This is the ultimate “sushi” for beginners — we put it in quotes because, technically, this is sushi deconstructed and piled into a bowl. That means that if you’re a sushi lover without a lot of kitchen skills, this is an excellent introduction making it at home. It has all the flavors and components of a classic sushi roll, without the tricky technique. That means you don’t need a bamboo mat or a special rice cooker; all you need is a saucepan and a few key ingredients to make a homemade sushi bowl.
## Key Ingredients
Even though you don’t need a bamboo sushi mat for this kind of sushi making, there are some specialty items you may not be able to find at a regular grocery store; most notably, nori sheets. Nori is just a dried seaweed sheet — the green wrapper that holds the raw fish and sticky rice together in a sushi roll. Some grocery stores stock them, but if your store doesn’t, you can find them at Japanese markets and most other Asian markets along with sushi rice, sushi-grade fish, and other ingredients like sesame seeds to make your own sushi.
## Mixing Up Flavors
Of course, not everyone likes the same types of sushi. You can make sushi bowls using ingredients in this recipe or ones that make up your favorite sushi rolls:
__California roll:__ One of the most popular rolls at Japanese restaurants, a California roll includes cucumber, crab meat, and avocado.
__Philadelphia roll:__ A Philly roll is made with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber.
__Spicy tuna roll:__ A spicy tuna roll comes with fresh tuna in the center, topped with spicy mayo.
__Dragon roll:__ A dragon roll is made with shrimp tempura, cucumber, and avocado.
__Avocado roll:__ An avocado roll is one of the most popular vegetarian rolls. It usually contains avocado, cucumber, and carrots.
## Ready To Roll
When you have all your ingredients laid out, all you do is layer the sticky, flavored short-grain rice with nori seaweed and then top it with a combination of sliced avocado, sliced cucumber, fresh raw fish, sauteed mushrooms, garlic, and tofu. Seasoned with a sweet and salty rice vinegar sauce, this makes a filling yet light meal.
Whether you want an easy weeknight meal, or you’re looking for a fun dinner for your self-care Sunday, this recipe is a fast and easy way to get your sushi fix in the comfort of your own home.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this easy-to-make recipe for Homemade Sushi Bowl.
1. Info for Homemade Sushi Bowl
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hr
- Servings: 2
2. Ingredients for Homemade Sushi Bowl
- 1 cup short-grain rice
- 8 tbsps. rice vinegar
- 4 tbsps. sugar
- 2 tbsps. salt
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 6 mushrooms, cut into thin slices
- 6 shrimp
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 3 oz. tofu with sesame seeds, sliced
- 7 oz. boneless bonito fish, (or salmon or tuna)
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 small cucumber, for garnish
- 1 nori seaweed sheet, cut into thin slices
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- pickled ginger
- sesame seeds
3. Directions:
- Place the rice in a bowl with water and stir occasionally for 2 minutes. Strain the rice, put the rice back into the bowl with fresh water, and repeat the process 7 times.
- Place the rinsed, drained rice in a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the rice sit in the covered pan for 15 minutes.
- Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and heat it on low heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Spread the rice out in a shallow baking dish. Add half the rice vinegar sauce, and stir. Once mixed, fan air over the rice so it cools off and obtains a sticky texture.
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the mushrooms, garlic, tofu, and shrimp, and cook until they turn a golden brown color.
- Cut the fish, avocado, and cucumber into thin slices.
- Place rice at the bottom of 2 bowls, add nori seaweed on top, cover it with more rice, and add the tofu mixture, fish, cucumber, avocado, soy sauce, and ginger, and serve with the remaining rice vinegar sauce.
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