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