Sushi - By Chef Madhusudan Singh

Ingredients:

• Water - 1 1/3 cup

• Uncooked Short-Grain White Rice - ? cup

• Rice Vinegar - 3 tbsp

• White Sugar - 3 tbsp

• Salt -1 ½ tsp

• Nori Seaweed - 2 sheets

• Carrots, cut into batons - 100 gm

• Avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced - 1 No.

• Cucumber, peeled and cut into small strips - ½ No.

• Pickled Ginger - 2 tbsp

• Wasabi Powder - 10 gms

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Stir in rice, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, mix rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Pour this mixture over the cooked rice in the pot. Gently fold it into the rice using a wooden spoon or spatula. Set aside.

3. Place a nori sheet on a bamboo sushi mat (or use a clean dish towel if you don’t have a bamboo mat).

4. With wet hands, spread a thin layer of rice evenly over the nori sheet, leaving a small border along the top edge.

5. Arrange carrot batons, avocado slices, cucumber strips, and pickled ginger in a line across the center of the rice.

6. Lift the edge of the bamboo mat closest to you with both hands, and begin rolling the mat away from you, enclosing the filling. Apply gentle pressure to shape the roll as you go.

7. Once rolled, press the bamboo mat firmly around the sushi roll to seal and shape it evenly.

8. Use a wet, sharp knife to slice each roll into 4-6 pieces, wiping the knife clean with a wet cloth between cuts for cleaner slices.

9. Arrange the sushi slices on a plate. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi paste (prepared from the wasabi powder and water), and pickled ginger on the side.

Note: If using a dish towel instead of a bamboo mat, ensure it is clean and dampened to prevent the rice from sticking. Roll gently but firmly to keep the shape intact.