How to make Sushi at home

For Father’s Day, I wanted to surprise my husband with homemade Sushi. I personally don’t eat Sushi, but I watched and read about everything I could find and while I learned a lot, there were still some things I learned along the way. So I wanted to share this with you so you could learn how to make Sushi at home and see how easy it really is!

This is a beginner’s guide, for the most basic rolls. If you want to get more technical, this guide is a great reference. We have made them 3 different times now and even tried doing a few of them tempura (deep-fried) and they have all turned out great. My kids have all learned how to make them as well and love creating their own sushi rolls with their favorite ingredients.

We got this Sushi Making Kit for Clint for Father’s Day – and it’s what we use to make all the Sushi. It comes with everything you need for under $10! So I highly recommend you order one – you will have 2 rolling mats, the rice spreader, rice paddle, and 4 sets of chopsticks!

We get pretty much all of the ingredients at Walmart because that is where we have found to have good prices with the best selection close to us. If you have a Japanese or Chinese store close – that would probably be the best option – especially to find the Unagi sauce.

First of all, here are the staples you will need:

Nori (seaweed)
Sushi Rice (we LOVE Nishiki)
Sweet Rice Vinegar (we use Mizkan or Marukan)
Bamboo rolling mat(s)
Rice paddle and rice spreader
Plastic wrap

Veggies:

Cucumbers (cut into matchsticks, or julienne)
Carrots (cut into matchsticks, or julienne)(tip: I buy shredded bagged carrots – so much easier)
Avocados (cut into thin slices)
Asparagus
Bean Sprouts

Meat/Fish:

Shrimp
Tuna
Salmon
Crab (imitation crab)

Other items you will probably want:

Cream cheese
Soy sauce (low sodium)
Spicy Mayo (easy to make yourself with mayo and Sriracha sauce)
Sriracha sauce
Fried Onions
Sesame Seeds
Unagi Sauce (Eel Sauce)
Pickled Ginger (to cleanse the pallet between rolls)

We haven’t made raw fish sushi. I am not that brave…yet. But we have done salmon, tilapia, tuna, cream cheese, and veggie. We just cook the meat in a pan on the stove. Or you can buy the smoked salmon. That is also very good (so my family says, lol).

How to make sushi:

I highly recommend a rice cooker to make the rice. It makes it SO EASY and our rice has turned out perfect every time! When you make your sushi rice, you will want to make it according to package directions – which should be 1 1/2 cups of rice to 2 cups of water. You will also want to add 1/4 cup of sweet rice vinegar and stir. Then set the timer for white rice and let it cook. This will probably take about 25-30 minutes.

(Note: This will make 4-5 sushi rolls, so you can double it if you are having a large group)

While your rice is cooking, you will want to prep everything.

First of all, you will want to get your bamboo mat ready. To do this, you will want to cover it in plastic wrap. This will preserve the life of your mat, as well as keeping the food from sticking to it. Take the plastic off when you are done and re-wrap it right before you make sushi again.

Now you will want to cut all of your veggies up and cook your meat. If you want to try and make it with raw fish – please make sure you get SUSHI grade from a reputable place so that you don’t get sick or worms or whatever. Especially with the salmon!

The carrots and cucumbers need to be cut julienne style – like matchsticks. The avocado will be thinly sliced. We cook our fish in a pan and then just kind of crumble it. It still tastes great.

Put each of the different ingredients into different bowls. This will make it so much easier. Get a large glass that your bamboo spoon and spreader can fit into. The rice is VERY sticky and the water keeps it from sticking.

With everything prepped, you are now ready to make your sushi rolls. Lay a Nori wrap on the bamboo mat. Make sure your mat is turned the right way so you can roll it up.

Now take your rice paddle, dip it in the water, and then put about 1 cup of rice on your Nori. Then you will use the rice spreader (make sure to keep dipping it in the water to keep the rice from sticking) and spread the rice around.

If you are wanting to do rice on the outside (and Inside Out roll) you will cover the whole Nori with rice – all edges. Once you get the rice spread evenly, you will carefully take the Nori and turn it over so the rice is facing down. The plastic wrap keeps it from sticking to the mat.

If you are doing a regular sushi roll with the rice inside, you will want to leave about a 3/4 inch gap on one end so the roll can stick together.

Put all of the ingredients about 1/3 of the way down on the mat. This will make it easier for you to roll everything up. Once it is ready, you will take the end of the mat and slightly bring it up, bending the very top backward. You will continue to roll the sushi up and roll the bamboo back towards you until the roll is done.

Be sure to be firm with the mat around the roll to really compress and secure everything.

To cut your sushi roll, you will want a very sharp knife. If the rice is on the outside, you will want to wet your fingers and the knife between EACH cut! If the Nori is on the outside, you can just wet the knife.

Serve topped with spicy mayo (Sriracha mixed with mayo to desired heat) and fried onions. You can also add sesame seeds and Unagi sauce. Have soy sauce for dipping. You can also have pickled Ginger to eat between rolls to cleanse your pallet.

This is so much fun to do for family nights, date nights, or friend nights! Everyone gets to customize their sushi rolls, and you have fun creating and eating! How to make sushi is something I have really enjoyed learning with my family, and I hope you do too!

Let me know if you have any questions!