Avocado Hand Rolls

A fresh pot of perfectly steamed white rice is always a good place to start any meal. Though you could use leftover rice for this recipe, there is no greater comfort than just-cooked rice, especially when it’s seasoned like sushi rice with salt, sugar and acid. Build a meal around that pot: Sushi rice tastes great when stuffed into sheets of roasted seaweed with rich, creamy avocado. You can also tuck sliced cucumber, imitation crab sticks or sushi-grade raw fish into these rolls. If you have an extra 10 seconds, don’t hesitate to whip up the spicy soy sauce and lime juice dipping sauce (see Tip).

Ingredients

• 1 cup short-grain or medium-grain rice, such as sushi or Calrose
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or fine sea salt
• 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 10 to 15 grams gim or nori (roasted seaweed, often labeled “snack,” that comes in packets)
• 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
• Lime wedges, for serving (optional)
• Soy sauce, for serving (optional; see Tip)

Steps

1. Make the sushi rice: Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water, shaking constantly, for just a few seconds. Add to a medium pot with 1 1/2 cups cold water and soak for 10 minutes. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat, then adjust the heat to very low, cover and continue simmering without peeking for 17 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat, and as quickly as you can, open the lid, cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel and tamp on the lid again. Let the rice finish steaming, covered, until the grains are soft, distended and a little shiny, at least 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar, salt and rice vinegar.
3. For the hand rolls: Serve the rice with the seaweed sheets and sliced avocado, spritzed with the optional lime. To eat, take a seaweed sheet in one hand, and with the other hand, add a small spoonful of rice to the seaweed and top with an avocado slice. Fold the seaweed around the fillings like a taco and dip in the soy sauce or dipping sauce (see Tip).