My husband has been converted and I’m the culprit!

I think my husband is turning Japanese because he is into Japanese food these days. He used to hate Japanese food. He said the thought of eating something raw makes him gag. But now, he just devours california rolls, tempura, ramen, chicken teriyaki, etc. Thanks to me, he has come to appreciate Japanese food. So now he has been converted and I’m the culprit! Teehee 🙂

In Cebu, the best and authentic Japanese food we’ve tried are at Banri.

Lately, my hubby has been bugging me to try my hand at making California Maki. I thought it was complicated to make one but the Mr. showed me a video on how to make it. So off we went to Machiya to buy all the ingredients. It’s right at the corner of Maria Luisa Rd. and Governore Cuenco Avenue. It supplies all the ingredients for most of the big Japanese restaurants in Cebu. How did I come to know about Machiya? My hubby is like a walking encyclopedia (Thanks to the internet, hahaha!). They have everything from bamboo mats, Japanese mayonnaise to chopsticks.

I know now why Japanese food can be pricey. All the ingredients don’t come cheap. I think I paid more than P1,000. But those ingredients could make a lot of California rolls (I still got a lot of frozen imitation crab sticks and some nori sheets).

Click here for the video on How to Make Inside Out California Maki.

This was my first attempt at making California Maki.

The secret in sushi is in the sushi rice. You can’t substitute Japanese sushi rice with ordinary rice. Also, you have to have white rice vinegar and Konbu seaweed. I think it makes all the difference. You can taste the difference especially those Japanese fusion restaurants (I don’t think they use Japanese sushi rice and add Konbu seaweed at all). I hear that making sushi rice is an art in itself. So I should give myself a pat on the back for a successful first attempt. Well, my hubby helped me out so thanks to you Mr .

Make sure you wrap the bamboo mat with plastic all the way around.

California Roll or Maki is usually made with avocado but I substituted it with sweet mangoes. My hubby and I love the taste of this California Maki with mangoes, cucumber and imitation crab sticks.

I added just a drop of Japanese mayonnaise to the sushi. That’s how they do it in Banri. It adds flavor to the sushi.

To those who don’t fancy Japanese food, what are you waiting for? Find the best Japanese restaurant in your area and prepare to be converted, haha!