Let’s be real: California rolls are the gateway drug of sushi. They’re where a lot of people take their first bite into the world of raw fish… except, of course, there’s no raw fish involved. Just creamy avocado, sweet crab (or “krab,” depending on your level of fancy), crisp cucumber, and seasoned rice all bundled up in a tidy little roll. They’re approachable, tasty, and downright nostalgic.

At our restaurants, we sell so many of these—it’s honestly wild. They’re one of those rare dishes that everyone agrees on. Kids love them, sushi skeptics feel safe ordering them, and regulars never seem to get tired of them. And while they may seem like something you can only get from a sushi bar, they’re actually easier to recreate at home than you might think. You don’t need any special skills, just a bamboo mat, some plastic wrap, and a little bit of patience. Plus, once you nail this basic roll, you’ll feel ready to level up and try all kinds of homemade sushi.

So if you’ve ever wanted to bring a little sushi night magic to your own kitchen, California rolls are the perfect place to start. Let’s get into it.

The History of the California Roll

California Rolls may not be “traditional” Japanese sushi, but they’ve definitely earned their place in sushi history. Most people trace their origins back to the 1960s or ’70s, when sushi chefs in California started swapping out raw fish for creamy avocado and imitation crab to better suit American tastes.

They even flipped the seaweed to the inside of the roll—something that was considered pretty wild at the time—to make it look less intimidating as the west hadn’t yet caught on to the deliciousness that is dried seaweed.  The result? An easygoing, crowd-pleasing roll that helped pave the way for sushi’s popularity in the U.S.  So if California Rolls were your first sushi love, you’re not alone.

Let’s Talk Sushi Rice
Sushi rice is the foundation of any good roll—it’s not just plain white rice. Japanese short-grain rice has a higher starch content, which gives it that signature stickiness and just the right amount of chew. After cooking, it’s seasoned with a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, and a touch of kombu to add subtle umami.

It might seem like a small detail, but perfectly seasoned sushi rice is what ties all the flavors together and gives your rolls that authentic sushi shop flavor. Don’t skip it—it’s worth the extra step.

I start making my California rolls by first making the sushi vinegar. I add all the ingredients to a saucepan and let it sit on low heat for about 10 minutes. This gives the kombu time to rehydrate and add its umami essence to the vinegar. The longer you let it steep, the better the flavor.

After the steeping time, I remove the pan from the heat and discard the seaweed. Once your vinegar is steeped and the kombu removed, rinse your raw rice until the water runs clear. Then soak it for 15–30 minutes before cooking—this helps it cook more evenly. Then use either a rice cooker or good old fashioned stove top method to cook your rice. Always let your rice sit for 5 minutes after it’s cooked to let it finish absorbing any residual moisture. Then, gently mix in the sushi vinegar with a chopping motion. Let it rest for 5 minutes, give it one more gentle stir, and allow it to fully cool to room temp before rolling.

While the rice is cooling, I prep the filling ingredients. I remove the seed from the avocado and then slice it into wedges before removing the skin.

Then I unwrap the krab sticks so they are ready to go too.

I also mix the wasabi powder with the water to make the all important wasabi garnish. Can’t have sushi without wasabi, am I right?

If you want to get fancy with it, start by rolling it into a little ball, and then score it with the back of a knife for a decorative finish. This is just an extra credit step…

Next I prep the cucumber. I listed it as an optional ingredient, but in my own rolls, I always include it for its lovely crunch. I use a Persian one, as they are less watery and I remove the seeds so they don’t make our California Rolls soggy.

Shaping California Rolls

Now that the ingredients are prepped it’s time to fill and roll these babies! Start by taking your sushi bamboo mat and wrapping it a couple of times in plastic wrap. Make sure to squeeze out any air as you wrap it. Then take the tip of your knife and gently poke several holes (between the slats of the bamboo) into the plastic wrap to remove any trapped air. This will keep things neat and tidy and easy to roll.

Place the seaweed, rough side up, onto your counter. Scoop 1 cup of rice onto the sheet of seaweed. Lightly wet your hands and gently spread the rice across the sheet of seaweed making sure to go just up to the top but making sure you go slightly over the bottom edge (this is so when you make your roll, the bottom edge will stick easily because of the slight overhang of rice).

