Cold, short days are a good time to be indoors with a food project – such as these little California rolls

My old boss used to say that England was such a productive country on account of its cold winters.

And he had a point, because January is when I tackle more interesting things in the kitchen, such as marmalade, bread-baking and sushi, all of which create a sense of reward to counter the dark and short days.

And just because sushi is more of a “project” doesn’t mean it’s difficult. For this dish, the only thing you need to cook is the rice; the rest – vegetables, tofu, avocado – is a chopping, mixing and assembly job. So, as recipes go, there’s a decent margin for error.

Tiger roll sushi

The “tiger” comes from the stripes painted on top of the maki roll. It is not an authentic Japanese thing (my apologies), but it is fun. If you can find only half-sheets of nori (such as the Yutaka brand), it’s fine, but you’ll end up with eight smaller rolls. A julienne peeler would be helpful for the carrot.

Prep 30 min

Cook 30 min

Serves 4

300g sushi rice

3 tbsp rice-wine vinegar

4 tsp caster sugar

1½ tsp fine sea salt

¼ small red cabbage (about 100g), shredded

1 medium carrot (about 100g), peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 tbsp sriracha

2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise (I like Leon’s)

4 full sheets nori

110g smoked tofu, cut into 1cm-long batons

1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1cm-long batons

4 tbsp crisp fried shallots (shop-bought)

Put the rice in a small pan, cover with lukewarm water, then agitate with your hands until the water turns cloudy. Drain and repeat until the water runs clear. Cover with warm water, leave to soak for five minutes, then drain again.

Return the rice to the pan and cover with 400ml cold water. Put on the lid, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a whisper and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to steam, with the lid still on, for 10 minutes more.

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Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix two tablespoons of the vinegar with the sugar and a teaspoon of salt to make the sushi seasoning. Stir this through the cooked rice, then cover again to keep it warm.

In a bowl, toss the cabbage and carrot with the last tablespoon of vinegar and half a teaspoon of salt. In a small bowl, mix the sriracha and mayonnaise, and set aside.

Lay a sheet of greaseproof paper on a worktop. Put a sheet of nori shiny side down on the paper and spread a quarter of the rice on top, leaving a 2cm gap at the top end – this will make the sushi easier to roll. Put a line of cabbage and carrot on top of the rice at the end nearest to you, then lay a line of tofu and avocado in the middle of the rice. Wet the open end of the nori with a little water and, using the paper for support, roll as tightly as possible away from you to create a sealed roll. Repeat with the remaining nori and filling.

Cut each roll into eight, then push them back together again to recreate a single roll. Put on a platter, drizzle over the sriracha mayo, top with crisp shallots and serve.