So, I am still on vacation in Dallas visiting my parents. . (hence all the Korean food posts). My dad also owns a couple sushi restaurants in downtown Dallas so what better opportunity to have him teach me how to make sushi! I mean how hard could it really be right? HA! 🙂
Well, for one thing, having easy access to sushi-grade fish and all the fixings I need at my fingertips isn’t a bad deal. . I asked my mom where I could buy sushi grade fish and she said the Japanese market. If you’re lucky enough to have one close by, hooray! If not and if you seriously want to try making your own at home, you can safely buy fish online. After doing a little research, here’s what I found online, all on this guy’s blog, Sushi Otaku. And I’ll be honest, the fish was prepped for me (of course) but I did make the sushi rice myself!
After all the effort of getting the fresh, sushi grade fish, you’d better believe making that roll and savoring every bite will sure be worth it. . but come on, it’s easier to go out and get your fave sushi at a restaurant right? Well, if you are ever interested in making your own or having a sushi party, here’s one of my favorites: Spicy Tuna Rolls. Y.U.M.
Once you have everything laid out and ready (and get pretty good with the sushi rolling mat), you’re set! Takes no time after that! Hope you enjoy the post! I devoured these in under 15 minutes. . . and because I made them myself (and yes- they weren’t the prettiest things) I enjoyed them even more.
This Is How I Spicy Tuna Roll!
Ingredients
Sushi Rice:
- 2 cups Japanese rice, such as Nishiki, or medium grain white rice from any Asian market
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Spicy Tuna Mixture:
(My dad would not release how they make their spicy tuna. . so this is from my friend Bobby)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 pounds fresh tuna, finely diced
For the rolls:
- 4 (8 1/4 by 7 1/4-inch) sheets roasted nori (seaweed)
- Sushi rice
- Spicy tuna
- 1/2 English cucumber, julienned lengthwise and seeded (remove the part with the seeds)
- Soy sauce
- Wasabi
- Ginger (sushi ginger) for serving
Directions
For the sushi rice: In a large bowl, add rice and cover with lots of water. Stir rice in water with your hands, then pour off most of the water, and agitate 10 to 15 times by quickly moving your hand back and forth, swishing rice against side of bowl. Rinse the rice several more times, until the water that drains off of the rice is almost clear. Transfer the rice to a colander and let drain for 1 hour, undisturbed (only do this if you have time and want to, if not, it’s not a big deal). Transfer the rice to a rice cooker, add the water, cover and cook as directed by manufacturer’s directions.
While the rice is cooking, bring the rice vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, and then remove from the heat. Add sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature.
When rice is done, allow cooked rice to remain in rice cooker for 10 minutes. Transfer rice to a large shallow mixing bowl and pour the cooled vinegar mixture over top of rice. “Cut” rice several times (or mix gently) to evenly distribute vinegar mixture, then allow to cool. When the rice has cooled to body temperature, it is ready to use for sushi rolls. Rice can be kept at the proper temperature by placing it in an insulated container such as a small ice chest, covered with a damp kitchen towel.
Directions
For the spicy tuna mixture: Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, chipotle, honey and oil; season with salt and pepper.
How To Assemble & Roll:
Place the sushi mat on a work surface (or cutting board) with slats running crosswise. Arrange 1 sheet nori, shiny side down, on mat, lining up a long edge of sheet with edge of mat nearest you. Using damp fingers, gently press 1/4 of rice onto the seaweed in 1 layer, leaving a 1 3/4-inch border on side farthest from you. Don’t press down too hard on the rice. Try to spread it gently.
Flip the seaweed “nori” and rice over so that the nori is now the top layer. Make a thin line of cucumber along the nori 1 to 2 inches from the edge closest to you. Drizzle some of the spicy mayonnaise mixture over the cucumbers, then spoon on the tuna. Roll tightly, using the sushi mat to guide you. Slice the roll, first in half and then cut the individual pieces. Use a wet knife when cutting. This will help you get a nice, clean cut. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make a total of 4 rolls.
Hope you enjoy!!
Thought it might be fun to include some Sushi Definitions. Click here.
Awesome! I’m totally going to try this at home!
Hi Ben! Yea! 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Haha, Alice, I love the title of this post. And your sushi looks super professional! I’ve always been too intimidated to make sushi (so much work!) and there’s so much delicious, fresh, cheap sushi available in Vancouver. This is very impressive!
Haha, thank you!! It was fun and b/c I made the rolls myself, they tasted extra yummy! Now that I have kids, it’s more work for my husband and I to get out . . plus they are still young. . so I (sadly) don’t get out to sushi places as often as I would like. Take care!
I am so happy you stopped by so that I could find your yummy website. My youngest teenagers favorite is spicy tuna rolls. I think the chipolte would really be nice for the heat factor instead of just the wasabi I usually put inside. Living here in the heat of Hong Kong summers some of our favorite meals is to set up a sushi bar and let the family assemble their own. Looking forward to keeping in touch. Take care, BAM
me too! I’m so happy I came across your blog! 🙂 Hope you give this recipe a try!
Would go great with japanese spicy mayo!