice and Chinese dishes almost everyday.  Therefore, I prepare my sushi rice in my trusted rice cooker.  If you don’t have one, you can prepare the rice in a pot on stove top, or get a box of to-go rice. 



There are a few basic tools and ingredients in preparing sushi rolls, such as the rolling mat, nori (seaweed), sushi seasoning package, etc.  I’ll list them all at the end of this post for your reference.  After you’ve obtained these basic tools and ingredients, you can make different type of sushi rolls.  The sky is the limit and you can be creative with the fillings you like as well.



In the video tutorial, I shared two different ways of making California rolls.  The first way is the more classic way, with the nori on the outside and the rice and fillings wrapped inside (see picture above).  I also used the classic ingredients, such as avocado, Japanese cucumber, and imitation crab meat.



The second way of rolling the California Roll is with the rice on the outside, wrapping the fillings inside the nori.  Then, I roll the entire sushi roll on some toasted sesame seeds for more flavor and textures.  Last but not least, some masago eggs on top for a crunch.  They are comparable to tiny caviar with a little salty and briny pop. 



I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and video tutorial.  These are so easy to make and they’ll make wonderful summer party food as well.  Thank you for stopping by today and stay tuned for more fun and easy recipe and videos.


Tools and Ingredients Used:
Zojirushi Rice Cooker: (Click here for more information)
Nori (seaweed): (Click here for more information)
Japanese Short Grain Rice: (Click here for more information)
Japanese Powdered Sushi Rice Seasoning (Clickhere for more information)
Toasted Sesame Seeds (Clickhere for more information)
Imitation Crab Meat Sticks (Clickhere for more information)
Sushi Bamboo Rolling Mat (Clickhere for more information)

Broccoli with Egg Whites and Crab Meat 賽螃蟹

My Kids are finally back to the school routines.  We sure have a busy schedule this year, from soccer practices to ballet classes, and volunteering at their school; kids are keeping me super busy.  There’s only a limited time for me to prepare dinner every night and I love to keep things simple.  This Broccoli with Egg Whites and Crab Meat 賽螃蟹 is one of our favorite entrée for the weeknights.  It’s quick and easy to prepare and packed with wonderful flavors.  It’s a pretty light, yet decadent dish to enjoy.



Broccoli with Egg Whites and Crab Meat is a very popular Shanghai dish.  Although the Chinese name of this dish, 賽螃蟹, included the word crab; the traditional recipe doesn’t involve real crab meat at all.  Here’s the story/history about this dish.  According to the Chinese Wikipedia, Empress Dowager Cixi (慈禧太后) was craving for crab one day.  However, the palace in Beijing is far from the ocean and the royal chef didn’t have any fresh crabs to cook for the Empress.  Instead, the chef improvised by using egg whites to imitate  crab meat (such a brave and clever chef!)  The Empress ended up loving this dish and the recipe was passed to different places including Shanghai, and it became very popular there.



I guess I am eating even better than the Empress as I do have access to fresh crab meat whenever I want!  If you prefer the traditional approach, simply double the egg white portion and omit the crab meat.  I personally love having the real crab meat in it, that just feels and tastes more luxurious, in my opinion.  Either way, I know you’ll enjoy this dish just as much.  However, the traditional recipe calls for a raw egg yolk on top.  If you have concerns about consuming raw egg yolk, simply use pasteurized eggs in this recipe for the peace of mind.  Last but not least, this dish is usually serve with red vinegar, or you can use the Chinese black vinegar instead.  The acidity really cuts through the richness of the egg whites and the yolk, which rounds out the flavors of this dish perfectly. 




Please click on the video below to see how I made this dish.





I hope you enjoyed watching my video tutorial.  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my YouTube channel here.  You’ll be the first to know when I have new video tutorials published.

Until next time, please stay tuned for more easy recipes and fun giveaways.


Ingredients and props for this post:
Bamboo Placemats (Click here for more information)
Crab shape Chopstick rest (Click here for similar product)
Wood Chopsticks (Click here for similar product)

Green Gazpacho

You know Spring is here when you see the gorgeous and vibrant green asparagus at the market stands.  Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables to prepare and I couldn't help but to grab a few bunches whenever I see them available.  Can you believe we’re having 80+ F. degree in April?  After living in L.A. for so many years, I’m not surprise though.  With the hot weather, it’s very natural that I crave for something light and refreshing, such as gazpacho.  Gazpacho is usually a tomato-based, vegetable soup, traditionally served cold, originating in the southern Spanish region of Andalucía. Gazpacho is widely consumed in Spanish cuisine, as well as in neighboring Portugal, where it is known as gaspacho.  Did you know that my hubby is half Portuguese?  No wonder he likes this soup a lot.  



In this Green Gazpacho, I used asparagus, spinach, Lindsay Naturals’ California Green Ripe Olives, fresh mint leaves, a little lemon juice and some vegetable stock for the soup base.  Then, I top it all off with some sweet and juicy jumbo lump crab meat, a few rounds of Lindsay’s olive for texture, a dollop of crème fraîche for creaminess, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and garnish with a spring of mint.  It was the most refreshing soup I've ever tasted!  If you want to keep it vegetarian, you can skip the crab meat.  But I’m telling you, the sweetness from the crab meat really matches wonderfully with this light and healthy soup.



As I mentioned above, I used Lindsay Naturals’ California Green Ripe Olives in the soup.  They are pretty mild, yet very buttery and smooth.  The taste is slightly salty and nutty.  They are definitely my favorite olives to use.  Make sure you use this kind and not the one from the jar for this recipe as the later ones tend to be too strong and salty for the soup. 



I save a few and cut them in rounds to garnish the soup.  They make a great snack as well and my Daughter is a big fan.  You can serve this soup as an appetizer or a side dish.  How about serving a bigger portion and call it a meal?  That's what I did the other day and it was a satisfying lunch!



Here goes the perfect spoonful of goodness.  A little bit of everything. 



It was a light and refreshing lunch that I’ll be making very often this Spring.




This would be festive and prefect for St. Patrick's Day too!





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