Maki Zushi Inside-out Roll

It’s almost an emergency when we run out of white rice. I can’t imagine sushi without white rice, not that brown rice is bad, but it’s not the same. This is the second time this week making these sushi rolls because I ran out of daylight last time and the photos didn’t turn out. So, here you have it – new and improved photos.

Today I really worked on my photos and tried to diffuse the light coming from the window. I think it’s a great improvement.

Avocado, cucumbers and imitation crab meat are my go-to ingredients. I don’t usually add carrots and if I do, I usually cook them slightly so they aren’t too crunchy.

Here I’m pouring seasoned vinegar on hot cooked rice. Mix the rice with a rice paddle, breaking up any clumps if necessary.

Sushi Rice for about 4 rolls

3  cups cooked Japanese rice

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Gently heat the rice vinegar and add the salt and sugar; stir to dissolve. Add the vinegar mixture to the hot rice mixing the rice all the while. The rice will seem watery at first, but it will absorb the vinegar. Cover the rice with a clean dish cloth and let it cool down at room temperature for 20 minutes. Now it is ready to be made into sushi.

Place the sushi mat on your workspace and a piece of plastic wrap on top of that. Wet your hands slightly and place about 3/4 cup of sushi rice on the plastic wrap. The area of rice should be a little bigger than a sheet of nori seaweed cut in half. **Remember to use just half a sheet of nori.**

Here, I’ve placed the seaweed on the rice and the ingredients on top of that. I don’t usually add wasabi to my rolls because the children do not like it spicy…

I normally roll the sushi mat away from me, but I’m just turning it to the side so you can see. While holding the ingredients in place, lift up the sushi mat and roll the rice over and around until it touches the rice on the other side. Pull up the plastic wrap so it doesn’t get caught in the roll.

Give the roll a gentle squeeze so that the roll stays together.

Now the roll is shaped and ready for some sesame seeds.

After rolling it sesame seeds, wrap it in plastic wrap; cut the roll and the plastic wrap together using a sharp knife. It’s helpful if you wipe the knife with a damp cloth after each cut. Remove the plastic wrap and serve.