Sushi Recipes for the inexperienced

[PoliticsNPhilosophyG33k]

My nephew has asked for Sushi for tea on Wednesday and I'd like to try making it rather than buying it. Any advice on cooking the rice and filling/rolling them. It's not something I've done before so I've no idea what recipes online will work and what wont.

To make sushi, it helps to live near an East Asian grocery store for supplies.

What you will need:
Bamboo mat (for maki)
Sushi rice
Rice vinegar, or a packet of sushi rice seasoning)
Large untreated wood bowl
Rice paddle
Fillings (cucumber strips, avocado slices, strips of very fresh fish)

To make sushi rice: rinse the rice until the wash water is no longer cloudy. Cook the rice (1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water) with lid on until the water starts to boil then tun heat down to lowest setting. Once the water is absorbed, let the rice rest with a clean tea towel under lid for 15 minutes. Empty rice into wood bowl and add the appropriate amount of seasoning or 2tbsp rice vinegar and half teaspoon of sugar. Mix with rice paddle (ideally fanning the rice as you are mixing).

To make maki, place sheet of seaweed with the grain parallel to the mat. Place a thin line of rice about a cm from the edge. Put yout desired topping on top of the rice and start rolling from the edge closest to the rice. Make sure to roll tightly.

To make nigiri, a fishmonger who knows how to slice for sushi is essential. If you live near a good Japanese grocery store, they might have susji/sashimi quality fish and an in-house person who will slice the fish to your needs. To make the sushi, place a small palmful of rice in the deepest part of your palm and shape gently. Place a dot of wasabi on top and then the fish. With your free hand, press and shape the fish against the palm.

Easiest of all is chirashi. Place sushi rice in a bowl and gently flatten. Arrange an assortment of nigiri sliced fish on top with a small amount of pickled ginger. Done!

It is a bit of a faff, but there are loads of `You Tube videos on how to make different kinds of sushi. It is a fun thing to do, and you can always start with cucumber +/- salmon rolls as a first try.

Good luck!

Thanks so much, its something he's just started eating and he wants to try making it, they're learning about Japan in school. I know he likes smoked salmon, cucumber and red peppers so I'll slice an assortment and let him pick what combinations he wants to try.

I do maki rolls quite often, and I find putting a layer of clingfilm on my mat and then twisting the roll up up the clingfilm for 5 minutes helps it make a rice circular roll.
We like cooked chicken breast, avocado, cooked beef and horseradish, shredded duck (from one of those breasts sold for duck pancakes) with plum sauce, and tinned tuna. Not authentic, but tasty and fun

Tescos/Waitrose sell all the things you need to make sushi

To be fair, my native Japanese teacher made sushi with cucumber, tinned tuna and mayo/ smoked salmon, avocado and cucumber.

Make sure you don't overfill the nori as it won't look pretty and that you have a very sharp knife to cut the sushi roll.

Controversial I know, but it's a lot bloody easier to cut after it's stayed on the side for a bit and the nori isn't as crunchy, but a bit softer.

Look at videos on how to actually roll as it's not complicated once you get the hang of it.

Oh, and she used to add thin strips of tamagoyaki- very thin omelet made from just egg.

And mixed soy sauce with sugar then cooked carrot sticks for 30 seconds to a minute in that so still crunchy and added them as well.