Sushi Roll Maki Recipes

SUSHI ROLL

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/3 cups water to a boil. Add rice, and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar ,and salt. Blend the mixture into the rice.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). On a medium baking sheet, heat nori in the preheated oven 1 to 2 minutes, until warm.
• Center one sheet nori on a bamboo sushi mat. Wet your hands. Using your hands, spread a thin layer of rice on the sheet of nori, and press into a thin layer. Arrange 1/4 of the cucumber, ginger, avocado, and imitation crabmeat in a line down the center of the rice. Lift the end of the mat, and gently roll it over the ingredients, pressing gently. Roll it forward to make a complete roll. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Cut each roll into 4 to 6 slices using a wet, sharp knife.

MAKI SUSHI RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook the rice according to the package instructions, or use our Instant Pot Rice recipe (use 2 cups sushi rice and 2 1/2 cups water). While the rice is cooking, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil. Cook until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly while the rice continues to cook. Pour the sauce over the just-cooked rice, tossing, fanning, and fluffing it with a rice paddle. Be careful; the rice is hot. Let the rice cool to room temperature before using.
• In a small nonstick skillet, combine the sugar, soy sauce, and mirin and bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves, then add the tuna and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the liquid evaporates. Remove from the heat and let cool completely before using.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and salt until well blended. In a small nonstick skillet, heat half of the neutral oil over medium low heat until shiny and shimmering. Pour the egg mixture in and let sit until the edges start to set, about 30 seconds. Push the edges in, toward the center of the pan, with a silicone spatula while tilting the pan to allow the uncooked egg to spread out. Turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes, until almost all the egg has set, then carefully flip the entire omelet over, adding the remaining oil to the pan right before you flip. Cook for a minute or so, with the lid off, then remove from the heat and let cool before cutting into 1/2-inch-wide strips.
• Prepare an ice-water bath by filling a bowl with a handful of ice cubes and water, and set aside. Bring a small pan of water to a simmer over medium heat and quickly blanch the carrots by cooking them in the simmering water for 1 minute, then plunging them into the ice-water bath. Remove the carrots from the bath after a minute or two, reserving the ice-water bath for the watercress. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, and rice vinegar and add to the carrots. Let sit for 15 minutes; drain the pickling liquid before using.
• Bring the water in the saucepan back to a simmer over medium heat and blanch the watercress by cooking it in the simmering water until it's wilted, about 30 seconds. Immediately transfer it to the ice bath and let sit until cooled, a minute or two. Drain the watercress and soak up any extra water from the watercress with a couple of paper towels.
• Place a sushi rolling mat or other flat roll-able item (we used a place mat) on a clean work surface, with the bamboo running horizontal. Add a sheet of nori, shiny side face-down, and align the bottom edge with the edge of the rolling mat. Spread the sushi rice in a thin layer, about 1/2-inch thick, leaving a 1 1/2-inch margin on the end farthest from you. Leave a 1/2-inch margin of rice on the end closest to you, and arrange your fillings in a row in this order: omelet, carrots, watercress, and tun, with each row touching the previous row. (See the photo above.) Carefully roll the sushi away from you, using the mat to apply pressure. Use one hand to keep the filling in place until you get to the point when the mat touches the rice. At this point, lift the mat away from the rice so that you can continue until the sushi is completely rolled. Repeat this process until all the rice has been used.
• Cut the rolls into 1/2-inch-thick slices, fan them out on a platter, and serve. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and Spicy Mayo (optional).

