In part of my quest to improve my cooking skills, I made sushi for dinner last night. Go big or go home, right? I dragged my sister into making it with me and we made 8 vegetable rolls. Whole Foods failed me on the sushi-grade fish, so let’s not talk about that.
The whole process was much easier than it seems and didn’t take too long once the rice cooked and cooled. We made white rice and quinoa sushi and both were approved by my dad, a life-long quinoa-hater. Obviously we would have preferred to have fish in the rolls but because that wasn’t an option, we ate these as along side of Asian chicken lettuce wraps. Actually, my sister and I made those too. I know, go us, right?
Back to the sushi. We didn’t use a sushi mat, mainly because Whole Foods failed me again and didn’t have one. Seriously, they never fail me this often. But it all worked out and we used thicker place mats and plastic wrap to roll the sushi.
To make the rice and quinoa sticky we cooked both normally and then added a mixture of rice vinegar and honey at the end. For the filling we used cucumber, carrots, mango and avocado. My mom suggested apple slices but we wanted to stick with more traditional fillings this time. I think you can put pretty much anything in the roll and it would taste good.
Cutting the rolls was the hardest part. We realized you have to saw the roll or else the nori sheets won’t cut and everything will fall apart and your life will be over.
My sister went all out and put avocado and mango slices on top of some pieces, which of course made for pretty pictures. That may or may not have been half the reason we made sushi.
I consider this dinner a major win because it was delicious, fun to make and, most importantly, easy to make. We followed the basic rolling instructions from this recipe from Minimalist Baker but modified to make it our own (and because we didn’t have all the ingredients).
Ingredients
-Nori (I purchased at Whole Foods)
-1 mango
-1 cucumber
-1 avocado
-1 large carrot
-1 cup of quinoa and/or white rice
-Rice vinegar (1/2 cup per cup of rice/quinoa)
-Honey (2 tbsp per cup of rice/quinoa)
-Any other fillings you want to add
Directions
1. Cook rice/quinoa as directed. Once water is dissolved, add 1/2 cup rice vinegar and 2 tbsp honey into pot. Mix and let cool.
2. While rice is cooking, prepare fillings. Peel, chop, etc.
3. To prepare for rolling, use a semi-thick place mat (or fold a thin one in half) and cover with plastic wrap. Place one sheet of nori on top of plastic wrap.
4. Once rice is cooled, cover nori with a thin layer of rice leaving about 1/2 inch or so from the end of the sheet. The space makes it easier for rolling.
5. Add one row of fillings.
6. Once you’re ready to wok and roll, roll the place mat once over with light to medium pressure. This is just to start the formation of the sushi roll. Roll back the place mat and plastic wrap and continue to roll the sushi with your hands.
7. Once finished rolling, use a serrated knife to saw the roll into bite-sized pieces.
Optional: add with toppings of your choice.
I have always wanted to make sushi! I LOVE it! Great idea to use quinoa, too :) the hardest recipe I’ve made….hm. I hate peeling butternut squash does that count haha ;D
Christina recently posted…Restaurant Review: Haven, South Tampa
YES that counts. It’s so hard to even cut let alone peel.
i love sushi! never made it myself though – my brother is a pro! it takes talent!
Linz @ Itz Linz recently posted…Day in the Life {summer}
Because my sister made it with me I might just rope her into making it all the time ;)
Okay, you may have convinced me to actually make my own sushi for once. It looks like it can be a fun activity to make it, and of course eat it!
Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie recently posted…Cheers to 21!
Exactly! It was fun and delicious. You can add whatever you want inside.
So fun! My senior year in college my sorority did a sisterhood event where we went and learned to make our own sushi. It was a ton of fun and definitely a really cool experience! I would love to have the confidence to do it on my own! Hardest recipe I’ve ever learned to make was pecan pie, but I can happily say I believe I’ve mastered it!
Jamie recently posted…WIAW Random Foods Edition
What a fun sisterhood event! Good idea too. I bet everyone wants you to make Thanksgiving dessert now!
Usually it works for me, but when it fails I throw it all in a bowl for a deconstructed version ;)
Sushi was actually one of the first recipes I ever made yearssss ago!
