ZOMG SUSHI!!!

I first made sushi about the time I was in my smug know-all 11 year old phase, but boy were they dreadful. I never went back. Until now, a neighbour of mine had some Asian lodgers staying who left loads of their delicious Asian ingredients like Mirin, Rice Vinegar, a fantastic bamboo mat, loads! A quick raid of the local Asian grocery Setonaikai (they should have kicked me out to be honest, I spent hours) later to get the sushi rice and nori, I was set. After a couple of disasters and something you could describe as a success, here's how I did my California Rolls, Sesame inside out Rolls and toasted asparagus Nigiri.

• Be very careful to not burn the rice, keep the heat low and be vigilant.
• This way of cooking rice is just what it says on the box. Follow the recipe on the back of yours.
• Keep a bowl of water on sight at all times, as the sticky rice is impossible to handle without it.
• The fillings I used are just because I was cooking for a vegetarian, if you wanted to tackle raw fish or sashimi such as salmon or tuna be my guest, just keep the fish slices thin and neat and make sure they are safe raw!
• Don't overstuff the rolls, keep the rice layer nice and thin and only use a little veg or fish.
• Inside out Rolls often use a spicy tuna mixture, made from tinned tuna mixed with mayo and chilli sauce, you can use this if you wish.
• I found the hand-shaped Nigiri easier than the rolled recipes,so you can try that first to get a feel of the rice if you wish.
• For Nigiri some recipes call for tearing the nori, but I would recommend cutting it with kitchen scissors, as it looks neater and is much easier.
• Don't spread rice all over the nori, leave a few inches at the end of the mat furthest from you. About 3/4 should be covered.
• Wrap the roll very tightly using your fingers and the mat.
• For inside out Rolls you should try a few different methods, they won't be as tight and may fall a little and lose their roundedness, but that's okay. Be careful that the cling film isnt wrapped into the roll, it should just be on the outside.
• Keep the seam or join of the nori where the roll ended on the bottom of the roll when you slice it.
• Use a very sharp knife, I recommend serated to slice the sushi and keep the blade wet.
• Always serve sushi with a little wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce.

1)Wash 250g of sushi rice in a pot by swilling it in water then draining the cloudy water like you're panning for gold. Repeat about 4 times until the water starts to run clear then finally drain it in a seive.
2)Return the rice to the pot and cover it with 330ml of water (or simply 1 cup of rice to 1 1/3 cups water) and bring it to the boil. Then quickly lower the heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring very occasionally just to check its not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3)Leave to cool in the pan for 25-30 minutes with the lid on.
4)Leave to cool completely before folding in 3tbsp of good rice vinegar, 2tbsp of white sugar and a tsp of salt.
5)Place a sheet of nori on the bamboo mat and cover it lightly and evenly with the rice, leaving some space either end (see above).
6)Arrange some thinly chopped matchstick fillings like carrot or spring onion on the side of nori close to you, but make sure it's on the rice not the nori.
7)Start the roll tightly with your hand and then use the bamboo mat to roll the sushi carefully and tightly.
8)Use a sharp knife to slice the sushi, saw through it gently and don't press hard, let the knife do the work.
9)For Inside out Rolls go to step 5 but then cover the rice with cling film and flip it over. Have the side without rice under it towards you and put the fillings there. Roll it up very tightly, being careful the cling film isn't being wrapped with it.
10)Take it off the mat and pull the cling film on either side of the roll to tighten it. Unwrap the cling carefully.
11)Keep your hand and knife wet to cut the sushi carefully.
12)Finish them off by rolling in toasted sesame seeds.
13)For the asparagus nigiri, steam the asparagus for 2 minutes until it's slightly softened and bright green.
14)Stir-fry the asparagus in sesame oil and soy sauce until the edges go brown and crispy.
15)Wet your hands well and take equal sized blobs of rice and shape using your palm and other hand's fingers to make rough rectangle shaped rice balls.
16)Cut each asparagus spears in half and layer the halves on the rice balls, you should top each one with about 3 pieces of asparagus. Cut the nori into roughly 1-inch wide strips and wrap them around rice and topping. Have the join of the nori ribbon at the bottom or use water to stick them.
There you have it! Bit fiddly but very rewarding and tasty no matter how they look. Trust me, it was the only way I enjoyed mine.