How to Make Homemade Sushi

You can make your own sushi! It’s surprisingly easy to make sushi at home. We’ll start with sushi rolls to demonstrate how to prepare sushi for beginners. With a little skill, you can produce sushi rolls that are as beautiful to look at as they are to eat.

Sushi Rolls: How to Make Them

Today’s recipe is a twist on the California roll. California rolls require only three ingredients: crab meat (or imitation), avocado, and cucumber, in addition to sushi rice and sheets of seaweed (nori). If desired, combine the crab meat with a little mayonnaise to make a creamy sauce.

Before we go any further, a word about sushi rice. Sushi cannot be made with just any rice. Sushi rice is a type of rice that has been seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. It’s created with short-grain rice (Japonica), which is primarily grown in Japan, California, and Italy. When making handmade sushi rice, aim for fluffy rice that is slightly sticky but not overly so. Give it a shot; you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Find out how to prepare sushi rice.

Perfect Sushi Rice

This simple sushi rice goes well with sushi, wraps, and rice bowls. To make proper sushi rice, first rinse the rice well to remove any excess starch. Second, coat the cooked rice in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, and salt. Rice can be produced on the stovetop or in a rice cooker, and it can be cooked ahead of time.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Ingredients:

2 cups short-grain white rice (sushi rice)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Preparation:

Cover the rice in a big basin with cold water. Swirl the rice a few times before draining the water. Repeat this process with multiple changes of water until the water flows clear.

Drain the rice thoroughly and place it in a pot or rice cooker. 2 cups of water should be added. Lock the lid of the rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Bring the water to a boil in a pot, uncovered. Reduce the heat to low and cover after the water begins to boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and let aside for 10 minutes, covered, to steam.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.

Place the cooked rice in a large mixing bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the top. Fold and turn the rice with a rubber spatula or wooden paddle until each grain is coated. Allow to cool.

Notes

Make Ahead: The rice can be cooked up to 5 hours ahead of time. Cover with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature once cool.

Ingredients for Sushi

1 ⅓ cups water
⅔ cup uncooked short-grain white rice
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
4 sheets nori seaweed sheets
½ pound imitation crabmeat, flaked
1 avocado – peeled, pitted, and sliced
½ cucumber, peeled, cut into small strips
2 tablespoons pickled ginger

Instructions

Arrange the nori sheets on a baking sheet.

Warm the nori in a preheated oven for 1 to 2 minutes.

1 nori sheet should be placed on a bamboo sushi mat. Spread a thin layer of rice on top with damp hands. Arrange 1/4 of the crabmeat, avocado, cucumber, and pickled ginger down the center of the rice. Lift one end of the mat and tightly roll it over the filling to form a complete roll. Continue with the remaining ingredients.

Cut each roll into 4 to 6 slices with a damp, sharp knife.