I really don’t eat sushi often at all, but avocado and cucumber is always my stuffing? of choice :P
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…Dijon Tilapia With Peach Zucchini Salsa
I threw the end pieces of the rolls that were falling apart into a bowl to eat! Couldn’t let it go to waste :)
You’d think that as a half Japanese girl who grew up with my Japanese extended family only five minutes away would ensure that I knew how to make sushi… no ;) . My tiny asian obachan has always supplied the most delicious authentic sushi so I’ve never learned! Your rolls turned out beautifully!
[email protected] Apple of My Eye recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday…
Haha if I had someone make rolls for me I wouldn’t ever attempt it ;)
Okay first of all…i’ve wanted to make homemade sushi for years now, so thanks for that! Second, this is my first time hopping over to your page and I just realized we are both the same age! Both can’t have gluten! Both love running, and I can’t wait to see what else we have in common. So fun. Have a great day!
Molly Middleton recently posted…Books in July
Yay I love “meeting” new bloggers! Can’t wait to check out your page :)
I want to try this!!! I actually almost bought a groupon for a sushi making class, but it seems like it’s easy enough to do on your own. I love sushi, but weirdly salmon is the only kind of raw fish I won’t eat. Other than that, any and all sushi is delicious.
Hayley @ Full of Life recently posted…To Change Your Life, You Must Change Your Life (Not Your Body)
When I told people my plan they all thought it would be too hard to make on my own. It really wasn’t! It took me a while to like raw salmon (it’s now my favorite). I started with whitefish.
I love sushi, but I’m a big baby and usually go for shrimp tempura/ california rolls/ etc. Thanks for the tutorial, now I really want sushi!
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday: My Hot Date
You could definitely add imitation crab to this roll to make it a California roll. Even though I like raw fish, vegetable rolls are still delicious :)
Sushi is my ultimate obsession, and I am thankful that I have had the chance to make it at home on a few occasions! Nothing tastes better to me than the salmon, avocado, and cucumber roll! I also love experimenting with fillings, quinoa, cream cheese, mangos… Yumm :)!
Niki @ Life with Niki recently posted…WIAW | Active Days and Cookie Bites
Salmon, avocado and cucumber is my favorite roll combo! Next time I want to get more creative with fillings. I saw someone even used sweet potato once.
You seriously made this look so easy.. every time I try to make sushi it is a big mess!! I just leave it up to my favorite chefs at the restaurant down the street.. it’s one of the only things we splurge on!! :)
Liz recently posted…Plenti Greek Yogurt – The Perfect Snack
Sushi is worth the splurge, in my opinion. And everything tastes better when someone else does the work.
I love sushi! Definitely one of my favorite foods. I have been meaning to make my own but truthfully the idea intimidates me. I think it’s past time I toughen up and make some rolls ;)
sarah recently posted…Some Travel Ambitions
I won’t be doing this all of the time (it would have been expensive with the fish) but it was fun for a change. Sushi is one of my favorites too.
I absolutely love sushi too and these rolls look amazing. After a couple of very messy failures, I haven’t tried making my own for a while but your post has inspired me to get the nori sheets back out and have another go soon!
Macarons are one of the hardest recipes I’ve tried so far, probably because you have to have so much patience with them due to the long cooking time at a very low temperature.
I hope you do try it! WOW, macaroons sound very hard to make. I would need to follow a recipe exactly because I’d have no idea where to start.
This looks so fun! I don’t love or hate sushi… I’ll definitely eat it, but it’s not my favorite. Your veggie rolls look excellent, though :)
Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday recently posted…Picking Your People
Thank you, Ellen :)
Haha “wok and roll”! You shouldn’t have crossed it out! This sushi looks amazing. I’m inspired to try this myself :)
Dana recently posted…Wardrobe Wednesdays: Katie Holmes on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Haha glad someone appreciated my humor :) Let me know if you do try!
Wow wait a minute that looks beautiful. I’ve always wanted to make sushi and now you’ve motivated me to go make some.
Paola Angeli recently posted…July Favorites.
Thank you! I’m really happy with how it turned out.