Sushi!

About a month ago I decided I wanted to learn how to make sushi. So ,I went out and got a bamboo mat, sushi rice, nori sheets, and everything else for sushi. My first attempt was a total disaster. For some reason I thought that rolling sushi would be intuitive and easy. Boy was I WRONG. Now I know why Mr. M says some people spend their entire lives learning how to make sushi. I couldn't get the rolling action going and each roll I tried ended up completely falling apart.


So, I googled "how to roll sushi" to get a clue. After reading tons of info I realized that sushi rice requires a special mix of vinegar and sugar to add flavor and that saran wrap on your prep space or covering the bamboo mat makes things so much easier. Luckily my bag of Lundberg sushi rice had a recipe on the back. My next attempt was much more successful and I made it only with cucumbers to save the expense in case this turned out to be another disaster. This attempt was a lot better, but I forgot to make the special sushi rice, so it came out very bland and the rolls were formed, but a little loose.


Third time's a charm? I felt pretty good about actually being able to make a roll, so I bought some avocado and smoked salmon for my third attempt. The rolls didn't fall apart when dipped in soy sauce! I can't claim I'm good at this, but at least my rolls stay together now. There are also a lot of rolling instructions that say to use the bamboo mat instead of your hands to roll, but I can't seem to get it right with that method, so I'm sticking with this method until someone teaches me how to do it differently.


Ingredients

2 cups sushi rice

3 cups water

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
Thinly sliced smoked salmon (or any other fish you want in your roll)
Sesame seeds

Instructions

Rinse the rice in a colander until the water comes out clear. Cook the rice with the water in a pot until all the water is absorbed. When the rice is done, set it aside and let it cool so you don't burn your hands while preparing the sushi rolls. Transfer the rice into a large bowl. DO NOT refrigerate the rice.

In a pan over low-medium heat, mix the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar until the sugar is absorbed. When your rice is cool enough to handle, slowly add the vinegar mixture into the rice with your hands. I tried this with a spoon at first, but it works a lot better if you use your hands.

Next, place a sheet of plastic wrap on a cutting board or whatever flat surface you plan to use to make the rolls. Lay a nori sheet on the board, add a very thin layer of rice, and then sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of the rice. Flip the nori sheet with rice over (the rice should stick to the sheet).

Add a thin line of each filling toward the bottom of the nori sheet. Carefully begin rolling the sheet making sure it's not too loose or too tight so the ingredients don't fall out when you cut the roll. Once you've rolled the sheet, place a bamboo mat over the roll and give it a gentle squeeze to better form the roll. Flip the roll and squeeze with the bamboo mat again. Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into bite size pieces.