PANDA MAKI RECIPE

Steps:

• Mix the ground sesame seeds and yukari into the sushi rice.
• Prepare the five 1/4 sheets of nori.
• Place 1 oz, of the sushi rice on two of the nori sheets from Step 2, and make two rolls as in Photo2. (This will be "nori roll 1.")
• Place 1.5 oz. of the sushi rice from Photo 2 on top and make a circular roll, as in Photo 4.
• Cut the left-over nori as shown in the photo. (This will be "nori roll 2.")
• Using a 1/4 sheet of nori from Step 2, cut a burdock root to the same length, and wrap it as the nori roll core. Cut any extras away with a knife.
• Wrap 1 oz. of sushi rice in a circular shape, as shown in the photo. (This will be "nori roll 3".)
• Reshape "nori roll 1" into a teardrop shape.
• Cut "nori roll 3" in half.
• Prepare the 1/2 and 1/6 sheets of nori and connect them using sushi rice, as shown in the photo.
• Spread 3.5 oz. of sushi rice atop the connected nori, leaving 1.5 inches of space at both ends.
• Place 1.5 oz. of sushi rice in the center of the sushi rice, as shown in the photo.
• Place the teardrop-shaped "nori roll 1" and the burdock root on top.
• Place 0.5 oz. of sushi rice on either side of the burdock root.
• Place "nori roll 3," which was cut in half earlier, on top as shown in the photo, forming the panda's nose.
• Place 0.75 oz. of sushi rice on the panda's muzzle section.
• Lift the nori at both ends as you form the roll.
• Cut the panda's face section to 0.6 inch thick. (It is less prone to coming apart if wrapped in plastic wrap.)
• Cut "nori roll 2" 0.6 inch thick the thickness should be same as that of the panda's face and adjust/set it to the ear positions.
• Thinly slice the burdock roots, place them on the panda's eye section, and you're done.

QUICK AND EASY SUSHI MAKI (SUSHI ROLLS)

Steps:

• Rinse the rice very well under cold water. Drain thoroughly and put into a large saucepan that has a lid. Pour over 1 pint of water. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for about 25 minutes or until nearly all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
• Then tip the rice onto a large flat clean tray. A metallic is probably best as it will help the rice cool down quicker. Dress the rice with the mirin, turning frequently as this helps the rice to cool. Then fan with a fan or a magazine until the rice is room temperature (not essential but quite authentic).
• To make the sushi take a Japanese bamboo sushi mat and place a sheet of seaweed on top. Have a small bowl of water to hand. Dip your fingers in the water before you touch the rice. Spread the rice over three quarters of the seaweed, take a little rice at a time and push it to the edges leaving a layer about ½ cm thick. Leave the quarter the furthest away from you plain.
• Next smear a little wasabi in a line a little off centre nearest to your body. Follow with a layer of tuna, a spring onion and a piece of cucumber. Roll up the bamboo mat slowly, tucking in the closer end of the sushi roll to start a roll and press lightly with both hands. Remove the roll from the mat and leave to sit with the joining edges downwards. You can wrap in cling film and keep in a cool place until you are ready to serve. Don't place in the fridge as this dries out the rice.
• To serve, using a lightly moistened sharp knife to trim the ends, then cut into 6-8 pieces. Serve with the pickled ginger and little bowls of soy sauce.

SUSHI RICE AND SUSHI ROLLING INSTRUCTIONS

Steps:

• Place rice in a fine sieve, and rinse until water runs clear.
• In a large saucepan, mix together water and rice. Cover and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low and cook 15 minutes.
• After 15 min, turn heat off and let rice set, covered for 10 min.
• In a small bowl, mix together vinegar, sugar, and salt until sugar dissolves.
• Pour over rice and mix well to coat.
• Cool rice to room temperature before using in sushi.
• Place your nori, shiny side down, on the bamboo rolling mat.
• Cover 2/3 of the nori (from the short end) with 1/3 - 1/2 c sushi rice. You'll want the rice layer about 1/8" thick. If the rice is too sticky to spread easily, moisten your fingers with water before spreading.
• Lay filling ingredients in a nice line, 1/3 of the way up the nori.
• Take the bamboo mat and gently pull the bottom section (with just 1/3 of rice) up over the filling. Continue to roll the sushi, pulling the mat straight away from you to coax a nice roll. Once the roll is complete, pick up the mat with the roll and press firmly. This will press the rice in to position, and the last naked bit of nori will stick to itself, sealing the roll.
• Cut your roll using a large, sharp knife. If you find things sticking to the knife as you cut, moisten it slightly with a little water.
• Serve with pickled ginger, soy sauce, and/or wasabi as desired.

