Right, let’s get something out of the way right now – sushi is not about raw fish!

The term sushi refers to rice flavoured with vinegar that is the shaped and either filled or topped with a variety of foods. These can range from vegetables, meat, cooked fish or sashimi (which actually is raw fish).

The number of people I’ve had throw me a quizzical look when I’ve mentioned vegetarian sushi is high, so I wanted to make sure that we were all on the same page before we begin.

Sushi has gained in popularity in the UK in recent years, thanks to an influx of Japanese culture and the UK based food chain Yo! Sushi. This has led many people to try their hand at making their own sushi platters at home.

Whilst sushi can look quite intimidating to prepare for one’s self, it really isn’t that difficult. So, let’s start with the basics and have a look at how to make some delicious maki rolls in the comfort of your own home.

The Rice

The first thing you’re going to need to prepare is the rice. The ingredients below should make nine maki rolls, so multiply as required.

Ingredients

• 570g sushi rice
• 120ml rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt

 Method

1. Wash the rice for 1-2 minutes until the starch has stopped coming out of it, the place in a pot. Add water so that there is just more water than there is rice (about a 1.15:1 ratio). Too much water and the rice will turn to dough, too little and it’ll be too hard.

1. Cook on a high heat, stirring every couple of minutes with a wooden spoon, until the water comes to the boil. Lower the heat to the minimum and cover the pot. Do not stir during this period. Check after 6-8 minutes, the rice should be plump and the water should have all disappeared. If not check back every minute, so that the rice does not burn.

1. Turn the rice out into a plastic bowl and leave to chill.

1. Now it’s time to make the seasoning. Mix the vinegar, sugar and salt together on a medium heat until they are well mixed. Then pour over the rice and stir well. Experiment with different amounts of seasoning until you get your preferred flavour.

1. Now leave the rice to cool until it reaches room temperate. DO NOT PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE!

Ok, so now you have finished the rice, let’s look at how to turn it into delicious maki rolls. See, I told you that it wasn’t that difficult? The next part is a little more technical, but I have confidence that we’ll get through it together and you’ll be gorging yourself on lovely sushi in no time at all, and for a fraction of the price that restaurants charge.

Maki Rolls

Ingredients

• Sushi rolling mat
• Nori sheets
• Prepared sushi rice (see above)
• Filling – meat, fish, vegetables etc.

Method

1. Lay your rolling mat out on your work surface and place a sheet of nori on top. If you run your hand on the sheet, you will feel that one side is rough whilst the other is smooth. You want to lay the sheet on the mat with the rough side facing upwards.

1. Making sure that your hands are wet (keep a bowl of water with a little rice vinegar added next to you), grab a handful of rice and fashion it into a ball. It is worth nothing that, whilst you want to keep your hands wet whilst handling the rice, you want them dry when handling the nori – so keep a towel nearby as well.

1. Place your ball of rice in the centre of the nori and spread it out so that it covers all but a 2cm margin at the top of the sheet. Be careful not to compress the rice whilst doing this.

1. Lay your filling on the edge of the nori.

1. Begin rolling. Using the closer edge of the mat, close on the filling and make a rectangular shaped hill over it. Tighten from above.

1. Move forwards, continuing the rectangular hill shape and making sure to keep it tight as you go along. Apply pressure on all sides to keep it tight and be careful not to squeeze the filling out.

1. Now that it tightly rolled, you can remove the mat and cut the roll into pieces with a wet knife. Aim for about 6-8 pieces per roll, to get the sizing right.

And, that’s it. You have just made your first sushi – Well done.

The rolling stage will feel tricky at first, but after a few goes you’ll get the feel for it.

Please let us know how you get along and also let us know your favourite sushi dish.

Have fun.