You don't need a sushi counter to get real sushi night right — you need four ingredients used correctly, and a technique that takes ten minutes to learn. Here is the complete kit The House of Umami recommends for a home sushi night, and the exact roll-by-roll method to use it.
Your Starter Sushi Kit
Four things make or break a home sushi roll: the rice, the nori, the wasabi, and a good finishing sauce. Here's what to buy and why each one is in the kit.
- Rice: Ukemochi Sushi Rice 2kg (₹690) — the short-grain, high-starch rice that actually holds a roll together. See our full seasoning method here.
- Nori: for a first sushi night, start with Noriko Roasted Sushi Nori (10 sheets, ₹300) — enough for five rolls without committing to a bulk pack. Cooking for a crowd or rolling regularly, step up to Ukemochi Gold Roasted Sushi Nori (50 sheets, ₹904), which works out cheaper per sheet.
- Wasabi: S&B Wasabi Paste Tube 43g (₹290) — ready to use straight from the tube, no mixing required. See our full tube vs. powder comparison if you're stocking a busier kitchen.
- Finishing sauce: SSK Japanese Mayonnaise 500g (₹599) or Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise 305g (₹550) — either works for a spicy mayo drizzle; use whichever you already have open.
How to Roll: Step by Step
This method makes 4 rolls (about 32 pieces), enough for 2–3 people as a sushi night.
What you need
- 400g cooked, seasoned Ukemochi Sushi Rice, cooled to room temperature
- 4 sheets sushi nori (Noriko or Ukemochi Gold)
- 100g cucumber, cut into thin batons about 6cm long
- 100g ripe avocado, sliced into thin strips
- 80g cooked prawns or crab stick, sliced lengthwise — optional, for non-vegetarian rolls
- 4g S&B Wasabi Paste (about ¾ tsp total, roughly ¼ tsp per roll)
- 30g Japanese mayonnaise (SSK or Kewpie)
- 5ml chili oil, to mix into the mayo for a spicy drizzle — optional
- A bamboo rolling mat (makisu), wrapped in cling film
- A small bowl of water with 15ml rice vinegar stirred in, for wetting your hands
- Soy sauce, for dipping
Method
- Have your seasoned sushi rice ready and fully cooled to room temperature — warm rice makes the nori go soggy and tear during rolling.
- Lay the bamboo mat flat with the slats running horizontally in front of you. Place one sheet of nori shiny-side down on the mat, with the shorter edge closest to you.
- Dip your fingers in the vinegar water to stop the rice sticking to them. Take about 100g of rice and spread it evenly over the nori with your fingertips, pressing gently, and leave a bare 2cm strip along the top edge.
- Using your fingertip, spread a thin line of wasabi — about ¼ tsp — across the rice, roughly one-third of the way up from the bottom edge.
- Lay 2–3 cucumber batons, 2–3 avocado strips, and 2–3 pieces of prawn or crab stick (if using) in a horizontal line directly on top of the wasabi line.
- Lift the edge of the mat closest to you and roll it up and over the filling in one motion, pressing gently but firmly to tuck everything in tightly.
- Continue rolling away from you, using the mat to keep even pressure, until you reach the bare strip of nori. Dab that strip with a fingertip of vinegar water to seal the roll shut.
- Squeeze the rolled mat gently along its length for 5 seconds to compact the roll evenly, then unwrap it.
- Using a sharp knife wiped clean with a damp cloth between cuts, slice the roll into 8 even pieces — wipe the blade after every 1–2 cuts so each cut stays clean rather than crushing the roll.
- Repeat with the remaining 3 nori sheets and filling.
- For a spicy mayo drizzle, stir 5ml chili oil into the 30g mayonnaise and drizzle it over the finished pieces just before serving. Serve with extra wasabi and soy sauce on the side.
One Note on the Nori
We tested Hayashiya Sushi Nori for this kit and it's currently out of stock, so it isn't included above — both Noriko and Ukemochi Gold are in stock and ready to ship, and either one will roll cleanly with this method.
Build Your Kit
Pick up the rice, nori, wasabi, and mayo together and you've got everything you need for sushi night — no substitutions, no guessing.
Shop Ukemochi Sushi Rice 2kg — ₹690
Shop Noriko Roasted Sushi Nori 10 Sheets — ₹300