CALIFORNIA SUSHI ROLL RECIPE

Steps:

• Wrap the sumaki with plastic wrap. This will prevent rice from sticking on to the surface of the sumaki. Place the half sheet of nori horizontally. Lightly wet your hands, and cover the nori with layer of rice. TIP: It is better to make a narrow rice ball the length of the nori first, and place the rice ball on the bottom edge and spread the rice by pushing the rice towards the upper portion of the nori.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds as desired. After the rice is evenly spread out, flip the nori, so that the rice side is facing the sumaki, and the nori side is facing up. Place your ingredients in the bottom portion of the nori (not too close to the bottom edge). TIP: Mix crab meat with mayo to make a dressing. For imitation crab, dice up the imitation crab into smaller pieces first before making a dressing.
• Using the sumaki, fold the bottom portion inwards so that it covers the ingredients. It is ideal to have about an inch or inch and half of nori left over (you do not want to over stuff the roll).
• Apply pressure on the sumaki so that the roll is tight, and continue to wrap the remaining portion. The inside ingredients should be wrapped about 1.5 times, rather than just once.
• When cutting the roll, place the roll out of the sumaki onto a cutting board. Moisten the knife with a wet towel, and cut it into halves first. Then, line up the two halves and cut it into 3 evenly spaced pieces so that you will get a total of 6 pieces from a single roll. TIP: When cutting a sushi roll, do not attempt to "chop" it by pressing hard. Rather begin with the front edge of the knife, and while pressing down, pull the knife backwards towards you, so that you are "slicing" it. It will prevent the roll of being squashed and give you a cleaner cut.

EASY SUSHI ROLLS

Steps:

• It's important to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you begin to assemble your rolls. (I especially recommend cooking the rice 1-2 hours ahead of time, so that it can cool to room temperature before assembling the rolls.)
• Lay a sheet of nori on a sushi mat* smooth-side-down, with the longer side of the nori facing you. Place a bowl of water nearby. Dip your fingers into the water (this will help the rice not to stick) and sprinkle approximately 1 cup of sushi rice evenly over the nori, leaving a 1-inch border open at the top. Using your fingers, gently but firmly press the rice onto the nori in an even layer, dipping your fingers back into the water as often as needed so that they do not stick. You want the rice to cover the nori as evenly as possible, all the way to the bottom, left and right edges of the sheet. (See photos above.)
• Place the fillings in long horizontal lines on top of the rice, layering the different fillings side by side instead of in one big pile. Sprinkle the toppings a pinch of sesame seeds, if desired.
• Lift up the bottom edge of the sushi mat and carefully fold it over the fillings until they are enclosed in a roll, yet still leaving the top 1-inch of the empty nori exposed. Use the sushi mat to squeeze the roll in as tightly as possible. (Although not too tight, as you don't want all of the fillings to squish out!) Dip your fingers in the water bowl once more and use them to wet the remaining 1-inch of nori. Then use the sushi mat to finish rolling up the roll until it is completely enclosed. Give it a few extra squeezes all around so that it is nice and firmly-packed. Then transfer the entire roll to a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to form about 5 sushi rolls.
• Using a very sharp knife, cut the each sushi roll into 8 equal(ish)-sized pieces. Transfer them to your serving plate.
• Drizzle the sushi with the spicy mayo and/or sprinkle with extra toasted sesame seeds.
• Serve immediately, along with pickled ginger, wasabi paste, and soy sauce for dipping. And enjoy!

SUSHI ROLLS (MAKI SUSHI - HOSOMAKI)

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients. Please note that cook time does not include time for cooking rice as it varies depending on device/method you use to cook rice. You will need a bamboo sushi mat.

