When i comes to making sushi, a lot of people panic. Now i know that there a great few sushi experts and artists even who can do incredible designs with sushi, but today im going to just teach you all how to make your everyday sushi. When it comes to ordering sushi rolls (or maki), I usually just go for either:
Spicy Tuna Rolls
Plain Avocado Maki
Plain Cucumber Maki
Prawn Katsu Maki
Or Tofu Pocket Stuffed With Rice
I'm not into the whole 'raw' sushi, i prefer my meat/fish to be cooked, but you can adapt any of these methods to create your own recipes. I'm just giving you guys a beginners. So without further ado, let's get into it!
Healthy
Fresh ingredients
Balanced meal
Can be made vegan
Gluten-free
Addictive
Full of flavour
Sushi i by far one of my favourite things to eat. It's absolutely delish, is so good for you and is really filling. One of my favourite maki's would be the spicy tuna roll. I really can’t get enough of it. Its so good, cooked spicy tuna and my secret ingrediet..honey! Yes i know it sounds odd but it works i promise! Its wrapped in Japanese rice and delicate toasted nori (seaweed) sheets, YUM.
How To Make Sushi Rice
Japanese rice is essential to Japanese cooking. It’s used in various dishes, is served as a side and comes at the end of a meal in the form of soupy ochazuke or as part of a dessert.
For every cup of rice you will need 1 ¼ cup water.
Put rice in a strainer and rinse under cold water in swishing motion (this is to remove excess starch) for 1-2 minutes, until water runs clear. Alternatively, you can wash the rice in a bowl, drain and repeat the process 3-4 times.
Fill the bowl with water and let the rice soak for 30 minutes. This step allows for the rice to absorb water and cook more evenly. I often skip this step as I tend to make rice at the last minute.
Drain well and add to a pot along with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 18-20 minutes, until water is absorbed.
Turn off the heat and let sit for about 10 minutes to finish the cooking process.
Using a spoon or rice paddle, fold the cooked rice in big chunks from the bottom (do not stir or knead).
Once cooked add in my special rice vinegar sauce for a unique taste to the rice. Its tangy, its sweet, its delicious. I promise you, once yo try my sushi rice this way you wont eat sushi any other way.
Pour directly into the rice and stir until mixed in well.
Once the rice is cooked and you've mixed in your rice vinegar sauce, transfer it to a large bowl and let it cool to room temperature.
How To Make My Special Rice Vinegar Sauce (For Sushi Rice)
Add in a bowl:
3 tablespoons of rice vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
Mix well and poor immediately.
How To Make Spicy Tuna Roll
Rolling maki (sushi rolls) for the first time can be a bit of a challenge. Too loose, and the rolls are sloppy and won’t stick together. Too tight, and the fillings get squeezed out of the ends, or your delicate sheets of nori rip apart. Nevertheless, it won’t take more than a little bit of trial and error before you’re rolling your very own homemade spicy tuna roll with the confidence of a sushi master. So let's cook! (Breaking Bad reference Lolz!)
Place a nori sheet, shiny side up (or down if you aren't wanting rice on the outside of your sushi), on a bamboo mat lined with cling film and spread about 1/4 cup of rice to one side of the sheet.
Spread the rice using your fingers (you can tip your fingers in some water if the rice is too sticky - always have a bowl of water by your side when making sushi) so it’s flat and covers about half of the sheet.
Leave this step out if your rice will be on the inside of your maki. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds and some white sesame seeds over the top of the rice. Turn over the mat so the other side of nori is facing you.
Add a line of cucucumber (i always scoop the inside out with a spoon, but you don't have to do that), avocado and spicy tuna mix in the center of the rice and lightly spread it.
Grab the bamboo from both ends of the side with the nori sheet and start rolling.
Roll it tight enough so the rice feels tight but not so tight that the tuna mixture spills out from the ends. Keep rolling until there is a little nori sheet left.
Wet your fingers with water and lightly run them across the edge of the nori sheet. Continue rolling until the mat comes off.
Wet a sharp knife and slice the roll in half. Slice into bite size pieces and cut off the ends if you want the roll to look neater.
Congratulations, you just made spicy tuna rolls! Its literally that simple! You can do the same with the others and feel free to change the fillings.
Recipe
Prep Time: 15 mins ~ Cook Time: 0 mins ~ Total Time: 15 mins
~ Makes 2 Maki Rolls ~
Description
An easy recipe for anyone who is rusty on making sushi, or is hesitant to try it out! This ones for you!
Ingredients:
For Spicy Tuna Rolls
2/3 cup red cabbage
1/2 avocado
1/3 cucumber
1 tin tuna in spring water
3 tablespoon light mayo
1 tablespoon chilli sauce (i like Sriaccha)
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of chilli powder (or oil)
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 nori sheets
2 cup sushi rice, cooked *see above for how i make my rice
Sesame seeds to decorate the rice (black and white)
Optional* A squeeze of honey - the more you put in the sweeter it will be. I guarantee you, you'll love it!
Soy sauce, wasabi or finely sliced ginger for serving
Do the same for other makis. You can switch up the fillings. I love avocados, cucumber, salmon, prawns, vegi, tofu and red bell pepper.
Method:
1. In a bowl, mix tuna (drained), sriracha sauce, salt, black pepper, chilli powder (chilli oil), rice vinegar, honey (if using) and mayonnaise.
2. Place a sheet of nori on top of a bamboo mat (sushi roller).
3. Set a small bowl of water next to the sushi roller and wet your fingers. Add 1/3 cup cooked rice (or as much as you like) to one side of the nori sheet and spread it by pressing down (you may need to add more rice – just make sure it’s thinly spread out). Continue until at least 3/4 of the nori sheet is covered.
4. If you would like the rice on the outside of your sushi - turn over sheet and sprinkle on some sesame seeds (*see notes above). Add a line of cucumbers, avocado and spicy tuna mix to the center of the rice (about 1½ tablespoons, or more if you like bigger rolls).
5. Roll up the bamboo mat (starting with the side with the rice and spicy tuna). You have to roll it tight enough that the rice feels condensed, but not so tight that the tuna mixture spills out (or the nori sheet breaks). You’ll get the hang of it after doing it a couple of times. Keep rolling until there is only a bit of nori left visible.
6. Wet your fingers and run them across the inside edge of the nori sheet. This will seal the end of the roll. Keep rolling and delicately remove the bamboo mat.
7. Wipe a sharp knife with a wet cloth and cut the roll into bite size pieces.
8. You can serve it with some soy sauce, wasabi or some finely sliced ginger.
Notes
This Spicy Tuna Roll Recipe is best served immediately after making. The rice will harden very quickly if refrigerated.
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