Simple Sushi

Want something that tastes good and gets easier to make over time? How about sushi?  I don't particularly care for seafood, so I make them with avocado and cucumber. Of course you can put fish or crab in them, top them with sesame seeds or not. Roll them in or roll them out.  There are many different ways to do this. This is mine, and I think they taste great.  Particularly on a warm day if you cook the rice ahead of time and let it cool.

The best place to get the nori and rice is at the Asia store in the HB. You can find it in Migros or Coop, but it is twice as expensive (and you get get 1/2 the rice)

There are 10 pieces of nori in the package, so depending on how many people you are feeding, whether it is a main course or not, what you are putting in them, is how many you will need.  I haven't gotten great with the rice yet - I still spread on a bit more than my husband would like (only one grain high he says) so I tend to cook up more rice. It'll get eaten the next day if it doesn't get used in dinner.

What you will need:
1 (or more) package(s) of nori (also available at Jelmoli, Thai store, etc.)
1 bag/box sushi rice
1 cucumber
1-2 avocados
Mayonnaise
Sushi rolling mat (to make those tight rolls)
either a flat spoon like shown above to put the rice in the nori, or a bowl of water and a regular spoon to dampen your hands and spoon so the rice doesn't stick to them).

Optional:
Wasabi paste (not optional according to hubby)
Soy Sauce (the Thai and Asian stores sometimes have low sodium - green bottle)
Ginger slices


Start by cooking the rice - I use the standard rice cooking time for this: Put in the amount of rice you want, then put in enough water to go up to your first knuckle if you put your (clean) finger on top of the rice.  Cook on high until boiling, then turn down to low for 20 minutes. This always seems to work for me.

Place your nori on the rolling mat (shiny side down) and place a small amount of rice on it. Smooth it out with the spoon until 'one grain thick' or a little more if you don't think anyone will notice :-)

Peel your cucumber and then cut in half so it is about the same length as the nori (not longer). Then de-seed and slice into thin strips. (a grapefruit spoon works great)

Slice your avocado into thin strips as well.

Place one strip of cucumber at the top of the nori on the rice, add a slice (or two) of avocado.  Squeeze a small amount of mayo out on top of this.

Fold over, and then using the mat, squeeze slightly to achieve a tight roll. Repeat until done with the nori sheets.

Using a sharp knife, slice into pieces.  Serve with wasabi, soy sauce and ginger slices if desired. Chopsticks as well