Trend: How to Make Sushi at Home

Impress your guests with homemade maki. These steps from sushi chef Sam Yoon of Raw restaurant make it easy as 1, 2, 3!

We enlisted our own sensei, sushi chef Sam Yoon of Raw, to show us the way of the maki. Few components are needed: a bamboo mat (covered in plastic wrap to prevent sticking), cooked and seasoned sushi rice, nori, a sharp knife and fresh fish. Yoon recommends Chinatown’s fish markets for seafood, believing that only a fresh kill guarantees quality. Keep a small bowl of water with squeezed lemon nearby for sticky fingers, as well as a bottle of sake. (Okay, that’s our suggestion.) Let’s roll.

Step 1
With wet fingers, place a handful of seasoned sushi rice on nori, spreading it to an even thickness. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and flip over so rice is facedown.

Step 2
Center cut vegetables, fish and fish eggs on
the nori. Lifting the mat and nori, begin to roll, tucking and stuffing until roll is complete. Moisten edge of nori with lemon water to seal.

Step 3
Slightly dampen the knife blade before cutting. Cut the roll in half without flattening it, then cut each half three times, making eight pieces. Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi.