For today’s recipe, I’ll show you how to make the best known and popular Japanese food, Sushi Rolls or Maki Sushi (巻き寿司)! Even though you might not have tried making sushi at home before, don’t worry. I will explain in detail with lots of good tips and advice as well as the video tutorial and step-by-step pictures on how to make these delicious rolls at home! You can put different ingredients inside but for today, we’ll be making Tuna Rolls, Cucumber Rolls, and Natto Rolls.
What are Sushi Rolls?
First of all, what’s sushi? Sushi is any dish that consists of vinegared rice (we call it “Sushi Rice“) combined with other ingredients such as seafood and vegetables. Some people think sushi means raw fish, but that’s not entirely true. There are various types of sushi, and you can find variations here. When the sushi rice is wrapped in nori seaweed and rolled, it is a sushi roll. In Japan, we call it Makizushi or Maki Sushi (巻き寿司). There are several types of sushi rolls:
Hosomaki (細巻き) – Thin rolls (1″ in diameter), nori on the outside, containing 1 ingredientChumaki (中巻き) – Medium rolls (1-1.5″ in diameter), nori on outside, containing 2-3 ingredientsFutomaki (太巻き) – Thick rolls (2-2.5″ in diameter), nori on the outside, containing 4-5 ingredientsUramaki (裏巻き) – “Inside-out” rolls (nori on the inside – like California Roll)Temaki (手巻き) – Cone-shaped hand roll sushi – Click for Recipe
Varieties of Sushi Rolls
1. Traditional Edo-style Sushi Rolls
These sushi rolls are hosomaki which consists of one main ingredient and is usually wrapped with nori on the outside. How many of these do you know or tried before?
Tuna Roll (Tekka Maki) – Today’s recipeCucumber Roll (Kappa Maki) – Today’s recipeFermented Soybean Roll (Natto Maki) – Today’s recipeDried Gourd Roll (Kanpyo Maki)Pickled Daikon Roll (Shiko Maki)Pickled Plum & Cucumber Roll (Umekyu)Eel/Sea Eel & Cucumber Roll (Unakyu or Anakyu Maki)Tuna & Scallion Roll (Negitoro Maki)Yellowtail & Scallion Roll (Negihama Maki) – Click for Recipe
2. Western Style Sushi Rolls
These sushi rolls consist of multiple ingredients and most of them are inside-out rolls (uramaki). A lot of restaurants create their own version of combinations and unique names, but here are some common ones.
California Roll – Click for RecipeDragon Roll – Click for RecipeSpicy Tuna Roll – Click for RecipeRainbow RollCaterpillar RollAlaska RollBoston RollPhiladelphia RollDynamite RollSpider Roll
What You’ll Need to Make Sushi Rolls
First, you need to prepare 4 key items to make sushi rolls: sushi rice, the fillings of your choice, nori sheets, and a bamboo sushi mat.
1. Sushi Rice
One of the important ingredients to make sushi rolls is to have the right sushi rice. The steamed short-grain rice should be seasoned with sushi vinegar. If you need the directions on how to make sushi rice, you can watch this video or read/print out the recipe from How To Make Sushi Rice post.
2. The Fillings
Traditionally the fillings for hosomaki are either (raw or cooked) seafood or vegetables. However, if you don’t eat raw fish, you can use other ingredients you like. Experiment with what food works for your preference. Here are some ideas: Vegetable and fruit filling ideas: The traditional Japanese fillings include julienned cucumber, pickled daikon, dried gourd, bell pepper, or radish. You can use non-traditional Japanese ingredients such as avocado or mango, if you’d like. Sushi with raw fish: Sushi-grade salmon or tuna. See below on where to buy sushi-grade seafood. Sushi without raw fish: Imitation crab sticks, cooked crab meat, canned tuna with spicy mayo, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel, or natto (fermented soybean).
3. Nori Sheet (Roasted Seaweed)
There are many types of “seaweed” used in Japanese cooking, and for making sushi rolls, we need dried seaweed called nori (海苔). They are roasted and look like sheets of paper. We use a half sheet of nori for this recipe but depending on the type of roll, we use half, 3/4, or a whole sheet of nori. Please remember that nori gets stale easily; therefore, once you open the package, store in an airtight container or a plastic bag (remove the air before closing) and keep in the refrigerator.
4. Bamboo Sushi Rolling Mat (Makisu 巻き簾)
A bamboo sushi mat or Makisu (巻き簾) is made of bamboo and used to make sushi rolls and egg omelette like Tamagoyaki and Datemaki. The left sushi mat has a round and flat (green) side and each bamboo strip is wider and bigger round shape. The right sushi mat has narrower round bamboo strips with no flat side. For today’s sushi roll recipe, I highly recommend the sushi mat on the right because it is more flexible when you shape the sushi roll. If you don’t want to purchase a bamboo mat, you can actually use a thick, hard texture kitchen towel folded into a similar size as a bamboo sushi mat, or use a placemat similar to the bamboo mat.
Where to Buy Sushi Grade Fish (Sashimi)
You can find sushi-grade fish in the sashimi selections of your local Japanese grocery stores. If you live in San Francisco, you can place an order from TrueFish for local delivery or pickup. I go to the Suruki Supermarket in San Mateo for sashimi. They usually take orders in advance via email. If you are using it for hand roll, ask for the hand roll cut (a stick shape rather than sashimi style). You can also order online from Catalina Offshore. Use the discount code “J1COOK20” for 10% off.
Practice Makes Perfect!
Today we’ll make these traditional sushi rolls – Hosomaki. They are much easier to roll than thick western-style fancy sushi rolls. Consider today’s recipe as a practice run before you move on to bigger sushi rolls like California Rolls and Dragon Rolls. We’ll make Tuna Roll, Cucumber Roll, and Natto Roll. Tuna and cucumber rolls are the most popular Hosomaki and you have probably seen or eaten these at Japanese restaurants. If you don’t eat raw fish or cucumber, you can substitute it with other ingredients of your choice.
More Sushi Recipes You’ll Love
Inari SushiFutomaki SushiQuick and Easy Chirashi SushiMosaic Sushi
Also, check out our Ultimate Sushi Guide: Sushi Types, Recipes & Etiquette Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. They’ve been in business for over forty years and all the sashimi products we’ve tried from them are outstanding. Use J1COOK20 for 10% discount. Disclosure: We earn a small percentage commission from your purchase of products linked to Catalina Offshore.
