Vegetarian FSP Roll from The Sushi Experience by Hiroko Shimbo

Ingredients

• Sea salt and sugar
• ½ medium sweet potato (¼ pound), peeled and cut into matchstick-thin strips, 1½ inches long
• 6 simmered shiitake mushrooms (3 ounces), sliced thin
• ½ cup toasted white sesame seeds
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 14 thin asparagus (2 ounces), blanched, with the tough bottoms removed
• 7 half-sheets nori (laver); choose the thicker variety
• 2 tablespoons wasabi paste (optional)
• 6 cups (lightly packed) prepared sushi rice (⅞ cup, 4.2 ounces, per roll)
• tsuke-joyu (sushi dipping sauce)