Maki rolls with pickled ginger

Ingredients

For the pickled ginger
3 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2.5cm/1in piece root ginger, peeled and thinly sliced on a mandoline
For the maki rolls
1 sheet nori (Japanese dried seaweed)
100g/3½oz cooked sticky rice or Japanese sushi rice (sticky rice and sushi rice are available at some Asian grocers)
85g/3oz tuna steak, sliced into thin strips
4-5 sticks cucumber
½ avocado, sliced lengthways
white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar, to brush

Method

1. For the pickled ginger, place the sugar and vinegar into a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, add the sliced ginger and stir to coat. Set aside and allow to cool for five minutes.
2. For the maki rolls, lay the nori sheet on a bamboo sushi mat. Spread the rice over two-thirds of the sheet, leaving a 1cm/½in border at the top.
3. Spread the tuna strips and cucumber sticks lengthways across the sheet, then place the avocado slices on top.
4. Brush the border with vinegar and roll the nori sheet up very tightly over the filling using the bamboo mat, to make a cigar shape, sealing across the border at the top.
5. To serve, slice the roll into rounds and place onto a serving plate with the pickled ginger.