I also like to add toasted sesame seeds:

Then put the seaweed rice side down on your mat (Pro-tip: at the restaurants, the chefs put the mat on top of the rice and then grabbing the mat and rice, deftly flip it over so it’s ready to fill):

Place 2 pieces of avocado in the middle of the roll and split one piece of crab stick and place it on top of the avocado. If you want to add any optional ingredients, do so with a light hand. You do not want to put too much filling and not be able to close the roll.

Pull the edge of the bamboo mat up while also holding onto the edge of the roll. Fold the bamboo mat over the ingredients, so the rice encloses the ingredients. Push down to secure the roll and then pull the mat while rolling the sushi roll to completely close it.

Pull the edge of the mat to each end, pushing into the roll with your fingers to straighten the ends.

Repeat with the rest of your seaweed and fillings; you should yield 4 rolls.

To slice your rolls cleanly and easily, set out a damp towel and use it to dampen your knife. This will make it easier for the knife to cut through all the ingredients cleanly.

Sushi is not a real make ahead food. It is a fleeting pleasure to be enjoyed right when you make it. Otherwise the rice hardens and it’s just not the same experience. Set out your soy sauce and some pickled ginger and pile your California rolls on a platter and dig in!

I hope this California Roll tutorial inspires you to get in the kitchen and start making sushi rolls at home. It’s easy, fun, and a delicious way to spend an evening. Let me know what you think and please don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love seeing your creations!

Got the sushi bug and are ready to try more? Check out these Inarizushi or my Sushi Party!

California Rolls

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: serves 2-4 1x
• Category: small plates, sides
• Cuisine: japanese

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Ingredients

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Sushi Vinegar :

• 3 ½ Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 ½ Tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ Tablespoons water
• A piece of kombu seaweed the size of your palm cut into a couple pieces

Rice:

• 1 ½ cups short grain Japanese rice (preferably tamaki gold or nishiki)
• 1 ½ cups plus 1 Tablespoon water 

Filling For Rolls:

• 4 krab sticks or 3 ounces crab meat
• 1 avocado
• 4 pieces half-sheet sized nori (dried seaweed sheets) 

Optional ingredients:

• Thinly sliced cucumber
• Kewpie Mayonnaise
• Sriracha
• Cream cheese

Garnish:

• 1 Tablespoon wasabi powder mixed with 2 teaspoons water
• 2 Tablespoons pickled sushi ginger

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Instructions

Make The Sushi Vinegar: Combine all of the sushi vinegar ingredients in a small sauce pan and let the pan sit on low heat for 10 minutes, letting the sugar melt completely. Let the vinegar cool to room temperature and remove the kombu seaweed before using. 

Make the rice: Wash the rice, gently swishing the grains with your hands. Rinse and repeat. Drain carefully into a colander and put the rice in a medium sauce pan. Add the water to the pan and let the rice sit for 15-30 minutes. (This helps the rice start absorbing the water and cook more evenly).

Bring the rice to a simmer over medium heat. Lower the heat to medium low and use a fork to gently go around the inside of the pot, unsticking any stuck grains. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook the rice for 10 minutes. 

Lower the heat to the lowest setting and continue cooking the rice for 8 minutes. Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 5 minutes.

Take a spatula and go around the inside of the pan to help get the rice out. Flip the pan over onto a large bowl and scoop the rice out. Pour the sushi vinegar onto the rice and then start a gentle chopping motion with the spatula to mix the vinegar into the rice. Take care not to crush the grains of rice.

Let the rice cool for 5 minutes and then again gently mix the rice with a chopping motion.

Let the rice cool to room temperature before using. 

Prepare the ingredients: Mix the wasabi and set aside. Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed, and then cut the avocado into 8 small wedges, removing the skin. If there is plastic wrapping on the crab sticks, remove it. 

If you want to try any of the optional ingredients, get them ready too. Trim a small persian cucumber and then cut it into thin wedges. Cut off the seeds, which make the sushi rolls soggy. 

Place all of your ingredients on the counter when you are already to make your sushi rolls.

Make The California Rolls: Prepare your bamboo mat by wrapping it a couple of times in plastic wrap. Make sure to squeeze out any air as you wrap it. Then take the tip of your knife and gently poke several holes (between the slats of the bamboo) into the plastic wrap to remove any trapped air.

Place the seaweed, rough side up, onto your counter. Scoop 1 scant cup (between 3/4 to 1 cup) of rice onto the sheet of seaweed. Lightly wet your hands and gently spread the rice across the sheet of seaweed, making sure to go just up to the top but making sure you go slightly over the bottom edge (this is so when you make your roll, the bottom edge will stick easily because of the slight overhang of rice).

Place 2 pieces of avocado in the middle of the roll and split one piece of crabstick and place it on top of the avocado. If you want to add any optional ingredients, do so with a light hand. You do not want to put too much filling and not be able to close the roll.

Pull the edge of the bamboo mat up while also holding onto the edge of the roll. Fold the bamboo mat over the the ingredients, so the rice encloses the ingredients. Push down to secure the roll and then pull the mat while rolling the sushi roll to completely close it. 

Pull the edge of the mat to each end, pushing into the roll with your fingers to straighten the ends.

Repeat with three more pieces of seaweed. You will yield 4 california rolls.

Using a sharp knife and a damp towel. Cut the rolls by first wetting your knife on the towel and cutting through the middle of the roll. Repeat wiping your knife and cutting through the rolls twice more so you yield 8 evenly sized pieces. (If you like your rolls thinner, you can make 5 or 6 cuts across the rolls. Make sure your knife is very sharp, otherwise just stick to 4 cuts, or you will make a squished mess).

Arrange the rolls on a platter and garnish with wasabi and some pickled ginger. Serve with soy sauce.

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Notes

*Sushi is best the day it is made, preferably immediately after it is made. You can make your seasoned rice ahead of time and hold it (covered with plastic wrap) at room temperature for a couple of hours. I do not recommend storing sushi in the fridge as the rice tends to harden. Sushi is just not one of those things that stores well. 

Keywords: california roll, sushi, rice, avocado, crab, nori, seaweed

In the realm of Japanese cuisine, few dishes evoke the same sense of warmth and nostalgia as Oyakodon. Even its name, where the literal translation is parent and child rice bowl, conjures comfort. The parent and child actually refers to the juicy morsels of chicken and gently cooked eggs that form the heart of the dish. It all gets simmered together in a sweet and savory sauce and then served over perfectly steamed rice.  The result is a dish that is greater than the sum of its parts; with just a handful of ingredients and minimal preparation, it manages to deliver a depth of flavor that belies its humble origins.

Oyakodon is a dish that is home cooking at its core. Simple, tasty, fast, and affordable. Plus the ingredients are common enough that people generally have it on hand, even if you don’t cook Japanese food often. It’s been on our menu for almost 50 years. It’s definitely not a trendy item. I doubt you will find viral videos or gram worthy photos, but it stands the test of time. Finally, it tastes great when you make it and reheats well too. And if you’re not yet sold, it’s packed with protein and absolutely perfect for a weeknight meal, so let’s get into it.

Oyakodon Sauce

The first step to making Oyakodon (besides steaming your rice) is to whip up the sauce that gives its characteristic lightly sweet and savory flavor. If you have some of my Homemade Dashi on hand, this would be an excellent use for it. If you don’t, then you can use a dashi packet simmered in water for 10 minutes or instant dashi powder can be used instead. Mirin, sake, soy sauce, and a touch of sugar round out this easy but delectable sauce.

Making Oyakodon

Once the sauce is made, I prep the rest of the ingredients, starting with thinly slicing half an onion.

Slice the scallions thinly, on an angle. I do this for aesthetics. Minced scallion will work just fine. Half will be used while cooking the Oyakodon and the other half will be used as a garnish.

I like to use chicken thighs because they stay nice and juicy. I like to keep the chicken chunks large so they’re easy to pick out and taste.

When breaking up the eggs be careful not to beat them. We’re going for a cool marbling effect here, it adds lots of visual appeal to your final Oyakodon. Cut through the eggs 6-8 times. I’m using heirloom blue eggs which have a bold orange color and rich taste. Use the best chicken and eggs you can get your hands on as the simplicity of this dish relies on good quality ingredients.

Gather everything near your cooktop as once you start cooking it goes quite quickly. Plus you won’t forget to add an ingredient, which I know has happened to all of us.

One of the keys to this dish is cooking it slowly, which gives the proteins a chance to cook evenly without toughening up. Also, you’re looking to evaporate some of the sauce. Don’t try and rush this by cooking it on higher heat. Not only will it get rubbery, but the sauce will evaporate too quickly and be very salty.

Make sure while it’s cooking that everything is evenly distributed so when you’ve finished cooking this dish, there will be chicken and onions in every bite!

Japanese folks prefer a gently cooked, softly set egg, that’s runny. Fun fact: Japanese eggs are scrupulously checked and free of salmonella, which is why raw eggs are featured prominently in the cuisine. If you would prefer a harder set, you can put a lid on the pan and cook for another few minutes.

Time to Serve!

Once the egg is cooked to your liking, it’s time to dig into all this deliciousness. As you can see in the photo below, there should be plenty of sauce left in the pan. Once you scoop the omelet onto the rice, pour some of the sauce over the bowls.

I like my Oyakodon drenched in the delicious sauce, it’s SO good mixed with the rice, so I pour all of it.

Then I garnish it with the other half of the scallions and serve it with shichimi togarashi or sansho pepper on the side.

I hope you love this taste of classic Japanese home cooking as much as we do in my home. If you try it, we want to hear about it! Drop a comment or tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen.

Crave Japanese food all the time? Try some of our favorite dishes:

Chicken Curry

Yakimatsu

Beef Udon

Oyakodon

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Category: entrees
• Cuisine: japanese

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Ingredients

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• ½ large onion peeled
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8–10 ounces)
• 4 large eggs 

Sauce:

• ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock)* 
• 1 Tbsp sake 
• 2 Tbsps soy sauce
• 2 Tbsps mirin
• 1 tsp sugar

For Serving:

• 3–4 cups cooked short-grain rice  
• 2 Scallions thinly sliced on an angle 
• shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) or ground sansho pepper (optional)

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Instructions

Make the sauce:

1. Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sake.
2. Stir to combine until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Set aside.

Make the dish:

1. Cut the onions thinly and set aside.
2. Trim the chicken of any fat or gristle.
3. Dice the chicken into large 1 ½ inch pieces.
4. Crack the eggs into a bowl and using a pair of chopsticks, cut through the egg whites and egg yolks 6-8 times so that the eggs look like a marbled pattern. Try not to whisk the eggs. You want to keep the eggs with a marbled yellow and white pattern.
5. Add the onions and the sauce to a medium 10” pan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
6. Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally so the chicken cooks evenly.
7. Make sure the chicken and onions are evenly distributed in the pan so your servings will have a good balance of meat and veg.
8. Slowly pour the eggs evenly over the simmering chicken and lower the heat to medium low.
9. Sprinkle half of the scallions evenly over the pan.
10. Cook the eggs for 3-4 minutes until the eggs are gently set, but still soft and a little runny. (Japanese people prefer their eggs undercooked. You can put a lid on the pan and cook for a little longer if you prefer your eggs more done.)
11. Portion your steamed rice into 2 serving bowls.
12. Divide the omelet and put half into each bowl, topping with the pan sauce (I like mine rather wet so I use all of the sauce).
13. Sprinkle the remaining scallions over each bowl and add a little Japanese pepper as desired.
14. Serve Oyakodon immediately.

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Notes

*For the steamed rice, start with 1½ cups of uncooked short-grain rice which will yield just over 4 cups of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings. For instructions, see perfect rice.

*If you plan on doubling this recipe, use 2 medium 10” pans instead of a larger pan for better temperature control in setting the eggs.

*If you do not have dashi prepared, you can use dashi packets or powder for a quick substitute. For the dashi packet, bring 1 cup of water to a simmer on high heat. Add the dashi packet and lower heat to medium. Simmer for 5 minutes and then steep for an additional 5 minutes. Strain out the packet and pour out ½ cup. If you’re using instant powder, combine  ½ cup water with ½ teaspoon of dashi powder. Stir to combine and continue with the recipe. 

*you can substitute gluten free soy sauce for the sauce. For vegetarians, use kombu/shiitake broth for the sauce and plant based meat alternative or tofu for the chicken.

Keywords: rice, rice bowl, eggs, japanese, oyako don, oyakodon, chicken