Ingredients

2 cups short grain white rice, preferably japonica

1 piece ginger, (about 3 inches) peeled

1 cup rice-wine vinegar

2 tbsp sugar, plus 1 tsp

kosher salt

1 cup mini cucumbers, (2 pieces) cut into sticks

1 cup carrots, (2 pieces) peeled and cut into sticks

½ tsp sesame oil

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 avocado, halved and thinly sliced

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

6 sheets toasted nori

soy sauce, for serving

Preparation

Wash the rice with water 4 to 5 times. Transfer to a sieve over a bowl to drain. Set aside.

Using a mandoline or peeler, slice the ginger thinly. Then in a small pot of boiling water blanch the ginger for 5 seconds. Then drain.

Return the pot to the stove and add ¾ cup of vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar. Divide the vinegar mixture into 2 halves. Add the blanched ginger to 1 half. Set aside and cool.

Add rice into a pot and add 2½ cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to lowest and cover. Cook for 12 minutes or until rice is soft and water is absorbed. Cool with the lid on for 10 minutes.

Transfer rice into a bowl and cool for another 5 minutes. Then drizzle rice with ¼ of the vinegar mixture and stir. Cover and set aside. Reserve the remaining vinegar mixture.

Grab the cucumbers and carrots and toss them with the remaining ¼ cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and sesame oil.

Place 1 sheet of nori, shiny side down on a sushi mat. Wet hands with the reserved vinegar mixture and spread ¾ cup of rice evenly across the nori. Leave a ½-inch border on all sides.

Spread 2 teaspoons of mayo across the center of the rice. Then place cucumbers, carrots, and avocado horizontally just below the center of the rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Place thumbs underneath the mat and lift the mat to cover the filling. Squeeze firmly for a tight cylindrical roll. Then keep rolling away until the ends meet.

Transfer the roll to a cutting board and using a knife wet with the vinegar mixture cut the sushi into 6 equal pieces. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger on the side.