Vegetable And Spicy Tuna Maki

• 1 1/2 cups sushi rice Shirakiku
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar lightly
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 avocado sliced into 1/2 inch thick strips
• 4 pieces asparagus bottoms trimmed
• 1/3 cucumber a large, cut into 1/4 inch thick strips
• sushi rice cooked
• 1/3 pound tuna sushi grade fresh, I used yellowfin
• 1 teaspoon sriracha hot chili sauce optional
• 1 dash sesame seed
• 2 green onions sliced lengthwise, reserve only green pieces
• sushi rice Cooked
• soy sauce Low-sodium
• wasabi paste
• pickled ginger optional

1. The most important thing you need to do when making the sushi rice is rinsing it before cooking it. Place uncooked rice into a fine mesh sieve and place into a glass mixing bowl. Fill with cold water, lift the sieve and shake. Drain the water and repeat. Repeat about 10 times and drain the rice thoroughly, until the water is no longer cloudy.
2. If using a rice cooker, cook according to manufacturer instructions. If not, fill a pot with the rice and equal parts water (in this case, 1 1/2 cups water), bring to a boil. Cover the pot and set heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Then, turn the heat off and allow the rice to steam (covered) for 10 minutes. (Don't uncover the pot during those last 10 minutes.) While the rice is cooking, prep your vegetables and fish.
3. Once the rice is done cooking, place the rice on a flat plate or glass dish. Add vinegar, sugar and salt to a measuring cup and gradually pour over the rice, while mixing the rice with a wooden spatula. Taste the rice along the way to ensure none of the vinegar, sugar or salt is overwhelming the flavor of the rice. Continue until the rice tastes just right or the mixture is all gone. Add more vinegar, salt or sugar as needed. Set the rice aside. You do not want to start assembling the maki/sushi rolls until the rice is slightly cooled or no longer hot to the touch.
4. For the spicy tuna maki
5. Chop tuna into 1/4 inch cubes and mix with hot chili sauce and sesame seed in a small glass mixing bowl. Place bowl in the refrigerator while waiting to assemble the maki rolls.
6. To assemble rolls
7. Prep your workspace. Fill a small bowl with warm water and a splash or two of rice vinegar. Cover your sushi mat with plastic wrap and lay one piece of seaweed (flat side down) on top of the plastic wrap. Dampen your hands with the vinegar-water mixture (so the rice doesn't stick to your hands) and grab a handful of rice and cover 3/4 of the seaweed with the rice. Smooth the rice down so it's level across but don't smash or break the rice.
8. Add the filling for whichever maki you're making and roll. (If making the vegetable, add enough vegetables to line across, using only 1 or 1 /2 asparagus, if making tuna, use half of the prepared spicy tuna.) Be careful to not overfill. Grab the sushi mat from the end and roll. Use your fingertips to make sure you're rolling tight. Make sure not to roll the sushi mat into the sushi. When finished rolling and you have a tight roll, with the plastic wrap around the roll, wrap the roll in the sushi mat and squeeze to make sure the roll is completely tight. Keep roll covered in plastic wrap while you roll the other maki rolls.

sushi rice, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, avocado, cucumber, rice, yellowfin, sesame seed, green onions, rice, soy sauce, wasabi paste, ginger optional

Taken from www.yummly.com/recipe/Vegetable-and-Spicy-Tuna-Maki-2099240 (may not work)