Temaki (Japanese Hand-Rolled Sushi)

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked and seasoned sushi rice, warm or room temperature
• 8 half-sheets of nori
• 8 oz sashimi-grade salmon or tuna, cut into thin strips
• 1 cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 4 imitation crab sticks or cooked shrimp, split lengthwise
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• Soy sauce, for dipping
• Pickled ginger and wasabi, to serve

Before you cook

• Cut the nori sheets in half if using full sheets.
• Cut the fish into thin strips.
• Cut the cucumber into thin matchsticks and slice the avocado.
• Arrange all fillings on a platter within easy reach.

Steps

1. Hold a half-sheet of nori shiny side down flat in one palm.
2. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of sushi rice onto the bottom left corner of the nori.
3. Spread the rice thinly with the back of a spoon, keeping it to a small diagonal strip so the cone stays easy to roll.
4. Lay a strip of fish, a few cucumber matchsticks and a slice of avocado diagonally across the rice.
5. Sprinkle a few sesame seeds over the filling.
6. Fold the bottom corner of the nori up and over the filling.
7. Continue rolling the nori around the filling into a cone shape.
8. Dab a few grains of rice or a drop of water on the final corner to seal the cone shut.
9. Repeat with the remaining nori sheets, rice and fillings.
10. Serve the temaki immediately, standing upright on a platter, with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi alongside.