KITCHEN TIPS & TECHNIQUES

How to Make Sushi Rolls

Kitchen technique - sushi rolls

Simple step-by-step instructions for a Japanese favorite.

Maki is the Japanese word for “sushi rolls.” Sushi rolls lend themselves to endless variety—from vegetarian fillings to cooked meat to raw fish. Whatever the filling, the real secret to great sushi is the perfect rice. It’s a combination of careful cooling and handling along with a balance of sugar, vinegar and salt for seasoning.

Make Your Own Sushi Rolls

(Looking for the recipe? Try our Brown Rice & Tofu Maki, pictured above.)

Kitchen technique - sushi rolls Place a nori sheet on a bamboo sushi-rolling mat—shiny side down, with a short end close to you—and pat a thin layer of rice over the nori, leaving a 1-inch border at the top.

Kitchen technique - sushi rolls Place a thin strip of filling ingredients about 1 inch from the bottom of the rice.

Kitchen technique - sushi rolls Use the bamboo mat to help you roll the maki closed.

Kitchen technique - sushi rolls Gently press the closed mat over the roll to seal it, getting the mat out from inside the maki as it rolls up.

Kitchen technique - sushi rolls Trim any ragged edges and slice the roll into pieces with a wet sharp knife.

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Love whole-grain rice? Try these recipes:

Dirty Rice
Black Rice Curried Meatloaf
Crab Pilaf
Brown Rice & Goat Cheese Cakes
Brown Rice & Greens
Baked Curried Brown Rice & Lentil Pilaf
Asian Brown Rice

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Learn more:

New Waves of Grain: How the Lundberg family farm went organic and helped change the rice America eats.
Soyfoods Buyer's Guide
Cookbook Review: Harumi's Japanese Cooking

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USER COMMENTS — Add Your Comment

When through rolling, put the roll into left hand and dampen the nori with water to make it soft and to seal. Also, I didn't have a mat, so I used wax paper and it worked fine.

Charlie, Lubbock, TX