FUTOMAKI (MAKI SUSHI / EHOMAKI)

Steps:

• Start cooking rice and follow my sushi rice recipe here. Cover the prepared sushi rice with a damp cloth at all times to prevent it from drying.
• In a bowl (or a measuring cup), add dried shiitake mushrooms and water and let them soak for 15 minutes. Place a smaller bowl on top so that mushrooms will stay submerged.
• In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Quickly rinse the kanpyo in running water and drain. Rub kanpyo with salt. Rinse and drain well.
• When the water is boiling cook kanpyo for 3 minutes. Transfer to iced water to stop the cooking process and squeeze water out.
• When the shiitake mushrooms are soft and tender, cut off and discard the stem. Strain the shiitake liquid through a fine sieve to get rid of small unwanted bits.
• If the reserved shiitake liquid is not 1 cup (240 ml), add water till you have 1 cup.
• In a medium saucepan, put the kanpyo and mushrooms, and the reserved shiitake liquid.
• Add sugar, mirin, and soy sauce to the saucepan.
• Bring it to boil and once boiling, lower the heat to medium and cook until most of liquid is gone, about 20-30 minutes.
• Cut the shiitake mushrooms to very thin slices and squeeze the water out.
• Squeeze the water out from kanpyo and cut it into 8 inches (20 cm) length, which is about the same size as the nori sheet.
• Now shiitake and kanpyo are ready to use. You can make this ahead of time and store them in the fridge for a couple of days.
• Make one tamagoyaki (I have two versions: tamagoyaki or sweeter atsuyaki tamago). You can make it ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator to save time.
• Cut tamagoyaki into long strips. Keep them in the fridge until they are ready to use.
• Unagi is typically already cooked/broiled when you purchase it. All you need to do is reheat in the oven. Set your oven to broil (high - 550ºF/290ºC) and preheat for 3 minutes. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray oil on the aluminum foil and place the unagi on top. Put the baking sheet in the middle rack of your oven and broil for 5-7 minutes (no need to flip). Cut into 4 long strips.
• Tie the stems with cooking twine to keep them from being untied while cooking. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add 1 tsp salt and blanch mitsuba or spinach just enough to tender. Do not overcook.
• Soak the blanched mitsuba in iced water and squeeze the water out. Set aside.
• Cut off the end and cut into quarter length-wise and remove the seeds. Set aside.
• Open the package and put it in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Gather all the ingredients. Prepare Tezu (finger dipping water) by combining ¼ cup water and 2 tsp rice vinegar.
• Place a bamboo sushi mat on the working surface or cutting board. Then place a sheet of nori on the bamboo mat, shiny side down. Divide sushi rice into quarters. Dip your fingers in Tezu, and put ¼ of sushi rice on nori and spread evenly with your fingers. Make sure to wet your fingers with Tezu when you do this. Spread the rice evenly; otherwise, your sushi roll won't look even when rolled.
• Leaving about a ½ inch (1.5 cm) strip along the top of nori farthest away from you. You don't put the rice till the end because after you roll, the white rice could come out from the seam and it won't look pretty.
• Place the cucumber toward the bottom of nori. Front ingredients will need to go over the other ingredients. Therefore I recommend putting easy-to-hold ingredients toward the front, and put Sakura Denbu and Shiitake toward the top so the pieces won't fall down when you roll.
• From the bottom end (of sushi rice), start rolling nori sheet over the filling tightly and firmly with bamboo mat until the bottom end reaches the end of sushi rice on top. Use your fingers to hold the ingredients when you roll.
• Hold the top of the bamboo mat with one hand and hold the rolled bamboo mat with the other hand and pull against each other to tighten the roll. Lift the bamboo mat and continue to roll. Place the bamboo mat over the roll and tightly squeeze. Continue to make the rest of the rolls.
• Using a very sharp knife, cut the Futomaki in half first. Every slice or every other slice, wipe the knife with a wet kitchen cloth so that you can cut nicely.
• Then cut each half into 3 pieces.

