Crab & Cucumber Rolls

These were crab and cucumber rolls.

As the weather is getting warm, I would like to eat more something light and fresh. Su-meshi, or vinegared sushi rice is on the right spot. I thought of making Futomaki, but I didn't have Koya-dofu (freeze-dried Tofu) or Kanpyo (dried shavings of calabush) that I would like to see in Futomaki. An alternative idea popped up in mind. California rolls. It would be no problem to find imitation crab sticks at a local grocery store. Cucumber would be fine. However I wasn't sure if I could get good ripen avocados and how long avocados could keep their pretty green color in the rolls even if I squeezed some lemon juice over avocados. So, by skipping avocados, the rolls would be not California rolls but crabs and cucumber rolls. For me, it sounded fine. Like California rolls, some toasted sesame would be a nice addition. Since I didn't made my rolls "inside-out" like typical California rolls, I sprinkled sesames on the rice which was "inside" as a traditional sushi roll.

Then, set crabs and cucumbers on the rice.

Roll, roll, roll.

It's always fun to do this.

Slice rolls with a wet sharp knife and they were ready to eat!

I also made miso soup with Tofu, mushrooms and carrots. Unfortunately the local grocery store didn't have shiitake mushrooms, so I bought little brown mushrooms. I couldn't believe they didn't have scallions either, so there was no scallion in the soup. I felt the miso soup was incomplete, but I cut carrots into little flowers to cheer myself up.

The crab and cucumber roll dinner was a hit! J liked it very much. The rolls were much easier to make than Futomaki. I expect to see crab and cucumber rolls more often on our table from now on.