Vegetable Temaki

I didn't even know what temaki was until I found this recipe.  Unlike maki (the rolls wrapped in seaweed that you probably think of most commonly when you think of sushi), temaki is a slightly simpler preparation, rolled into a conic shape without needing a sushi mat.  It seemed like good practice before I attempt to roll maki next.  If you don't like the vegetable combination I've chosen, play around with different vegetables in these tasty appetizers.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups prepared Sushi Rice
• 4 nori sheets
• 1 teaspoon prepared wasabi paste
• 24 steamed snow pea pods
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 avocado

1. Cut the nori sheets in half, for 8 pieces of nori total.  Working with one nori piece at a time, spread 1/4 cup rice on the bottom half of the sheet.  Spread 1/8 teaspoon wasabi diagonally over the rice, starting from the bottom right corner.

Note: it's hard to spread an amount so small as 1/8 of a teaspoon; I found that sweeping a toothpick through the wasabi paste helped to distribute evenly.

2. Cut the red bell pepper into 16 strips.  Peel the avocado and cut into 8 wedges.  Arrange 3 snow pea pods, 2 bell pepper strips, and 1 avocado wedge over the wasabi.

3. Lift the bottom left corner of the nori over the vegetable mixture, and press gently (it will adhere nicely to the sticky rice).  Wrap the top half of the nori over the vegetable mixture, pressing as you roll to form a cone shape.  Repeat the procedure 7 times with the remaining nori and ingredients.

Nutrition Info:
8 servings (1 temaki), Calories 120

Tasting Notes:
I'm something of a wasabi novice, so my goodness I was not prepared for the intense bite, even from a tiny 1/8 of a teaspoon, and that is what you'll notice most about this appetizer.  It made it hard for me to wrap my head around the rest of the ingredients, though.  If I was to remove the wasabi from the picture, I really liked the creamy avocado and crisp bell pepper in contrast to the nori and rice. I intend to build up my wasabi tolerance though, as I can imagine quite liking it with more exposure.

Rating:
3