Homemade California roll with imitation crab and avocado

Ingredients

• 180 g of sushi rice
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 30 ml of mirin (about 2 tablespoons)
• 30 ml of rice vinegar (6 tablespoons)
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 avocado
• 100 g of surimi
• 20 grams of sesame seeds
• 2 sheets of nori (seaweed)
• 1 tablespoon of wasabi (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of Japanese mayonnaise

Wash the rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Place it in a pot and cover with water 1 cm above the rice. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes over low heat. While the rice is cooking, mix the salt, mirin, and rice vinegar together in a separate pot and heat gently until the salt dissolves, without boiling. Transfer the cooked rice to a wooden salad bowl, add the seasoning, and cover with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.

Cut the cucumber and avocado in half, remove the seeds and pit, then cut them into sticks about 5 mm wide. Cover a bamboo mat with cling film (or use a large sheet of thick paper). Spread a handful of cooked rice over the mat, to the width of a nori sheet, leaving 5 cm at the bottom. Place the nori on top of the rice, then a few cucumber, avocado, and surimi sticks, leaving another 5 cm at the top. Add wasabi and mayonnaise to taste. Gently roll from the 5 cm edge, then slowly remove the film.

Place the film back on the mat and spread the sesame seeds evenly over it. Roll the sushi again, pressing gently: the sesame seeds will stick. Remove the film to create a proper California roll, then cut it into pieces.