I used to be terrified by the idea of rolling my own sushi. Well, that was probably 5 or 6 years ago when I made sushi for the very first time at home and that was with my mom too. The sushi chefs make it looks so easy and seamless. Well, I created this post not to tell you that I have become a sushi chef lol! However, I have made enough sushi at this point to grasp the basic and would like to share them with everyone who want to attempt to make their own sushi at home. All you need is the bamboo rolling mat you can easily find at Asian grocery stores or I think some Western grocery stores that carry more ethnic ingredients may have them available too.
First things first, get all the ingredients ready for rolling. The sushi rice needs to be at room temperature. One roll can make 4 sushi slices. If you use the sushi rice recipe I have here, that recipe is enough to make 6 sushi rolls. Divide the rice into 6 equal portions.
Lay a sheet of nori shiny-side down on a rolling mat, with the longest end toward you and, using wet hands, spread one portion of the rice in an even layer on the nori, leaving 3/4 inch of nori visible a the end farthest away from you. Don’t squash the rice or make the layer too thick- you should be able to see the nori through the rice
Lay the other ingredients, whatever you are using in an even line onto the rice at the end nearest you all the way to the side. I think when I took this photo, I should have laid few more pieces to make sure the sides are covered too
To roll the sushi, fold the mat over, starting at the end where the ingredients are, and tucking in the end of the nori to start the roll
Keep rolling, lifting up the mat as you go and keeping the pressure even but gentle until you have finished the roll. Don’t worry if anything falls out of the sides, just push it back in.
Tucking in one last time towards the end to make sure it’s tight. Moisten the top edge of the nori with water to seal the sushi roll closed. The edges may well look ragged, but don’t worry
Remove the roll from the mat and cut it into 4 even-size pieces with a wet, very sharp knife. Turn the pieces on end and arrange them on a serving platter. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients
