step-by-step sushi!

I meant to post my step-by-step guide to making sushi over the weekend, but I got a little bit busy . . . working . . . dinner with friends . . . lots of singing at church (it was Easter, after all!) . . . going to see The Namesake (which was FANTASTIC, by the way,) and spending a LONG time on the phone with several people kind of ate up all my time. Sorry for the delay!

Anyhow, on to sushi!

1. Plunk 1 cup of sushi rice (short-grain glutinous white rice) in a colander and rinse under cold, running water for a couple of minutes, or until the water runs clear. (Another way to tell if your rice is well-rinsed is to set the colander of rice in a bowl of cold water and allow the rice to soak for a minute – if the soaking water is cloudy, you need to rinse more, but if it’s clear, you are ready to move on!)


2. Combine the well-rinsed rice with 1 1/4 cups cold water in a saucepan. Bring the whole thing to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the rice, and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat, leave it covered, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.


3. Cool and season the rice by sprinkling sushi vinegar (rice vinegar with sugar and salt in it,) over the rice and gently folding, while someone else fans the rice with a magazine or other helpful fanning tool. (If you do not have a fanning assistant, you can take breaks from folding to fan the rice.)

(As an aside, Dan was NOT convinced that he was helping by fanning the rice . . . but he did it anyway. You can see fanning action in the top half of this photo.)

4. Place one sheet of toasted nori, shiny side down, on a bamboo rolling mat. Spread a thin layer of rice over 2/3 to 3/4 of the nori, (I like to use a silicone spatula for spreading the rice, since the rice won’t stick to the spat!), and then spread or line up your toppings. (I was trying for a spiral avocado roll here, which didn’t really look very nice in the end, although it tasted quite delicious.)


5. Use the rolling mat to help you roll up your sushi. Dampen the edge of the nori that doesn’t have the rice on it, and press gently to seal the roll.


6. Slice the roll, dipping your knife in a glass of water before each cut, and serve. (I’ve also had some success wrapping non-sliced veggie rolls tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerating for 24 hours before serving. But sushi is best served fresh.) Enjoy with prepared wasabi, soy sauce or tamari, and pickled ginger. A side of steamed edamame is always nice, too!


This is the only type I've made and technique I've used to date, and it seems to work well for me. What have your sushi making experiences been like?