Sushi Rolls

How to Cook Sushi Rolls

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1. Put the rice and water in a pan, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Leave covered for 10 minutes.

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2. Warm the rice vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved. Tip the rice into a wide bowl and fold in the vinegar mixture, fanning it until cool.

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3. Place a nori sheet shiny side down on a bamboo mat. Wet your hands and spread a quarter of the rice over three quarters of the sheet.

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4. Lay a quarter of the prawns, cucumber and avocado in a line across the middle. Roll firmly using the mat and seal the edge with a wet finger.

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5. Slice each roll into 8 with a sharp wet knife. Serve with the soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

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Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

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What Can Go Wrong

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
2. Wet your hands to handle the rice.
3. Use a sharp, wet knife to slice.

If You're Missing Something

• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.

The Short Version

The first sign of good sushi is the sound: a faint stickiness as the rice meets the bamboo mat, and a soft rustle as the nori folds around it. Sushi is a way of treating rice, and the fish or vegetables inside are almost the supporting cast. The rice is seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt while it is still warm, and it is that seasoning that distinguishes sushi from plain rice.

Use proper sushi rice, short grain and starchy, and rinse it until the water runs clear. Cook it with a slightly lower proportion of water than usual, then tip it into a wide bowl and fold in the seasoning with a cutting motion, fanning it as you go. The fanning cools it and gives it a gloss.

Wet your hands in vinegar water. Sushi rice is sticky, and a bowl of water with a splash of rice vinegar prevents it clinging to your fingers. Spread a thin layer of rice over three quarters of the nori sheet, leaving a gap at the far edge, and lay the prawns, cucumber and avocado in a line across the centre.

Roll firmly using the mat, pressing gently, and seal the edge with a wet finger. Slice with a very sharp, wet knife into eight pieces, wiping the blade between cuts. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

On the Table Alongside

Miso soup · Edamame · Pickled ginger · Green tea

Storing Leftovers

Best eaten within a few hours. Keep covered in the fridge for no more than 1 day.

Questions People Ask

Sushi Rolls Nutrition Facts

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.

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