3 cup Japanese-style rice

3-1/4 cup water

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 package of nori

Wasabi

Pickled ginger

Soy sauce

Fillings (choose one filling or combine one or more fillings)

• Raw sushi-grade tuna, salmon, or other fish cut into long thin strips (or use cooked fish, such as shredded or chopped shrimp)
• 1 avocado julienned* lengthwise
• 1 cucumber peeled, seeded, and julienned lengthwise
• 3 long carrots, peeled and julienned lengthwise
• Scallions (green onions), trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise
• Almost any cooked or raw vegetable can be used if sliced long and thin (for example, summer squash and pickled vegetables) 

*Julienne means to slice into thin strips the size of matchsticks.   

Boil water, add rice, lower heat to medium-low, and cook for 30 minutes covered. Check at 30 minutes to see if the rice is cooked or still hard to bite (if so cook 5–10 minutes longer). Meanwhile, mix vinegar, sugar, and salt in a pan and place on low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cool the vinegar mixture. Spread the cooked hot rice into a large plate or shallow bowl. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and gently, but quickly, mix into the hot rice. Be careful not to smash the rice. This makes 6 cups of sushi rice, enough usually to make 8–10 rolls that are then sliced into 4–5 pieces.

Place a rectangular sheet of nori on top of a linen towel or bamboo mat. (A mat usually comes with a sushi kit.) Spread the sushi rice on top of the nori sheet. Place the ingredients lengthwise (along the longest side) on the rice. Roll up the bamboo mat or towel, pressing forward to shape the sushi into a cylinder. Press the bamboo mat or towel firmly and remove it from the sushi. Cut the rolled sushi into bite-sized slices (about 3/4 of an inch). The sushi will slice better if you wipe the knife with a wet cloth before you cut each slice.

Variations:

o    Have your guests roll sushi rice and ingredients into a nori cylinder or form nori into a cone and fill with sushi rice and ingredients.

o    Don’t want to bother with rolling nori? Slice ingredients on top of a bowl of sushi rice and crumble nori on top.

o    Can’t find the nori? Simply slice ingredients on top of sushi rice and eat!

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