Cucumber Maki Rolls

Method

1. 01

   Step 1: Cut the cucumber

   Quarter the cucumber lengthways and cut away the watery seeded core — that is what makes a roll wet inside. Cut the flesh into long batons about as thick as a pencil, roughly 5 mm.

2. 02

   Step 2: Set your place up

   Wrap the bamboo mat in cling film so rice cannot work its way between the slats. Put a bowl of water with a spoonful of vinegar in it beside you: wet hands are the only thing that stops the rice sticking to your fingers.

3. 03

   Step 3: Spread the rice

   Lay half a sheet of nori rough side up, long edge towards you. With a wet hand take 80 g of rice and spread it in a thin even layer, leaving a 1 cm strip bare along the far edge. Do not pack it down: the rice should sit there, not be pressed.

4. 04

   Step 4: Lay the filling

   If you like heat, run a thin line of wasabi across the rice. Lay the cucumber batons in a single row a third of the way in from your side — not down the middle, or the filling ends up off-centre once you roll.

5. 05

   Step 5: Roll it

   Lift the near edge of the mat with your thumbs, holding the filling in place with your fingers, and fold it over the filling so the nori edge lands just beyond it. Pull the mat back and squeeze — evenly along the whole length, no jerking. Roll on to the end and leave the seam underneath.

6. 06

   Step 6: Let it set

   Leave the finished roll seam side down for 2 minutes. The bare strip of nori takes up moisture from the rice and seals itself — no glue, no water needed.

7. 07

   Step 7: Cut with a wet knife

   Wet a long sharp knife and cut the roll in half, drawing the blade back and then pushing it forward rather than using one long stroke, which stretches the roll. Put the halves side by side and cut each into four. Wet the blade before every cut.