California rolls or beginner sushi

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of nori
• 1 cup of cooked sushi rice
• Black sesame seeds, or regular sesame seeds, roasted
• Grated carrots
• Cucumber, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
• Avocado, sliced thinly
• Your choice of smoked salmon, shrimp or imitation crab
• Cream cheese, if you're using smoked salmon
• Fried egg roll wrappers, crushed (adds a little crunch)

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Preparation

• Place a sheet of nori on your bamboo mat (shiny side down) and spread 1 cup of rice on top of it, leaving a 1 inch space at the end. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds onto the rice.
• Arrange your choice of ingredients into a strip and start rolling at the edge closest to you. Use the bamboo mat to roll the sushi firmly. You can use a few drops of water at the seem to help the seaweed to stick at the end of the roll.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into about 8 pieces. It's easier if you cut the roll in half and then cut the ends into equal pieces. Serve the sushi with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.
• For the sushi rice: Use specialty sushi (or Japanese) rice. It's a lot like Arborio rice, the kind used for risotto. In a saucepan, add 1 1/4 cup of water and 1 cup of sushi rice.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, without stirring, until rice is tender and still shiny. Now here's where it gets interesting.
• To the cooked rice you can add 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon of sifted confectioner's sugar.