After eating at Lawrence’s premier sushi restaurant, WA, 740 Massachusetts St., I left with a happy belly but an unhappy wallet. The simple Japanese meal satisfied my hunger but did not expand my stomach beyond its comfort zone. A sushi meal is 180 degrees different from the classic American buffet, which leaves you feeling like you ate a small child.

You can replicate the Japanese dining experience in your own home. With about a $20 investment and an hour of your precious time, you can learn basic sushi-rolling techniques and create your own pieces of chewy, crunchy, creamy sushi.

Although sushi is often associated with raw seafood, sushi actually means rice dressed with vinegar in Japanese. Fish can be consumed as a part of sushi, but it is not a necessary ingredient. Your basic homemade sushi rolls will consist of sheets of nori (a roasted sea plant), sushi rice, rice vinegar, and your choice of fillings.

Getting the goods

The first step to making your own sushi is getting the ingredients. You can find everything you need at Hy-Vee, 4000 W. Sixth St., or at Community Mercantile, 901 Iowa St., for about the same cost. After the initial investment in these sushi-making supplies, you are set for at least two sushi meals.

nori, $5

rice vinegar, $3

a bag of sushi rice, $3.79

asparagus, avocado and baby carrots, $5

wasabi powder (purchased at the Community Mercantile in bulk herbs), $2

bamboo sushi roller, (from the Community Mercantile) $3

Prep

To make the spicy wasabi paste, combine 2 tablespoons of hot water with each tablespoon of wasabi powder. This peppery side will add a sharp taste to your sushi.

Be sure to also set out sides of soy sauce or tamari to dip your sushi in.

In the kitchen

Having a partner in your sushi-creating experience is helpful but not necessary. To start, warm your oven to 400 degrees. Combine 3 cups of water and 2 cups of dry sushi rice in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove rice from heat and let it sit for 10 more minutes.

Drizzle a little olive oil on a sheet of foil — sides folded up — and cook the asparagus in the oven for about eight minutes.

During this time, prepare the vinegar mixture for the rice by combining in a saucepan: 1 _ tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar and a teaspoon of salt. Simmer and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved, then take off the heat.

Prepare your other sushi fillings by cutting the carrots and avocado into thin slices. Also thinly slice the asparagus after it’s cooked. Once the rice has absorbed the water, transfer it to a glass bowl (not metal) and drizzle with vinegar mixture. Turn the rice a couple times, but do not stir it.

Time to roll

This is the fun part. To ensure the sushi rice doesn’t stick to your hands, prepare a small bowl of cold water with a splash of vinegar to wet your hands with before you touch the rice.

1. Place a 4-by-7-inch piece of nori with its lines parallel to the lines of the bamboo roller. The edge of the nori and the bamboo mat are aligned at the end of the mat closest to you.

2. Form a loose ball of rice about the size of a small apple and place in the center of the nori sheet. Slowly spread the rice evenly over the nori, about three to four grains thick, leaving a 1-inch border at the top.

3. Lay the avocado, carrot and asparagus slices evenly over the rice layer. To ensure an even roll, make sure ingredients do not overlap.

4. While holding the nori with your thumb and index finger, fold and roll the nori over ingredients. Continue lifting the mat so the nori rolls around and closes. You can further round the roll with your hand to seal it. Hyeon J. Shin, Seoul, South Korea freshman and “sushi man” at WA, rolls sushi using a bamboo mat covered with a layer of plastic wrap. Shin uses the plastic-covered bamboo mat to round the roll after he has first rolled it closed with his hands.

5. Wet your knife and cut the roll into six pieces by holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle over it and cutting down with slow controlled movements.

Once you learn to how to roll sushi, you’ll never forget. And you can experiment with different fillings: cream cheese, imitation crab, cucumber, mushroom, green onion or spinach.

Sushi-making guidelines presented with help from Tracy Griffith’s Sushi American Style.