Avocado Hand Rolls

Name: Avocado Hand Rolls
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: japanese
Ingredients: 1 cup short-grain or medium-grain rice, such as sushi or Calrose; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or fine sea salt; 4 teaspoons rice vinegar; 10 to 15 grams gim or nori (roasted seaweed, often labeled “snack,” that comes in packets); 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced; Lime wedges, for serving (optional); Soy sauce, for serving (optional; see Tip)

By Eric Kim

Published July 25, 2024

Avocado Hand Rolls — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 35 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(180)
Comments: Read comments

A fresh pot of perfectly steamed white rice is always a good place to start any meal. Though you could use leftover rice for this recipe, there is no greater comfort than just-cooked rice, especially when it’s seasoned like sushi rice with salt, sugar and acid. Build a meal around that pot: Sushi rice tastes great when stuffed into sheets of roasted seaweed with rich, creamy avocado. You can also tuck sliced cucumber, imitation crab sticks or sushi-grade raw fish into these rolls. If you have an extra 10 seconds, don’t hesitate to whip up the spicy soy sauce and lime juice dipping sauce (see Tip).

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

For the Sushi Rice

1cup short-grain or medium-grain rice, such as sushi or Calrose
2teaspoons sugar
1teaspoon coarse kosher salt or fine sea salt
4teaspoons rice vinegar

For the Hand Rolls

10 to 15grams gim or nori (roasted seaweed, often labeled “snack,” that comes in packets)
1ripe avocado, thinly sliced
Lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Soy sauce, for serving (optional; see Tip)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Make the sushi rice: Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water, shaking constantly, for just a few seconds. Add to a medium pot with 1½ cups cold water and soak for 10 minutes. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat, then adjust the heat to very low, cover and continue simmering without peeking for 17 minutes.
Step 2
Remove from the heat, and as quickly as you can, open the lid, cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel and tamp on the lid again. Let the rice finish steaming, covered, until the grains are soft, distended and a little shiny, at least 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar, salt and rice vinegar.
Step 3
For the hand rolls: Serve the rice with the seaweed sheets and sliced avocado, spritzed with the optional lime. To eat, take a seaweed sheet in one hand, and with the other hand, add a small spoonful of rice to the seaweed and top with an avocado slice. Fold the seaweed around the fillings like a taco and dip in the soy sauce or dipping sauce (see Tip).

Tip

For a bright, flavorful dipping sauce for the hand rolls, stir together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, a dash of granulated sugar and a pinch of shichimi togarashi.

Ratings

5 out of 5

180 user ratings

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Comments

M.P.10 months ago

Delicious. I loved the simplicity and the flavors (I used the soy lime dipping sauce and shaved cucumbers). My only problem was in the implementation. Even with just a teaspoon or two of rice my rolls were a total mess and I ultimately needed to turn them into little sandwiches to keep everything together. Next time I will use less avocado (just one slice!) and less cucumber. I will also not drizzle the soy lime sauce over the rice, as that seemed to affect the structural integrity of the rolls.

Shazziz9 months ago

New meal in rotation. Adding sushi-grade fish was amazing and don't skimp on the dipping sauces! ERIK KIM DOES IT AGAIN!

Jane10 months ago

This is an excellent toddler meal. Mine loved preparing the sushi rice with me and then making his “sushi tacos.” Will definitely make again with other filling options.

Bari K3 months ago

This has been a colossal hit in my house. Everyone eats it and it comes together so quickly. Amazing.

RudisHuman3 months ago

@M.P. Me too! I do tend to overfill everything from blintzes to tacos, so maybe it's me... However, putting it all on a plate and using a fork was definitely just as delicious but much less mess. Just sayin'.

Farideh3 months ago

my 7 year olds favorite school lunch

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