by Melanie Denyer

Created on: January 23, 2009

California rolls are probably one of the tastiest - and healthiest - snack foods ever created. And while they may, at first glance, look daunting to make, all it takes is a little know-how for you to be making the freshest and most flavoursome California rolls you've ever tasted. Here's how:

Ingredients:

2 cups sushi rice

2.5 cups water

100ml rice vinegar

2 tbsps white suga

2 tsps salt

1 crab, dressed (white meat only)

1 ripe Hass avocado

3-4 sheets Nori seaweed

Mayonnaise (to taste, but allow a couple of tablespoons)

2 tsps wasabi paste (optional)

Sesame seeds and/or flying fish roe to garnish

Utensils:

Saucepan with close-fitting lid (or use your rice cooker if you have one)

Wide shallow bowl/dish

Plastic or bamboo rice paddle or spatula

Bamboo sushi rolling mat

Sharp knife

Some clingfilm

First, don't be put off by the long ingredients list! The starting place for any sushi is in preparing the rice. Wash the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear, then put it into a saucepan with a close-fitting lid. Add the water, put the lid on and bring the water to the boil. Once the water has boiled, turn the rice down to simmer for 10 minutes with the lid still firmly on. Resist the temptation to lift the lid and check on progress - you should be able to hear whether it's doing OK. Turn the heat out beneath the pan and leave the rice to stand for another 10 minutes before you even think about removing the lid.

While the rice is standing, mix the rice vinegar, sugar and salt together and heat gently until the sugar and salt have dissolved. You can do this in a saucepan over a low heat or put the ingredients in a microwave for 15 second bursts, whichever is easier for you.

Transfer the rice to a wide shallow dish. If you're using a wooden or bamboo dish, make sure you soak it in water for 15 minutes before putting the rice in, or it's likely to stick. Spread it out to help it cool, and start to mix in the rice vinegar mixture as evenly as you can with the rice paddle. Not only does this help it cool, it gives the sushi rice its characteristic glossy look, as well as stopping it from becoming too sticky. Since rice brands may vary, you may need more or less of the vinegar mixture: stop adding it once the rice is still holding together, but can easily be separated. Using less will make life easier than using more!

While the rice finishes cooling, prepare the remaining ingredients for your California roll. First, take the crab from its shell and separate off the white meat: the more pungent

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