First attempt at making sushi! Since I eat my weight in sushi weekly I figured I would try making it to cut down on expenses. For $30 I bought all the ingredients including some more expensive items like smoked salmon and cream cheese (for Vancouver roll). I made about $50 dollars worth of sushi, and what do you know, ate it all in two days!
Ingredients you will need:
Bamboo rolling mat: You can pick one of these up in your local Asian grocery store for under $3. Cover the mat in plastic saran wrap so the nori won’t stick to the mat.
Nori (Seaweed paper): I bought a pack of ten sheets, more than enough considering each roll yields 6-8 pieces.
Sushi Rice: This is a specific type of sticky rice. It has to be thoroughly washed first, so run it under cold water for 1-2 minutes until the water runs clear.
2 cups of rice needs 1 1/2 of water. Cook rice on medium high until it boils, then turn to minimum until there is no more water in the pot.
Wooden spoon: Using a metal spoon will ruin the rice, so you have to use a wooden spoon. There are specific sushi rice spoons you can buy, or else I’m sure you can find one in your mamma’s kitchen.
Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar seasons the rice, otherwise it will taste like bland regular rice, and your sushi won’t taste like it does in a restaurant.
Add 5 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt together in a pot over medium heat. When the salt and sugar has melted, mix the rice vinegar mixture with your cooked rice and stir it in. Let the rice cool for about 10 to 15 minutes until it is at room temperature.
Place the nori on the rolling mat, rough side up. 
Spread a layer of rice over the nori, then place your filling ingredients about half an inch away from the edge of the nori. Commence the rolling! Here is a link to a website that has really great step-by-step photos on how to roll your own sushi.
I made four different kinds of sushi:
California roll: Cucumber ( sliced in half lengthwise, then sliced into strips), avocado, imitation crab
Veggie roll: Cucumber, avocado, mango ( Mango was so sweet! It added a nice texture and complimented the avocado nicely)
Smoked Salmon: Cucumber, avocado, smoked salmon, cream cheese. This was by far my favourite. I also experimented by putting mango and imitation crab in the mix, which was absolutely delicious.
Cut the sushi with a sharp knife. I used one with a serrated edge and it worked great. I also let it cool in the fridge before cutting it. Bon appetit!
