Sushi at home: what to buy and how to start

Homemade sushi does not have to mean raw fish. Some of the best first rolls use cucumber, avocado, cooked prawns or tuna mixed with mayonnaise. What matters most is the rice: cooked well, seasoned while warm, and cooled to room temperature before you roll.

1Sushi rice すし飯 sushi meshi

Use short-grain sushi rice; long-grain rice will not stick together. Rinse it until the water runs almost clear, cook it, then spread it out in a wide bowl while you add the seasoning.

Yutaka Sushi Rice

2Sushi vinegar すし酢 sushi-zu

Sushi rice is seasoned with sweetened rice vinegar. A ready-mixed seasoning for sushi saves measuring: gently fold it through the warm rice with a slicing motion, using the amount on the label, then let it cool.

Kikkoman Seasoning for SushiLKK Rice Vinegar

3Nori 海苔

Nori are sheets of roasted seaweed. Lay a sheet shiny side down on your mat, so the shiny side ends up on the outside of the roll. Keep opened nori in a sealed bag so it stays crisp.

Yutaka Roasted Seaweed

4A sushi kit 巻き寿司 makizushi

If it is your first time, a sushi roll kit puts the basics in one box. Check the box for what is inside and what you need to add.

Yutaka Sushi Roll Kit

5Wasabi わさび

Most wasabi in tubes, including this one, is a wasabi-flavour horseradish paste. It is hot and sharp, so use a tiny amount, either inside the sushi or mixed into your soy sauce.

S&B Wasabi Paste

6Pickled ginger ガリ gari

Thin slices of sweet pickled ginger are eaten between pieces of sushi to refresh your palate, not piled on top.

J-Basket Pink Sushi Ginger

7Soy sauce for dipping 醤油 shoyu

Pour a little into a small dish. Dip the fish or filling side, not the rice, so the roll does not fall apart or soak up too much salt.

Kikkoman Sushi & Sashimi Soy Sauce

Handy extras

• Inari pouches: Inari-age are sweet, seasoned fried tofu pouches. Open one up and fill it with sushi rice: no rolling needed, so they are great for children and lunch boxes.

How to make a simple roll

• Put a sheet of nori shiny side down on a bamboo mat.
• With wet hands, spread a thin, even layer of sushi rice over the nori, leaving a 2cm strip bare at the far edge.
• Lay your filling in a line across the middle: cucumber, avocado, cooked prawns, or tuna mixed with Kewpie mayonnaise.
• Lift the edge of the mat nearest you and roll it over the filling, pressing gently. Keep rolling until the bare strip seals the roll.
• Slice with a sharp, wet knife into six or eight pieces.

Where next

Stock up on the basics with your first Japanese pantry.