COOKED SWEET POTATO SUSHI ROLL RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash the rice and add it to the rice maker together with water. Cook according to the instruction.
• Once cooked, transfer the hot rice to a large bowl and let it cool down slightly. When it's still very warm, stir in the sushi vinegar.
• Lay out the bamboo mat with an optional piece of plastic wrap on top sticking.
• Cut off 1/3 of the nori seaweed sheet using kitchen scissors. Then place the remaining nori sheet towards the bottom of the mat, shinning side facing down.
• Take 3/4 cup of cooked rice and evenly spread over nori while leaving 1/2 inch at the top of the sheet. Wet your fingers in the vinegar water to spread the rice in a thin layer.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the rice, and then place sweet potato strips and avocado slices on top.
• Place the thumbs underneath the bamboo mat and lift the edge up and over the filling.
• Roll the bamboo mat away from you and press the rice and filling together. Use the bamboo mat to continue rolling until reaching the blank nori on the edge.
• Peeling the mat back away as you continue to roll, so that the nori can be rolled into a cylinder. Press the mat gently so that the roll won't fall apart when you cut it.
• Place the roll on a cutting board and use a long sharp knife to cut off the edges on each side. Then cut each roll into 8 pieces. Serve and enjoy!

KAPPA MAKI | VEGGIE SUSHI ROLL

Steps:

• Whilst the cooked rice for your Kappa maki is still hot, gently fold it in with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until fully coated.
• Rinse your cucumber thoroughly and cut in half horizontally, and then half again until they resemble even quarters.
• Lay your bamboo mat along with a layer of saran wrap on a flat surface. Have a bowl of water on the side. Lay your nori on the mat with its shiny side facing the mat.
• Add 1 cup of rice to the centre of the nori sheet. With wet fingers, distribute the rice evenly across the sheet, leaving a small 2cm gap on the top.
• Place a cucumber quarter horizontally on the rice for your Kappa maki roll.
• Using the bamboo mat, roll the sushi into a tight cylinder. Lift both the mat and wrap it together to prevent it from rolling into the sushi. Press on the roll to make it compact.
• Wet the nori that is not touching the rice with water to act as glue to seal the roll. Cut into desired bitesize pieces. Serve your Kappa maki on a plate!

KAPPA MAKI (CUCUMBER SUSHI ROLLS)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1/4 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt until dissolved.
• Mix the vinegar mixture with 300g of cooked rice. (It's okay if it's still warm.)
• Fold your nori sheets in half and pinch along the crease so that you tear them in half. (You can use scissors if you prefer.) This will give you 6 smaller nori sheets.
• Now pull the rice down so the bottom edge is covered with rice, but leave a gap at the top. The top part will wrap around and help the maki hold it's shape.
• Enjoy your homemade kappamaki with soy sauce for dipping!

SUSHI ROLL: MAKI

Steps:

• Heat the nori enough to make it supple, at about 325 degrees F for 3 minutes. Place a sheet of nori on the bamboo mat with the wider part along the rolling edge of the mat. Spread 1/2 cup of the rice over the surface of the nori, leaving about 1/2-inch of nori on the furthest edge uncovered so you will be able to seal the roll. Press the rice down firmly but gently. Place a dab of wasabi - about 1/4 teaspoon - on your finger and spread a thin ribbon of wasabi from left to right along the centerline of the rice. On top of the line of wasabi, lay a length each of fish, cucumber, and scallion. Begin rolling the edge of the bamboo closest to you, using the mat to press down on the sushi roll firmly but gently as you roll. The nori should stick to itself when the roll is complete; if it doesn't, use the cornstarch slurry to moisten it. Dip a knife in vinegared water and cut the roll into 6 even slices. Repeat for each maki. Arrange the rolls cut side up on a plate and top each roll with 1/4 teaspoon tobiko.