How to Make Sushi

Before we get started here I wanted to disclaim that I am not a sushi chef, nor I ever claimed to be a sushi expert. I have been making my own sushi for few years now.  The techniques you will find here are mostly what I have learned and found to be the easiest to follow.

The purpose of this blog is to share my passion for this simple and healthy dish and help others discover the joy of making healthy food that is also delicious.

If you enjoyed this recipe, then I invite you to checkout my newest ebook: 7-Day Meal Plan, a collection of nearly 50 of my favorite healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as snacks. Included are helpful tips, ideas, and solutions that will make planning and eating healthy home-made meals easier and more manageable.

For now, let's make some sushi!

Preparation:
You will need the following (fig. 1):

• Sushi rice (here I use white rice, but you can use brown rice, as long as it's short grain)
• Sushi making kit (mate and paddle.) Mine is from Sushi Chef
• Sushi Nori sheets (seaweed sheets)
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Large bowl for rice
• Measuring cup
• Clear plastic wrap
• Fresh fish of choice. I like Salmon and Tuna. I get them from a local fishery that I trust and I have been using for years. Here are tips on buying fresh fish for sushi 
• Condiments of choice
• Fresh vegetables of choice

Making Sushi Rice:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sushi rice (will yield approximately 6 rolls of sushi)
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tbsp of vinegar
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt

Directions:

• Rinse the sushi rice in a bowl with fresh water (fig. 2)
• Stir the water with a spoon or your hand to insure that rice is well washed (fig. 2)
• Repeat process until water is clear (fig. 3)
• Place rice and water in a sauce pan over high heat and bring to boil (fig. 4)
• Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover with led
• Cook for 15 minutes or until the water completely absorbed
• While rice is cooking, mix vinegar, sugar and salt and heat in the microwave for 15 seconds
• Make sure the sugar and salt are completely dissolved and mixed with the vinegar. Set aside
• Once rice is cooked, transfer into a large bowl and let it cool for 3-5 minutes (fig. 5)
• Mix rice and vinegar mixture and stir well to insure all rice is coated with the vinegar mixture
• Cover with a wet towel (fig. 6) and set aside to cool down to room temperature (about 1 hour)

Preparing the Bamboo Rolling Mat:
I found out that by doing so, it helps keep the mat clean and it makes handling the Nori sheets much easier.

• Cut a plastic wrap piece that is twice as large as the bamboo mat (fig. 7)
• Wrap the plastic wrap over the mat and place ends together on one side of the mat (fig. 8)
• The other side of the mat (which you will use to make sushi on) should be flat and smooth (fig. 9)

Cut the Vegetables:

• Cut vegetables thin so they fit better on the roll (fig. 10)

Making Sushi:
By now, the rice should have cooled down to room temprature and we should be ready to start making sushi. There are 3 styles of sushi that I use here: Maki Sushi (seaweed on the outside), Uramaki Sushi (or Inside Out Sushi, rice is on the outside), and Nigiri Sushi (no seaweed).

Maki Sushi:

• Place a sheet of Nori on the rolling mat (non-shiny side facing you)
• Wet hands before handling the rice, it makes it much easier to work with it (fig. 11)
• Scoop a small amount of rice (about 2 large tablespoons) and place on the nori sheet
• Work the rice over the sheet to cover about 3/4 of the sheet (fig. 12)
• Remember, the more rice you put on the sheet, the thicker the roll will be and vice versa
• (Optional) Sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds (fig. 13)
• Place ingredients of choice. Here I use fresh salmon, avocado, scallions (fig. 14)
• Make sure to stack the ingredients closely. A loose roll will break apart easily and is messy!
• Using the rolling mat, flip the edge and start rolling with both hands while making sure that the roll ingredients are well pressed firmly (fig. 15)
• Do not press too hard or the ingredients will pop out of the roll!
• Continue rolling until the nori sheet is completely rolled (fig. 16)
• Use a VERY SHARP knife to cut the roll
• Carefully wet the knife to make it easier to cut through the roll and prevent rice from sticking to the knife. I do this by placing a wet towel next to my work area and wipe both sides of the knife before cutting (fig. 17)
• Cut the roll in half, then cut again into 4 smaller pieces, making a total of 8 pieces (fig. 18-19)

Uramaki Sushi "Inside Out Sushi":

• Place a sheet of Nori on the rolling mat (shiny side facing you)
• Work the rice over the sheet to cover about 3/4 of the sheet (fig. 12)
• Once the rice is laid, dry your hands and carefully flip the nori sheet so the rice is facing the bamboo rolling mat
• Make sure you place the ingredients on the portion of the nori that has no rice on the opposite side
• Place ingredients of choice. Here I use fresh tuna, cucumbers,  and hot sauce (fig. 20)
• Carefully roll the mat up and firmly roll with both hands until you have a round roll (fig. 21)
• Follow the above steps to cut the roll (fig. 22)

Nigiri Sushi:
This is much easier!

• Wet hands and scoop a small amount of sushi rice (fig. 23)
• Place a slice of your favorite fish on top (fig. 24)

Having fun:
My kids love sushi. So to enjoy this healthy dish without having to worry about raw fish, I substitute some of the ingredients with ones I know they would love like vegetable roll, chicken cucumber roll (fig. 25) or fruit roll! Whatever you like, the choices are limited to your imagination and your taste buds!​

So here's my simple recipe for making this healthy dish. If you are one of my Total Transformation Challenge participants then please keep in mind that sushi is recommended for lunch and not for dinner (higher ratio of starchy carbs). Also remember that calories will vary significantly based upon the ingredients you use inside the roll and how much rice you lay on your Nori. Below is a sample of popular rolls and their corresponding calories (remember the calorie estimate is per ENTIRE roll and not per piece):

​Roll Name	Calories	Fat (g.)	​Carbs (g.)	​Fiber (g.)	Protein (g.)
Vegetable Roll ​(with avocado)	​140	​5.7	28	​6	2
California Roll	255	7	38	6	9
Spicy Tuna Roll	290	11	26	4	25
Salmon & Avocado Roll	305	9	42	6	​15
Nigiri​ Salmon Roll (2 pieces)	105	8	16	3	10

Don't forget to pack some yummy sushi for lunch!

Don't forget to check out more recipes like the above one in my new recipe book: 7-Day Meal Plan available now.

Happy Healthy Transformation!
​Rami