If you don’t have a r ice cooker, cook the sushi rice on the stovetop. Put the rice into a bowl and cover with water to rinse, swirling the rice around and draining it quickly. Do this 2 to 3 times or until the water runs clear from starch and impurities.

When the water runs clear, add the drained rice to a heavy-based saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, cover with the 2 ½ cups of fresh, cold (tap) water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. This will be your cooking water.

In the meantime, prepare the sushi rice seasoning by combining the rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Heat low heat, stirring, until the sugar and salt dissolves. Set aside to cool.

Once the rice has soaked, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook the rice, over medium heat until the water just starts to boil. Lower the heat and continue cooking for 12 to 15 minutes. Don’t be tempted to lift the lid before the 12-minute mark. (Check the rice at the 12-minute mark and if there’s a still a bit of liquid left, turn the heat to medium and continue cooking with the lid on for another 3 minutes.)

When the rice has cooked, remove it from the heat and allow it to sit and seam, covered and undisturbed, for 10 minutes.

After the steaming, empty the rice out into a sushi oke or a non-metal, baking paper lined wide bowl (see notes). Pour over half of the prepared sushi seasoning, and using a rice paddle or non-metal spatula, mix it together using a slicing and lifting motion rather than a stirring motion so the rice doesn’t clump or get squashed. Taste and consider whether you need to add anymore sushi seasoning for your tastes. Continue with this process until you are happy with the taste. Spread a damp tea towel over the top of the bowl so that it’s touching the rice (this will prevent it from drying out), and let it cool at room temperature while you prepare the sushi cake fillings.

While the sushi rice is cooling, prepare the sushi cake filling and toppings. Flake the hot-smoked salmon into a bowl, add the sliced scallions and then the kewpie, 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture binds together. Set aside.

Next, prep the vegetables. Thinly julienne the carrot, or shred it, if you like. Chop the cucumber in half and cut half of it up into thin rounds for the filling. With the other half, use a vegetable peeler to peel long, thin slices of cucumber. Roll each slice up to use as garnish for the top. Then slice the radish into thin disks. Set all the veggies aside. So it doesn’t brown too much, don’t cut up the avocado until you’re ready to assemble the sushi cake; then cut it into enough chunks to cover the surface of your sushi cake.

Then layer on the cucumber rounds and shredded carrots before adding another 1/3 of rice to the top if the vegetables, smoothing that out as well.

Next, add the hot-smoked salmon mix, spreading it evenly, top that with chunks of avocado and then the last layer of rice.

Add the nori sheet to the top, and push everything down gently. Flip the sushi cake using a plate larger than the springform tin – this will be the serving plate. Set aside in the fridge for 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, remove the sushi cake from the fridge, release the springform tray and remove the base from the top of the rice. Scatter the remaining furikaki across the top, add the sliced egg crepe to the centre in a nice tall pile, add the podded edamame around the edges, and decorate with the rolled cucumber and radish slices. Present, slice and serve!