Sushi Robson Recipes

EASY SUSHI ROLLS

Steps:

• It's important to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you begin to assemble your rolls. (I especially recommend cooking the rice 1-2 hours ahead of time, so that it can cool to room temperature before assembling the rolls.)
• Lay a sheet of nori on a sushi mat* smooth-side-down, with the longer side of the nori facing you. Place a bowl of water nearby. Dip your fingers into the water (this will help the rice not to stick) and sprinkle approximately 1 cup of sushi rice evenly over the nori, leaving a 1-inch border open at the top. Using your fingers, gently but firmly press the rice onto the nori in an even layer, dipping your fingers back into the water as often as needed so that they do not stick. You want the rice to cover the nori as evenly as possible, all the way to the bottom, left and right edges of the sheet. (See photos above.)
• Place the fillings in long horizontal lines on top of the rice, layering the different fillings side by side instead of in one big pile. Sprinkle the toppings a pinch of sesame seeds, if desired.
• Lift up the bottom edge of the sushi mat and carefully fold it over the fillings until they are enclosed in a roll, yet still leaving the top 1-inch of the empty nori exposed. Use the sushi mat to squeeze the roll in as tightly as possible. (Although not too tight, as you don't want all of the fillings to squish out!) Dip your fingers in the water bowl once more and use them to wet the remaining 1-inch of nori. Then use the sushi mat to finish rolling up the roll until it is completely enclosed. Give it a few extra squeezes all around so that it is nice and firmly-packed. Then transfer the entire roll to a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to form about 5 sushi rolls.
• Using a very sharp knife, cut the each sushi roll into 8 equal(ish)-sized pieces. Transfer them to your serving plate.
• Drizzle the sushi with the spicy mayo and/or sprinkle with extra toasted sesame seeds.
• Serve immediately, along with pickled ginger, wasabi paste, and soy sauce for dipping. And enjoy!

SIMPLE SUSHI

Steps:

• KIDS the writing in bold is for you. ADULTS the rest is for you. TO MAKE SUSHI ROLLS: Pat out some rice. Lay a nori sheet on the mat, shiny-side down. Dip your hands in the vinegared water, then pat handfuls of rice on top in a 1cm thick layer, leaving the furthest edge from you clear.
• Spread over some Japanese mayonnaise. Use a spoon to spread out a thin layer of mayonnaise down the middle of the rice.
• Add the filling. Get your child to top the mayonnaise with a line of their favourite fillings - here we've used tuna and cucumber.
• Roll it up. Lift the edge of the mat over the rice, applying a little pressure to keep everything in a tight roll.
• Stick down the sides like a stamp. When you get to the edge without any rice, brush with a little water and continue to roll into a tight roll.
• Wrap in cling film. Remove the mat and roll tightly in cling film before a grown-up cuts the sushi into thick slices, then unravel the cling film.
• TO MAKE PRESSED SUSHI: Layer over some smoked salmon. Line a loaf tin with cling film, then place a thin layer of smoked salmon inside on top of the cling film.
• Cover with rice and press down. Press about 3cm of rice over the fish, fold the cling film over and press down as much as you can, using another tin if you have one.
• Tip it out like a sandcastle. Turn block of sushi onto a chopping board. Get a grown-up to cut into fingers, then remove the cling film.
• TO MAKE SUSHI BALLS: Choose your topping. Get a small square of cling film and place a topping, like half a prawn or a small piece of smoked salmon, on it. Use damp hands to roll walnut-sized balls of rice and place on the topping.
• Make into tight balls. Bring the corners of the cling film together and tighten into balls by twisting it up, then unwrap and serve.