Super Sensational Sushi

Man, I love sushi. And when I say "I love sushi", I mean I REALLY love sushi. And when I say "I REALLY love sushi", I mean I REALLY REALLY -- okay you get the point. I'm not sure why I did not attempt this recipe sooner. It's simple, quick, fun and delicious, what more could you really ask for? The guy in this video makes sushi like a pro, and I used his technique for rolling up sushi. These bad boys turned out great, and were well worth the effort. Okay, enough talking, more sushi making. Go go go!

Ingredients needed to get started:

1. 1 cup of sushi rice (critical for making sushi stick together - regular rice will not work as well)

2. 4 leaves of sushi nori (roasted seaweed)

3. 3-4 tablespoons of sushi seasoning (vinegar - essential part of the sushi flavour, find an substitute below)

4. 1 piece of smoked salmon, cubed

5. 1 small chicken schnitzel, sliced (not pictured)

6. 1 small carrot, sliced

7. ½ cucumber, seeds scooped and sliced

8. Tartare sauce

9. Chilli sauce (not pictured)

10. Soy sauce

Step 1: Prepare the rice

Start off by washing the rice under lukewarm water, 3-4 times until the water is not too cloudy. It is important to remove any dirt and residue from the grains before cooking. Rinse the rice and then drain the water out.

Fill the pot with 1½ cups of cold water and place on a high heat until it reaches boiling point, then lower to a simmer for 12 minutes.

If your rice has different instructions on the packet, you may want to follow those instead.

Stir rice occasionally to ensure no grains stick to the bottom of the pot. After 12 minutes, remove the rice from the heat, break up any clumps and cover with a lid, allowing to stand for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes has elapsed, place the rice in a non-metallic container (e.g. plate or wooden bowl) and add 3-4 tablespoons of sushi seasoning and mix well. Allow the mixture to sit for a further 2 minutes while fanning to cool the rice.

If you cannot source sushi seasoning, you can make a substitute at home with common household ingredients. You can find that recipe here.

Step 2: Chop and prep the fillings

Slice the carrot and cucumber into very thin slices. You want the slices to be as uniform as possible, to result in visually appealing and appetising sushi. Remember to scoop out the seeds of the cucumber with a spoon prior to slicing. Leaving seeds in the cucumber adds extra moisture to the sushi and takes away from the textural crunch we are after.

Start cubing the smoked salmon and slicing up the chicken schnitzel. You can use any type of vegetable/meat filling options you prefer. Get creative! I chose these two options as they are the most common flavour combinations, and always are delicious.

Step 2: Roll up

Now comes the fun part, layering everything and then rolling the sushi up. Start with a clean bamboo sushi rolling mat on newspaper.

Slap on a leaf of nori

Dish out a small portion of your seasoned sushi rice in the middle of the nori, then spread it out, similar to what I have done (but probably more neatly if you can).

Add on your choice of fillings. This one here is smoked salmon with tartare sauce and vegetables.

And this one here is a chicken schnitzel with chilli sauce and vegetables.

Now its just a simple method of rolling the sushi up. If you get stuck, check out the video on sushi rolling mentioned in the beginning. Roll up the sushi as tight as possible and press down firmly to get a good seal. The sushi should be cut in a swift 2-step action, to minimise crushing or deforming the sushi shape.

All that is left to do is finish off slicing up the sushi, serve with good quality soy sauce and enjoy!

I honestly cannot believe I made these delicious morsels! They came out so well, I have never been prouder :)

Would definitely recommend this recipe to friends and family as it is quick, foolproof and soooooo good!

- WeCannotCook