Sushi: Quick and simple

Did you know "sushi" means "vinegared rice"? With a makisu-- or what I refer to as simply "sushi roller"-- and a love for seafood, we can make sushi in our very own kitchen. It's a simple recipe that goes great with a cup of tea and a small bowl of miso soup.

This recipe assumes that you don't have immediate access to an Asian market, and uses smoked salmon or imitation crab stick and avocado as a filler.

• Nori seaweed sheet(s) (dried)
• Steamed rice (if you use plain rice, your sushi will fall apart. Nishiki and Calrose are good.)
• Smoked salmon or imitation crab stick
• A few thin slices of avocado
• A Makisu mat (A makisu is very cheap, and can be purchased for a dollar or less. If you don't have one, try to find a clean, mat-like object that you don't mind setting the ingredients directly on.)
  
  

   

  A selection of makisu. Makisu is crucial to forming sushi.

[Note: Some other sushi ingredients are carrot, dry roasted sesame seeds, cucumber, and tamago (sweet egg or custard)
 

1.   Place a full square sheet of nori seaweed on one side of your makisu.
2.   Gently and evenly spread rice across the sheet of seaweed, much like you would apply peanut butter to bread. (Don't use too much rice-- your sushi may not roll up nicely if it's too full.)
3. In the middle of the rice, arrange a thin line of smoked salmon and small cuts of avocado in a straight line against the edge of the seaweed.
4. Take the edge of the makisu where you previously put nori seaweed closest to. Form a small triangle and roll the makisu forward, much like you would roll a towel.
5. Roll until the entire makisu  has wrapped around the sushi. Press and squeeze. When you unravel the makisu, your sushi should look cylindrical. If your sushi looks like the seaweed on the top layer is about to break free from the bottom layer, wet your fingers with water and seal the seaweed together much like an envelope.
6. With a sharp knife (keyword: SHARP!) cut the roll into even circles about 1 inch in width.

いただきます!