maki sushi

I find Japanese cuisine fascinating. I always like to look at their very artistic and colorful food presentations. The unique designs of their ceramic serving plates, even bento boxes and accessories, are so interesting. Japanese food, with its simple flavors, is one of my favorites. I have always wanted to make these rolls but to be on the safe side, I will never attempt to make them with raw fish at home. Making sushi is something new for me so I think the less complicated the better. Making these vegetable maki was a good start. It was easier to make the rice with a rice cooker. I didn't have Japanese sushi rice so I experimented with Jasmine rice mixed with a little starchy and sticky rice, a variety used for sweet rice cakes. It was just the right combination. I cooled the rice down by fanning it and adding rice vinegar a little at a time then seasoning it with a pinch of salt and a little sugar. For the filling, I sliced the vegetables into very fine strips, a long and tedious process but worth it. I didn't have any avocado so I added scrambled egg strips to my list. I made a spread by mixing a little mayo with wasabi paste. It made a good binder for the vegetable strips and added some creamy flavor too. I made some rolls with the rice side out sprinkled with furikake (a Japanese rice flavoring). Toasted sesame seeds may also be used. I also made some rolls with the nori (Japanese seaweed) on the outside. Here's more info on sushi.

Photo above shows the colorful combination of vegetable and egg strips I used to make the maki sushi at home.