Vegan Sushi

Shopping List:

Nori sheets, half or full
3 cups Koshihikari rice (yes it matters)
3 1/4 cups water
1 avocado
1 cucumber
1 carrot
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup rice vinegar (yes it matters)

Assembly:

1. In a mesh strainer, rinse your rice. Rub the rice together while rinsing to polish it. Do this until the water runs clear.
2. Add water and rice to pan or rice cooker and cook according to the directions on your packaging. Do not add salt or oil.
3. On a large cutting board spread your rice out in a thin layer. Traditionally you would do this in a large wooden bowl called sushi-oke..but I do not have one. :D
4. Mix vinegar, salt, and sugar together in a pan and heat on low until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Allow to cool.
5. Sprinkle cooled vinegar mixture over rice, turn the rice very gently with a wooden or plastic flat spoon or spatula. NO METAL.
6. Allow to cool completely, you can use a fan or set by an open window.
7. Lay out your nori sheet. The shiny side should be facing down.
8. Wet your hands and take a golf ball sized piece of rice. Spread this evenly over the first 3/4 of your nori. Allow a small quarter inch gap between the edge of the nori and the rice.
9. Cut your cucumber, carrot, and avocado into strips. Try to cut in such a way that the strips will fit perfectly within the width of the roll. So one strip the same lenth as the width of the roll or two that are half the width etc. You do not want an uneven fill.
10. Add the vegetables in a neat stack towards the end of the first quarter of the roll.
11. Wet your hands again if they feel sticky. Roll the sushi from the side closest to you, making a small hill over the vegetables. Then roll the rest tightly, like you are rolling up a carpet. Try to sense when the nori is at it's breaking point and do not go beyond this point.
12. The fresher the nori is, the easier it is to seal, if you have trouble pressing it closed, add some moisture to the outside, like sealing a cigar.
13. Take a flat, VERY sharp knife and wet it with some room temperature water. When you cut the roll you do not want to put any real pressure, the knife should be sharp enough to glide through and not squish.

Presentation:

I cut all my pieces at once and arranged the in a spiral pattern on a black plate. It was kind of like a spiral of spirals. We ate them with soy sauce and wasabi paste. I also served miso soup along with, though it was a prepackaged mix.

The Man:

Greatly approved