How to Make Your Own Sushi Rolls at Home

Have you ever wanted to make your own sushi rolls at home? It's actually easier than you think. As long as you have the right products, you can make your own sushi rolls at home, just the way you like it.

Things You'll Need

• 3 cups Japanese rice
• 4 cups water
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• Nori
• Sushi fillings

Instructions

1. 

   The first thing you need to do to make your own sushi rolls at home is to buy some good quality Japanese rice. Japanese rice is a short grain rice that gets sticky when it's cooked. You can find it in the Asian section of your local grocery store or at Asian markets. Amazon.com is also a good source for Japanese rice. The brand I recommend is called Nishiki.

2. 

   Making sushi rolls is much easier if you have a proper rice cooker. You can get Japanese rice cookers at Asian markets and on Amazon.com. To cook the rice, just follow the instructions on the package, or it is typically 2 cups of water for every 1.5 cups of rice.

3. The next step to making sushi at home is to make sushi rice. Sushi rice is just Japanese rice mixed with sushi vinegar. While the rice is cooking, you can make the sushi vinegar by adding vinegar, sugar and salt into a sauce pan and heating on low heat until the sugar dissolves. Then set it aside and let it cool.

4. 

   When the rice is done cooking, spread the rice into a large plate or bowl. Then sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and gently mix the rice so that it is evenly coated. For authentic sushi making, I recommend getting a sushi-oke which is a large wooden bowl, and a Japanese rice spatula.

5. 

   To begin making the sushi rolls, first allow the rice to cool so it can be handled. Then take a sheet of nori (Japanese seaweed) and lay it down on a sushi rolling mat.

6. 

   Spread the sushi rice over the nori in a thin layer. Then add your fillings such as imitation crab meat, thinly sliced smoked salmon, or sliced vegetables or Japanese pickles. Some suggestions are cucumbers, burdock, avocado, and takuan (yellow radish-like pickles).

7. 

   You can also make sushi rolls with the rice on the outside of the roll. Just place a sheet of plastic wrap down on the mat, and turn the nori with the rice spread on it upside down. Your fillings will then be added to the clean side of the nori.

8. 

   After you have spread the rice and added the fillings, use the mat to roll it into a large sushi roll.

9. 

   The last step to making sushi at home is to cut the long sushi roll into 1 to 1.5 inch bite-size sushi rolls. Then serve with soy sauce for dipping or wasabi.

10. See 'Resources' below for quick links to sushi making products.

Resources

• Nishiki Rice on Amazon.com
• Rice Cooker on Amazon.com
• Sushi-Oke on Amazon.com
• Japanese Rice Spatula on Amazon.com
• Japanese Nori (Seaweed) on Amazon.com