Home Made Sushi

It's my first day home today after moving back from Newcastle for the summer. Instead of unpacking my 10000 bags, me and my sister decided to make some sushi. I'd say we're both pretty much obsessed and it's definitely one of my favourite foods. From recent experiences, we never seemed to be able to make our own that well, but after all practice makes perfect and we made our best batch yet. 

All the ingredients were bought from Sainsbury's, so you don't have to hunt out all the ingredients in random shops you never usually visit. I know Tesco also have a section of sushi making ingredients, as well as Waitrose, so I'm sure other ones will too. We thought we'd stick to making the simple maki and then hopefully we can progress to making other types depending on how well it went. It contains no raw fish, so it is suitable for people who don't like the idea of it as many people think sushi is just that. 

This recipe serves 2 people (16 pieces) and takes roughly an hour to make.

All you need is:

- A bamboo rolling mat

- 2 sheets nori seaweed 

- 150g sushi rice

- 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar

- 1/2 avocado

- 1/2 tin white crab meat

- 1/2 tin skinless and boneless red salmon

- 1/4 cucumber

To serve:

- Soy sauce 

- Wasabi paste (as much or as little as you can handle!)

- Japanese pickled ginger 

1. Rinse the rice under cold water and drain well. Add it to a large saucepan which has a lid. Pour fresh water to cover the rice, bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for 11-12 minutes with the lid on. 

2. Turn off the heat and drain the water using a sieve. Put the rice in the sieve and back into the saucepan and leave to stand for 25-30 minutes. 

3. While leaving the rice to stand, prepare the fillings. Drain the salmon and crab tins and chop the cucumber and avocado into thin small strips. 

4. Transfer the rice into a bowl and pour in the vinegar gently while mixing. Make sure it is a warm temperature and not too hot to be able to handle before going ahead. 

5. Place a nori seaweed sheet shiny side down onto the bamboo mat. Then spread half the rice onto the rice, keeping a 2cm gap at the top and bottom of the sheet. Spread evenly and smooth down making sure it's all level.

6. Spread your fillings in the centre of the rice. We used the combinations of salmon and cucumber and crab and avocado, but there are many different fillings you can choose from. 

7. Begin rolling the nori carefully making sure you do it slowly and tight. Use the mat to shape it so it is even and round. Roll it away from you as shown in the pictures and use your fingers at the front and side to keep the fillings in. When you reach the end, the 2cm gap that was left should join together with the rest, but if it doesn't stick, add a tiny amount of water to the tip so it can join together. 

 8. Repeat this with the left over rice and the rest of the fillings.

9. The ends of the roll can usually look quite scruffy, so with a sharp knife, carefully hold the roll and cut the end off.

 9. Start cutting the roll by firmly holding the rest of it. Apply pressure with the knife and slowly and gently cut it to get through the seaweed.

10. And there you go! Home made sushi that's pretty easy really.  It can be tricky doing the rolling for the first time so don't worry if it turns out quite scruffy, as the more you practice the neater it will look.

11. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger, and enjoy! 

Any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments :)

Olivia Dee xx