Nigiri-zushi: Sushi mini logs

Not liking raw fish or much of sea food, I feel constantly challenged about making Sushi. I guess I love the combination of rice and vinegar, and the whole idea of putting together a quick and filling meal, with fresh ingredients for the toppings.


Ingredients
for the rice balls/logs:
1 cup raw sushi rice
1-2 Tbsp sushi vinegar

for the marinated toppings
1/2 medium cucumber seeded and diced
1 medium firm tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 medium red onion diced finely
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp sushi vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil

for garnish:
1-2 cups pan-fried tofu cubes, the more the better:-)

Preparation

1. cook the sushi rice per package directions, remove from heat, stir in the sushi vinegar and spread it out on a flat plate or cookie sheet to cool, preferably in front of a fan
2. marinate the diced vegetables in the mirin+sushi vinegar+sesame oil 'vinaigrette' for about 5 to 10 mins ;dicing and marinating the veggies can be done right after starting to cook the rice; you can add tomatoes, yellow bell peppers or any other veggies you like for the topping
   
3. to pan fry the tofu: dice the required amount of tofu into smallish cubes; heat about 1 Tbsp oil in a non-stick pan, add the tofu cubes and let them sit on medium heat; add some flavoring like black bean and garlic paste, or just soy sauce to the pan and toss the tofu cubes well; keep turning the tofu cubes till all sides seem coated with flavoring condiments and fried
   
4. when sushi rice is cool enough to handle, hand shape them into oblong clumps (nigiri-zushi) or use a mold for the same
5. lay the nigiri-zushi on a serving platter, top with marinated vegetables, and garnish with pan-fried tofu cubes
6. serve warm or cold; i usually like hot miso soup as a starter when serving this dish warm
7. if you have avacado handy, sushi tower should be fun to do as well :-)