September 12, 2012

Avocado Sushi Roll Recipe and Tutorial

Makes 8 rolls - Serves 4 approx.

Here is Jerome's tutorial on his famous avocado sushi recipe! He is so excited to be able to show you all of his tips and tricks and teach you how to prepare this delicious dish. We are obsessed with sushi. Especially avocado rolls which we eat once a week. In January 2012, I had my 21st birthday party and it was a Japanese themed party. Jerome made me a massive sushi feast. It was so amazing and exciting. Follow this recipe and prepare yourself a sushi feast!

But, please do not be intimidated by all of the steps and instructions. We recommend that you make a fun sushi-making day and allow yourself heaps of time so you are not rushed. Take your time through the steps and enjoy it. The second time you make them you will feel a lot better and more confident. :) Please read the tips at the bottom of the page before cooking.


Rice
    1 1/2 cups sushi rice
    2 1/4 cups water

Sushi Rice Seasoning (or buy pre-made)
    1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
    1/2 tablespoon white sugar
    pinch of salt

Other
    2 large firm-ripe avocados (500g)
    4 sheets nori

Condiments (optional)
    soy sauce
    wasabi
    pickled ginger

Utensils
    bamboo sushi mat
    plastic-wrap
    sharp knife
    wooden or plastic bowl
    wooden or plastic spoon


Prepare rice:
  1. Add rice to a pot and rinse under cold water by agitating the rice with your hands. 
  2. Drain the water and repeat this step three times or until the water runs clear. (This is a very important step - it stops the rice getting gluggy). 
  3. Drain the remaining water.

Cook rice:
  1. Add water to pot and bring to the boil. 
  2. Once boiling, reduce heat to a medium simmer and cover.
  3. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the pot and do not add any more water.
  4. Once water has almost evaporated, take off heat and leave covered. The rice will continue to cook while sitting. 
  5. Sit for approximately 20 minutes until cooked and sticky but not gluggy.

Prepare sushi seasoning (if making your own):
  1. Add vinegar, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine. 
  2. Heat for 10 seconds or so in the microwave until sugar has dissolved.

Prepare seasoned rice:
  1. After 20 minutes, put the rice in a non-metallic bowl (preferably wooden). 
  2. Gradually add small amounts of the sushi seasoning while folding the rice with a wooden or plastic spoon. Be careful not to mash the rice in this step. It is better if you can fan the rice in this step which will help make the rice look shiny. 
  3. Leave to cool and cover with plastic-wrap or a tea towel until cooled to room temperature. This can take a couple of hours. Do not put it in the fridge. 

Roll the sushi: Follow the photos below.

Wrap your bamboo mat in plastic-wrap. 

Following the natural lines of the nori, cut the sheets in half. Place nori sheet as shown in the above image. 

Add a single, thin layer of rice, covering 2/3 of the nori. (Dipping your hands in a solution of water and a dash of vinegar will assist the handling of sushi rice)

Cut avocado in half. Remove the seed. Slice the avocado lengthwise into thick strips and scoop out with a spoon. Position avocado strips in a single, straight line as shown above. Be generous with the avocado it is the star of the dish. 

Roll the sushi mat once over leaving the bare strip of nori out. Apply pressure as shown above by pulling down on the sushi roll and pulling away with the top of the mat. This is compressing the sushi roll to hold its shape. 

Lift the edge of the mat while using your other hand to apply pressure downwards to roll the sushi over and connect to the bare strip of nori. If the bare strip of nori does not stick to the roll, dip your finger in water and run it along the strip to help it stick.

This should result in a tight sushi roll.

Fill up a bowl with water. 

Get a sharp knife and wet it. This prevents rice sticking to the blade and allows clean cuts. Cut the roll in half and then cut off rough end. Then slice into four even pieces. Clean the blade and wet it again and repeat with the other side. 

Don't worry if your first attempt didn't work out. Sushi is one of the hardest dishes out there. Practice makes perfect! Serve with pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi and enjoy!

  • You need to buy "Sushi" rice - other rices will not work. 
  • Make sure you rinse the rice in the first step even if the packet instructions doesn't say so.
  • You need to use plastic or wooden spoons and bowls when preparing rice as vinegar reacts with metals. 
  • For future reference - roughly use 1 1/2 cups of water per cup of sushi rice.
  • You can purchase already made sushi seasoning so that you do not have to make up the vinegar, salt and sugar mixture. I believe they taste nearly exactly the same so it is up to you.
  • Make a solution of water with a dash of rice wine vinegar to dip your hands in when handling the rice to prevent sticking to your hands. 
  • You can also use cucumber instead of the avocado. 
  • Buy an extra avocado just in case your run out.

