Japanese Sushi Rolls

Ingredients

• 2 cups sushi rice
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 large green onions finely chopped
• 30 g cucumber seeded and finely chopped
• 110 g smoked salmon
• 2 tsp wasabi paste
• 4 sheets sushi nori 10 g in total
• pickled ginger to garnish
• salt-reduced soy sauce to serve

Instructions

1. Cook the sushi rice in a saucepan of boiling water according to the packaging instructions.
2. Meanwhile, place the sugar and vinegar in a small pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. When the rice is cooked, drizzle the mixture over it, then add the green onions and cucumber, and mix. Cover with a dish towel and leave to cool.
3. Divide the sushi rice into 4 equal portions. Cut the salmon into strips about 1cm wide. Place a sheet of nori, shiny-side down, on a bamboo mat, or a sheet of parchment paper on a board. Spread a portion of rice over the nori, pressing it down evenly and leaving a 1 cm space at the top an bottom. PLace a quarter of the salmon along the middle of the layer of rice, then spread the salmon with a 1/2 teaspoon of the wasabi paste.
4. With the help of the bamboo mat or paper, roll up the nori, rice and salmon into a neat tube. Roll tightly to ensure that the rice sticks together and holds the filling in place. Make three more rolls in the same way.
5. Using a wet knife, cut each roll across into 8 slices and stand them upright on a serving plate. Rinse the knife between cuts. Garnish with pieces of gari and offer a small dish of reduced-salt soy sauce for dipping.