Easy Sushi Recipes

Homemade sushi is much easier to make than you might think and we are sharing our favourite Easy Sushi Recipes with you. Once you have mastered the rolling technique, you can make sushi quickly and there are so many different varieties too. Read on for all our homemade sushi tips, how to eat it and what to serve it with.

Not only is homemade sushi much cheaper to make at home, but it is totally customisable, so you can add all your favourite ingredients and make it a different way every time. Although homemade sushi will never be NYC restaurant quality, it is fun to make and it will satisfy that sushi fix.

In this post you can learn how to make the perfect texture sushi rice and lots of different sushi recipes to use it in, from maki to hand rolls.

Jump to:

• Sushi ingredients
• Sushi basics
• Sushi anyone can make
• How to eat sushi
• What to serve with sushi
• Storage
• Feedback

Sushi basics

Nori - For all of the sushi recipes that follow you will need to use Nori. It is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, and can be found in the world food aisle of the supermarket.

Sushi rice - While sushi ingredients differ from dish to dish, the one key ingredient is sushi rice. In Japanese, the word sushi (寿司) means "soured rice" as the rice is moistened with rice vinegar. Sushi rice can also also be referred to as shari (しゃり), or sumeshi (酢飯).

It might seem complicated, but sushi rice is really simple to make. It is a little more time consuming than regular rice, but once perfected, your sushi options are endless.

Equipment - Once cooked, sushi rice is put into a wooden bowl to cool. Traditionally, this is a flat, shallow bowl known as a hangiri (飯切).

You should never use metal implements to mix sushi rice. This is because the hard metal can damage the delicate rice grains and also the metal can tarnish the taste of the rice. You should always use wooden implements. A wooden spatula will work, but a traditional rice paddle, or shamoji (しゃもじ), should be used.

You will then need a rolling mat, known as a makisu (巻き簾) to roll the sushi.

Sushi anyone can make

Cucumber Maki - This is a great sushi recipe to start with and a favourite with kids. It doesn't have any overpowering flavour, and it's refreshing.

Avocado maki - Like the cucumber maki, this is a great sushi recipe to start with, especially if you are put off sushi because of fish. Creamy avocado goes through the centre of the roll and it's always been a favourite with our kids.

Salmon maki - If you want to ease yourself into sushi with fish, then start with this. We have used smoked salmon, which does have a strong flavour. You could cook a salmon fillet to use or use raw salmon (known as sake).

Philadelphia roll - This is far from traditional, but it's a popular one in UK and US sushi restaurants. Salmon and cucumber are paired with creamy Philadelphia cream cheese in this roll.

Rainbow sushi - A vegan favourite and a delicious and colourful way to increase your vegetable intake. Easy to adapt with vegetables the colour of the rainbow too.

Vegan sushi - Sushi really doesn't have to all be about fish and this vegan version proves that. Protein packed with tofu, even meat eaters will love this sushi recipe.

Spicy Tuna Rolls - This is one for those that love spice. Mix tuna with mayo and Sriracha for an easy and flavour packed sushi roll filling.

Hand Roll Sushi (Temaki) - Once you have mastered the maki roll, the next sushi recipe to move on to is the hand roll. They look SO good and you can stuff them with almost anything.

How to eat sushi

Sushi can be eaten with chopsticks, known as hashi (箸) or with your hands. If you are teaching kids to use chopsticks, or you just need a little help yourself, then we recommend these Training Chopsticks.

When eating sushi, you are meant to put the sushi pieces in your mouth upside down so that the fish touches your tongue. If you are dipping the sushi in soy sauce, you are meant to just dip the fish in and not the rice, as the rice will absorb too much soy sauce.

What to serve with sushi

Soy sauce - We really love a sweet soy sauce. However dark or light soy sauce will work well.

Dipping Sauce - Our Gyoza Sauce, which is made with soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar, goes really well with sushi.

Wasabi - Love a kick of heat with your sushi? Then serve it with wasabi (Japanese horseradish). The way wasabi should be added is by dabbing a small bit of wasabi on one side of your sushi, then flipping it over and dipping the other side into your soy sauce.

Pickled ginger - Pickled ginger is eaten between sushi servings to cleanse and refresh the palate.

Seaweed salad - A simple and refreshing side dish to accompany your sushi. Check out Japan Centre's recipe for seaweed salad.

Edamame - These are young soybeans that can be boiled or steamed.

Storage

Homemade sushi is best eaten straight away. However, if you have any leftover then it will keep in the fridge for 24 hours. Keep it in an air tight container which will reduce moisture and bacterial growth.

We wouldn't recommend freezing sushi, as it totally changes the texture.

It is important that leftovers are not kept at room temperature for more than 1 hour.

So there you go - easy sushi recipes that anyone can make. Just a little preparation and practice and you will be rivalling a sushi itamae in no time.

If you’ve tried any of these easy sushi recipes, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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