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You guys. I made us homemade sushi!
For the longest time, I was always afraid of homemade sushi. I mean, burritos are hard enough to roll, but swap the tortilla for nori? Ah yeah, way too outta my wheel house…or at least so I thought. Turns out that rolling sushi is really not all that hard, and I didn’t even need to buy any special equipment.
Over Christmas break when all of my family was in town, plus multiple friends, I somehow decided it would be a good idea to make everyone homemade sushi. Do not ask me why I thought it would be fun to make sushi, for the first time ever, for twenty plus people. It really was not the smartest idea. But I wanted to conquer homemade sushi and everyone in the house was down for it, so I decided to just go for it.
Thankfully it all turned out pretty good. No one got sick (which I was really worried about for reason) and the sushi was SO good. I knew I eventually wanted to share a recipe like it here on the site, so you guys, here it is! My Korean inspired tuna roll!
When I made sushi for the family back in December, I just made the basic rolls everyone knows about. They were great, but as I was rolling up all the rolls, my mind could not help but think up all the fun combos. While I had lots of ideas, ultimately this Korean roll was the one I knew I had to share.
I love Korean flavors and when paired with the makings of a sushi roll? It’s basically just perfection.
Let me break the roll down for you guys.
…first up – nori
…then rice
…thinly sliced pineapple
…thinly sliced avocado
…shredded carrots
…kimichi
…cilantro
…ahi tuna marinated in Korean chili sauce
The secret to these rolls is the Korean marinated tuna. It’s beyond good. I toned down some of the heat with sweet pineapple and served the rolls with a little special “mayo”, which is just tahini and gochujang (Korean chili paste), I buy the Mother In Law’s brand from Thrive Market.
Simple as that! I don’t own a sushi mat, so I used a kitchen towel and plastic wrap (see photos). It worked surprisingly well. Don’t fear the rolling process guys, it’s actually easier than trying to wrap an over-stuffed burrito. Your first roll might not be the prettiest, but by the time you get to your second or third, you’ll have the hang of it. My one tip is to make sure to dampen the nori sheets before you start rolling. The sheets are dried, so if you try to roll them they will crack. Wetting your hands and pressing them onto the nori, moistens the sheet just enough to be able to nicely roll them up.
These would be really fun to make on a Friday night date night or just to make as a healthy weeknight meal. Just be sure to plan a little time for preparing them. While these are not hard to prepare, rolling the sushi just takes a little time. It’s not a once a week kind of recipe, BUT it’s definitely one to try to have in your back pocket for when a mad sushi craving hits! <–especially if you’re like me and live in a town where the sushi joints are questionable…
Lastly, if you guys do not like to eat raw fish, try replacing the tuna with beef. Apparently there is such a thing as a beef sushi roll! I’ve never had it, but it sounds like something my brothers would greatly enjoy…well minus the seaweed.
I think I much prefer the seafood kind of sushi, I mean, for one, look at all those gorgeous colors!! Totally my kind of thing.
Korean Avocado Tuna Sushi Roll
Servings: 6 rolls
Calories Per Serving: 405 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked white or brown rice
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- pinch of kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 pound sushi grade tuna, sliced into strips
- 6-8 sheets nori
- 1 cup kimchi
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 pineapple, thinly sliced into half moons
- 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, combine the rice, rice vinegar, and a pinch of salt.2. In medium bowl, combine the sesame oil, gochujang, ginger and soy sauce. Add the tuna and toss to coat. Drain off excess marinade before adding the tuna to your sushi roll.3. Fold a clean kitchen towel into a rectangle and place a piece of plastic wrap over the towel. Place 1 sheet of nori on the plastic wrap. Wet your hands and then lightly press them on the nori sheet to dampen. Spread a thin layer of rice over the nori and then arrange the drained tuna, kimchi, carrots, pineapple, and avocado toward the top of the end closest to you.4. Begin to roll the nori sheet over the tuna until it has made one turn, now begin to roll the towel up to help shape the roll. Don't worry if it's not perfect. Do your best to use the towel and plastic to help shape the roll. 5. Slice the roll and serve with spicy "mayo" (recipe below).
Spicy "Mayo"
- Combine the tahini and gochujang in a bowl, adding water until the sauce is drizzle-able.
So can we make it a sushi night kind of Wednesday?!
This looks pretty good! I can see the care you put into making this.
Thank you Paula! It is sweet that you appreciate the work I put into this post, always nice to hear! I hope you love this if you try it!
This is the best looking sushi ever! Your rolling skills are on point 🙂
Haha thank you!!
Hi!
Such an awesome post on homemade sushi 😀
Really, i am a big fan of this, lack of proper recipe i have to buy from outside 😛 But, now see how it goes if i can 😀
Anyway, thanks for great share!
Keep it up!
Thank you so much Aysha! I am so glad you are loving this!
That’s seriously the best looking sushi I’ve ever seen!
Thank you Matt!
I attempted at home sushi once and it definitely didn’t turn out nearly as pretty as yours! Need to give it another shot for sure!
Yes definitely give it another try! I hope it works out perfect for you next time, Gina! Thank you!
Tieghan,
oh my gawd, I love this! and I’m amazed that you used a kitchen towel to roll this! Way to be resourceful! and yes, LOVE that you added kimchi and gochujang here. . this is coming from a Korean-American who loves Korean food and kimchi and sushi! love this!
This makes me so happy!!I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe Alice!
OMG. I’ve been wanting to make sushi for years, but haven’t worked up the courage. This is stunninggggggg!
Well I hope you try this and love it! Thank you Sarah!!
Great job Tieghan. Your sushi rolling skills are totally on point! Looks delish!
Thank you Mary Ann!! So thrilled you like these!
If you have a Korean restaurant nearby, definitely go and try kimbop with bulgogi beef…that’s the beef sushi and it is sooooo good! I think it usually has egg in it too. I had a roommate from Korea who was great about explaining the menu and helping me try new dishes.
Can’t wait for your cookbook to come out, Tieghan!!
Oh my bulgogi beef is my brothers favorite when he gets Korean! Thanks so much Sara, I will definitely have to try the two!!
This sushi roll looks INCREDIBLE, Tieghan!! I would veganize it with avocado instead of tuna and I bet it would be delish 😉
It already has avocado in it. ? If you want it totally vegan, be careful to check labels because most kimchi has shrimp paste in it.
I hope you love it Sarah! Thank you!
Spicy “mayo”? Ummmm YES PLEASE!
So good haha! Thanks Benny!
I love all the ingredients and I love sushi. Thanks for the recipe.sunn
So glad you’re loving this! Thank you!
it looks INCREDIBLE!!! ahh so inspired, homemade sushi is on my bucket list for sure!
(and that blue backsplash is HEAVEN! kinda jealy lol)
Awh, thank you so much. So glad you like it, you should totally try home made sushi its super fun to make!
Please more sushi roll recipes! I can’t wait to try this
Hope you love these, I’ll have to squeeze some more in soon!
Thank you!
Omg! These sushi rolls look so amazing. I love the Korean take on this and can’t wait to give it a try.
Awesome I hope you love them Andrea!