7. Lay the bamboo sushi roll down on a cutting board so that it will roll away from you. Next, place 1 nori sheet on top so that the short side is facing you. You will need to take 3/4 - 1 cup of rice & place it in the middle. Spread it outwards leaving a 2 cm margin at the top and bottom. It helps to wet your hands throughout this process.

8. When you prepare sushi, you have the option of either having the rice on the outside or the inside. Either way, you will need to moisten the 2 cm ends so that the roll will seal. If you wish to put the rice on the outside, put a sheet of plastic wrap down and lay it down so that the nori side faces up. In this case, place the ingredients in the middle.

9. If you wish to have the rice on the inside, place strips of cucumber, avocado and crab down as pictured (just above the 2 cm uncovered area). You will fold this away from you -- and form a tight roll -- after moistening both ends of the sushi roll. Tuck one end of the sushi roll inside and apply firm pressure without spilling the ingredients.

10. If this is the first time you are making sushi, stick to making it with the rice inside. Once you are comfortable with making a few rolls, then go ahead and put the rice on the outside, as instructed at Sushi Encyclopedia. You will find other sushi recipes here. The California Roll was invented in Los Angeles around 1970.

11. You can put Japanese mayonnaise in sushi, wasabi and even asparagus. Traditionally, sushi is served with pickled ginger, and when one uses soy sauce, generally wasabi is mixed with it before dipping the sushi in. As noted at snippets.com, dip the nori side or fish side in rather than the rice side.

12. The last thing that you need to do is cut the sushi roll into 8 pieces. To cut the sushi, you will need a sharp knife that has been dipped in water. For best results, first cut the sushi roll in half and then continue cutting each section in half until you get 8 pieces. Use a cutting board -- and do not cut the plastic wrap if it is used. Remove it first.