Ingredients:

1 cup short-grain Japanese rice
2 tbsp rice vinegar
Salt
4 nori sheets
carrot, shredded
1 avocado, sliced
wasabi, if desired
soy sauce or tamari, if desired

Rinse and drain rice. Combine the rice and 1 1/4 cups water in a rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (A rice cooker is the best way to get perfect sticky-firm rice, but if you don’t have one, just use a saucepan.) Transfer the cooked rice to a large bowl. Drizzle the vinegar over the rice. Fold the rice gently with a spoon to cool it and break up any clumps; be careful not to smash the grains. Let the rice sit 5 minutes.

Cover a bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. Place a nori sheet rough-side up on the mat. Moisten your hands and scoop a handful of rice, slightly larger than a lemon, onto the nori. Press the rice to spread it evenly up to the edges of the nori, moistening your fingers as you go. Carefully flip over the nori so it’s rice-side down on the mat with the short end facing you. Arrange a small amount of the carrots and avocado in a tight pile in the lower third of the sheet.

Roll the sushi away from you with your hands, tucking in the vegetables as you go. Remove the mat from under the roll and place it on top. Press the roll into a compact rectangular log, using the mat to help you. add thin slices of avocado on top of the roll, and then use a sharp knife to slice into 4 to 6 pieces. Repeat with the remaining nori, rice and vegetables.

Serve with wasabi and soy sauce if desired.

Note: other great veggies to include are cucumber, radish sprouts, bell pepper, and asparagus (lightly steamed).