Ingredients + Sticky Rice Instructions
(makes 8 rolls)
2 cups dry sushi or brown rice
Prepare the rice using the absorption method, i.e. boiling the rice in a saucepan. Once the rice is ready, take it off the heat.
To make the rice sticky, mix together:
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 ½ tsp salt
Add the mixture to the prepared rice and give it a quick stir. The rice should become sticky as it cools down, this helps get the texture right for making nice firm sushi rolls.
Prep the fillings for each of your rolls and set them aside. There’s a huge range of fillings you could choose from, so let your imagination run wild!
Some ideas for filling your sushi rolls:
Chopped vegetables (like carrot, cucumber, spring onions, capsicum or mushroom)
Seafood, such as tuna, fresh salmon or cooked prawns
Mango and avocado
Tofu and bean sprouts
Shredded red cabbage
Sun-dried tomato and cream cheese
Rolling instructions:
Grab a bamboo mat (or a thick tea towel will work just as well) and cover it with plastic film. Lay out a piece of nori (dried seaweed) shiny side down, place a thin layer of rice on top of two-thirds of the nori and pat it down. It’s best to use damp hands for this job, otherwise the rice may stick to you!
Lay out the fillings in a straight line on top of the rice, about one-third of the way down the rice layer. If you want to drizzle any sauce or dressing over the filling, do that now. Take the bamboo mat and pull the bottom (the section with just rice) over the top of the filling, making it nice and firm. Keep rolling, pushing the mat forwards as you go. Try to keep the rolls as tight as possible, rolling and shaping at the same time. When you’ve rolled the whole thing, press the roll firmly so that the nori sticks at the ends, sealing the roll.
It will take a bit to get it right, so don’t worry if you have to unroll and then re-roll! Once you’ve shaped the rolls, pop them back in the fridge for a little while to firm them up. When you are ready to eat them, use a sharp knife to cut the roll into pieces, and serve it with wasabi, pickled ginger or soy sauce.