18 comments :

  1. Ha ha wow!!! I'm definitely making this!!! You guys are amazing!!!!!! Love the detailed pictures x

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  2. Wow! I have been wanting to make Sushi for a long time now. This looks really good.

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    1. Hi Chinmayie, Thank you so much. You should definitely try it. It is hard the first time but you will definitely get the hang of it. Sushi is so delicious :)

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  3. Hi Jerome and Madison! I love sushi. Your photos are so professional and mouthwatering. Thanks for the tutorial. I am yet to try making sushi but your post has really motivated me. I might make it next weekend. Thanks again for all your wonderful recipes.

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    1. Hi Emily! Thanks for your comment. Yes! You should try making it... I love sushi so much too :)

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  4. You have so many recipes I absolutely adore on here!! Yipee!
    When I was younger I really wanted to go to Japan for two reaons - one was to go on anti-whaling and dolphin strikes, and the other was to eat sushi!!
    I really would like to invest in a sushi-rolling mat. I hope my mum agrees - I reckon I could try convince her with the fact that home-made sushi would be a lot cheaper than the shops.
    As well as avocado, I'd love to try cucumber.
    Salmon and either avocado or cucumber used to be my favourite, but I do believe I am successfully weaning myself off it. Also, I just realised, another great way to not tempt myself to eat salmon: if it is home-made, the big chunks of salmon are the best for sushi, but also more expensive then the cut slices. So I wouldn't even want to eat any :D

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    1. Oh I love Japan. I went with Jerome in 2010 and it was amazing. Seriously one of my favourite places in the whole world! You should definitely buy a sushi mat. They only cost one or two dollars. So cheap. :)

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  5. Tried this for dinner tonight. Me and the hubby absolutely loved it! Very good tips and instructions.

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    1. Hello! Thanks so much for telling us. This is Jerome's recipe and instructions so I just told him what you said. You really made him smile :) It is really our favourite thing too!

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  6. I love using mango also! :)I've been doing it for years now and its my favourite.

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  7. Never thought about doing with avocados! Amazing. I usually put raw stuff like carrots,spinach or cucumber cause i definitely can't go raw vegan although i tried. As a recent avocado lover i'm sure this'll be awesome.
    Also i'm in love with veggiefull. Many easy to find ingredients (thanks for making internationally friendly,it's harder being vegan in other countries). Have a good week!

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    1. Hi there! Oh thanks so much. I am really glad that Veggieful is helping you. Have al lovely day :)

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  8. Hey there Madison and Jerome :)
    I made sushi for the first time today using your instructions! They turned out great!! So yummy and tasted just like the ones I buy from my favourite sushi bar.
    As usual, I changed the recipe to cater to what I had a pt home. I used apple cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar- tasted fine. I used jasmine rice instead of sushi rice- honestly it turned out fine and I've heard many people make sushi from other types of white rice- they just need to be sticky varieties. I.e. Basmati rice, brown rice etc would be harder to roll! And along with the avocado, I added strips of capsicum and cucumber. Also I hand rolled them as I didn't have a sushi mat- again, this was very easy to do and didn't affect the shape of the sushi much at all.
    Your instructions were so clear and easy to follow, thank you so much for inspiring me to make something I never thought I'd be able to do!
    For the price I pay for one sushi roll when I eat out, I can make 10 at home! Easy :)

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    1. Oh our pleasure Shani. I am so glad that you enjoyed it :) There is nothing better than homemade sushi!

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  9. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made this for my kids with the help of Sushi Rollers from Susheff. Never would have been brave enough to attempt this without your recipe but now I feel silly because it was so simple and so good. My wife looked at me and said “I’m never making sushi again!”. It was super easy to make and incredibly impressive to serve. Great recipe! Thank you!

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  10. For those who love sushi, the sushi maker is a necessity. Previously, in order to make a good sushi roll a person had to be very patient and well-practiced. sushi maker

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  11. Thankyou Jerome and Maddi! I am taking homemade vegan sushi to a Christmas party tomorrow (it will like be the only thing my daughter and I will be able to eat there!) and your recipe was simple, comprehensive, and easy to follow. Thankyou!

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