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that desired sticky consistency. Our other secret to good rice is preparing it early in the morning (perhaps as you get ready for work). Then just leave it sitting on the stove or countertop, covered, until ready to roll. This way the rice will be thoroughly cooled but not hard from being refrigerated.

We offer three varieties of nori roll fillings. In your beginner stage, start with just one filling at a time. It’s just as satisfying with less work. The Plain-Jane Roll works for kids (you may want to omit the green onion). These go great served with the Batter-Baked Tempura (page 184), and Miso Soup (see page 157).

MAKES 4 NORI ROLLS

Rice

2 cups brown or sushi rice

4¼ cups water or vegetable stock

1 tablespoons brown rice vinegar (optional)

2 tablespoons mirin (optional)

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds (optional)

1. Bring the rice and water to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the rice is soft and most of the water is absorbed. A little excess water is okay and will make the rice stickier as it cools.

2. If using, add the brown rice vinegar, mirin, and sesame seeds, and stir together.

3. Allow to cool either on the countertop, or, if pressed for time, in the refrigerator. You can still roll with warm rice but you will have to work faster as the heat softens the nori, which will tear while rolling if you wait too long.

Tips and Tricks

If the nori does tear, keep rolling, and then wrap it in another nori sheet. You may want to dab a little water across the second sheet to get it to stick to the first one.

Plain-Jane Roll

½ large avocado

½ cucumber, peeled, seeded

4 stalks green onion, green part only

1 medium-size carrot

Cut all of the veggies in long strips. For the carrots, you can use the vegetable peeler to make thin, easy-to-bite-through strips.

Asian Dream Roll

¼ cup sea veggie salad, soaked for 10 minutes

(we use Soken; to create your own, see page 6)

3 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

4 stalks green onion, green part only

1 tablespoon pickled ginger

1. Be sure to soak the sea veggie salad first so it is ready to go when you are done with the mushrooms.

2. Sauté the mushrooms, sesame oil, soy sauce, and water over medium-low heat in a small sauté pan for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to brown, stirring frequently.

3. Meanwhile prepare the green onion and pickled ginger.

Asparagus Roll

8-12 asparagus spears, bottoms snapped off

(see Tips and Tricks)

1 teaspoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

½ red bell pepper, sliced into long thin strips

½ large avocado, sliced into long thin strips

4 stalks green onion, green part only

1. Boil the asparagus in a sauté pan with ⅓ cup water for 3 minutes to soften. Add the olive oil, salt, and garlic powder, sauté for 3 to 4 more minutes, and remove from the heat.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the red bell pepper, avocado, and green onion.

Tips and Tricks

The thickness of the asparagus will determine whether you want two or three per roll. You don’t want the rolls to have too much filling. It makes them difficult to roll and they fall apart easier when cutting and eating. Asparagus is tough and fibrous at the stem end. It will naturally snap off at the desired place if you just break it with your hands, this ensures you don’t get any of the tough part.

To roll your sushi

4 nori sheets

¼ cup pickled ginger, or to taste

Wasabi

Soy sauce

1. Fill a small bowl with water. Lay out all four nori sheets on a clean countertop with the long side running parallel to the counter’s edge (this gives you longer rolls).

2. Scoop ¾ to 1 cup of the rice mixture onto each sheet. Use your hands, a spoon, or a rice paddle, to spread the rice over each sheet, leaving only a 1-inch strip along the top edge. Dipping your hands in the water will prevent the rice from sticking to you.

3. Clean your hands off and add your preferred filling, lining everything up