INGREADIENT

• 400g sushi rice
• 30ml rice vinegar
• 25g caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 12 nori sheets
• 6 tsp hoisin sauce
• black sesame seeds *to decorate
• pickled ginger *to serve
• soy sauce *to serve
• wasabi paste to serve *optional
• 1 red capsicum
• 1 carrot
• ¼ cucumber
• 1 small avocado
• 10 fresh chives
• 5 radishes

Direction

1. Grease a baking tray with flavourless oil.
2. Cook the sushi rice following the instructions on the packet, ensuring that it is dry and sticky when cooked.
3. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the rice vinegar, sugar and salt and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature, and then pour over the cooked rice, gently stirring until all the liquid is absorbed. Spread the rice over the greased baking tray and let cool to room temperature.
4. Prepare your toppings. Cut the capsicum in half, remove the stems and seeds and thinly slice. Peel the carrot and cut it into matchsticks, thin rounds or ribbons. Cut the cucumber it into matchsticks, thin rounds or ribbons. Halve the avocado and remove the seed, then finely slice. Chop the chives. Trim and thinly slice the radishes.
5. Ready a 12-hole muffin tin. Stack the nori sheets and lay a small plate (a bread plate will do) on top. Use a sharp knife to cut around it and make nori circles. Find the centre of the nori stack and cut a neat, straight slit from the centre to the outer edges. Take one circle and fashion a cone that is roughly 8cm wide at the base. Wet your finger and lightly brush along the slit to stick it in place. Put the cone in one of the muffin tin holes. Repeat to fill all the muffin holes.
6. Wet your hands and roll a golf ball-sized ball out of the rice mixture. Poke a hole in the centre of your rice ball and pour in ½ teaspoon hoisin sauce. Pack more rice over the hole to seal in the sauce. Smooth the outside and place it in one of the nori muffin cases. Repeat to fill all the cases
7. Make a quick dipping sauce by stirring the Sriracha into the egg-free mayonnaise to taste. Finely chop the pickled ginger.
8. Decorate your sushi cupcakes with the prepared vegetables and sprinkle them with black sesame seeds. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger and the dipping sauce on the side.