Maki sushi rolls

by Andrea Gámez

Maki sushi, and sushi in general, is one of those things that divide the world in two: People who love sushi, and people who hate sushi, there´s no in betweeen. And since you’re here, I’m assuming you’re one of the former, just like me.

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Maki sushi rolls recipe

People usually have this idea that making sushi rolls is difficult. Well I´m here to tell you it is actually pretty easy compared to so many other meals. There´s only one little secret: the rice. If the rice turns out good, the sushi’s good too. 

My sister actually once worked as a cook in a high-end restaurant, where she was the one in charge of making the sushi rolls. That´s where she learned how to properly cook the perfect sushi rice. Once you get this right you can basically add whatever you want inside the rolls. In this recipe we use avocado, cucumber, cream cheese, and edible seaweed, oh and raw tuna and salmon, Yes you read it, raw.

I know that people sometimes do not like eating raw fish, but this, when the fish is good quality, shouldn’t be a problem.

The sushi rolls we make in this recipe are maki sushi rolls, which means they are rolles with nori seaweed. This type of sushi is easy to make, it can be with the seaweed on the inside and on the outside. An you can leave the rice just like that on the outside or cover it with sesame seeds.

How to make sushi easily

One small thing before we begin, here in Mexico we have what we call “eel sauce” that we use as a dip or dressing for sushi. “eel sauce” would be the literate translation, it´s a sweet, black but transparent thick sauce. Now, you may not find it under that name, but I do know in some places it´s sold under the name of “sushi sauce”.

As toppings and sauces, we like mixing soy sauce with lemon juice. It is also a great idea to make a siracha mayo, mixing mayo with some siracha sauce. This goes great with the sushi rolls and both are my favorite dips and sauces to eat it with.

If you like this recipe, then you have to see our chinese style fried rice and our chicken noodle stir fry.

Sushi rolls

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 57 minutes
Assembling 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 27 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

For the rice:

  • 2 C sushi rice (short grain rice)
  • 2 C water
  • 3.7 fl oz (110 ml) rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp salt

Para el relleno:

  • 1 small tuna medallion fresh
  • 1 piece salmon fresh
  • 1 cucumber small with its skin on
  • 1 avocado
  • 5 pieces nori seaweed
  • Cream cheese needed amount
  • Black sesame seeds needed amount

To eat with:

  • Soy sauce with lemon juice 
  • Eel sauce (you may find it under the name of “sushi sauce”)

Instructions
 

For the rice:

  • Place the rice in a strainer and wash it in the sink under running water, the water will come out whitish at first, wash it until the water comes out clean. Once clean, place it in a small bowl with water completely covering it and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  • Once the 30 minutes have passed, strain the rice and place it in a pot along wiht the 2 C water. Heat this at high temperature and cook for 2 minutes or until it starts to boil. Lower the heat to low temperature, place a lid over the pot and cook for another 15 minutes without removing the lid at all. Once the 15 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and let the rice cool down there 10 more minutes without removing the lid. 
  • Meanwhile, to make the rice “dressing”, in a small pan combine the vinegar, sugar and salt. Cook to low temperature until they dissolve. 
  • Once the rice is ready, take away the lid and pour the previous mixture over it. Mix perfectly using a rubber spatula until all the rice is coated. Let it rest until the rice has completely cooled down and ready to use. 

To make the sushi:

  • Wrap a bamboo sushi rollong mat with kitchen plastic wrap entirely. 
  • On a cutting board, cut the cucumber into long thick strips and place them on a plate to then put it aside. 
  • Using kitchen siccors, cut the nori seaweed in half, to obtain 10 pieces of it.
  • Then cut open the avocado in half so it´s ready to be used, and place the cream cheese, the black sesame seeds and a big bowl with clean water at hand. 
  • To start off, place the already wraped bamboo sushi rolling mat on the kitchen counter or a flat and clean surface along with all the other ingredients within hand reach. 
  • Now, to make the uramaki sushi roll, take on piece of seaweed and place it horizontally on the inferior part of the mat, wet your hands with a little water from the bowl and take some rice to then extend it all over the seaweed to get a thin layer of it on top. Now spread enough black sesame seeds over the rice to then flip it over, to have the seaweed on top. Fill using and mixing the ingredientes above. Cucumber with tuna, and cream cheese or another one with salmon, avocado and cucumber, be creative. Roll it carefully but applying some pressure until you get a roll that has to be square not circular. You should shape this with every turn you give the roll while rolling it, applying pressure each time. Once rolled, cut it with a really sharp knife in 8 pieces (clean the knife after a few cuts using water to obtain cleaner cuts). We also do this same uramaki roll without the balck sesame seeds sometimes. 
  • To make the maki roll folow the same steps as the uramaki, only when you´re extending the rice over the seaweed you should leave a 1cm (1/2 inch) margin on the top and bottom; plus, once the rice is extended don´t flip it over, because the seaweed is now the one that must be facing outwards when you roll it; also, once the roll is ready, cut it in only 6 pieces. 

To finish it:

  • Once all rolls are ready, plate them along with some soy sauce, lemon juice and some salad if you wish.
  • It is important to consume the sushi rolls almost immediately after. They have a really short storage time because of the raw fish. 
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Homemade sushi

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