We wish you a Merry Christmas and hope your holiday season has been wonderful. 

When making sushi for friends and family, I enjoy surprising them with interesting rolls. Meal planning is required to create flavorful and colorful rolls. My wife and I often visit a local sushi restaurant for their specialty rolls. These sushi roll recipes are some of my favorite creations inspired by the restaurant. 

Rainbow Roll
Ingredients: Cucumber, Avocado, Imitation Crab, Salmon, Tuna
1. Create a California Roll (imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber) as filling with rice on the outside1. Add sushi rice to a piece of seaweed paper (nori).
2. Before flipping over the rice covered seaweed paper, lay pieces of salmon and tuna widthwise along the top half. 
​3. Turn the rice and fish covered seaweed paper over and add the filling of imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber (California Roll).
​4. Follow the normal steps of rolling it together.

Volcano Roll
Ingredients: Cucumber, Avocado, Imitation Crab, Cooked Shrimp, Siracha, Mayonnaise
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees on BAKE.
2. Cut up pieces of jumbo cooked shrimp and mix in a bowl with Siracha Mayo (Siracha and mayonnaise mixed together). 
3. Spread the spicy mayo shrimp mixture on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.
4. Bake the shrimp mixture in the oven for 15 minutes. 
5. When the shrimp is done cooking, add more of the spicy mayo to it and BROIL for 1-2 more minutes.
5. While the shrimp is backing, make a California Roll ​with imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber as filling with rice on the outside. Other fillings such as salmon or tuna instead can be substituted for imitation crab. This step is the same as making the Rainbow Roll without adding salmon and tuna to the outside.
​6. Plate the California Roll and spoon the shrimp mixture on top.

401 Providence Roll
Ingredients: Cucumber, Avocado, Salmon, Tuna, Seaweed Salad
1. Create a sushi roll with cucumber, avocado, salmon, and tuna with rice on the outside.
2. Plate the roll pieces on their sides instead of flat.
3. Pinch pieces of seaweed salad (pre-made at grocery stores) and add to the top of the roll pieces. 

Philadelphia Maki Roll
Ingredients: Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese
1. Cut a piece of seaweed paper in half.
2. Add rice to the seaweed paper and then add a thin line of cheese cheese as filling.
3. Add pieces of smoked salmon on top of the cream cheese.
4. Follow the normal steps of rolling it together.
*Note that you can use non-dairy almond cream cheese as well.*

Spicy Tuna Maki Roll
Ingredients: Tuna, Siracha, Mayonnaise
1. Mix together pieces of tuna with Siracha Mayo (Siracha and mayonnaise mixed) in a bowl. 
2. Cut a piece of seaweed paper in half.
3. Add rice to the seaweed paper and then add the tuna and spicy mayonnaise mixture as filling.
4. Follow the normal steps of rolling it together.

Rolling futomaki (large) and maki (small) rolls is a fun and creative process. When the rice has cooled and the filling ingredients are prepared, you can move forward to making sushi rolls.  In general, you should make two to three futomaki rolls or four to six maki rolls per person. Having the right tools for rolling will make the process as easy as possible. There are a few preparation steps before actual creating a roll. 

Preparation for Rolling Sushi
Before making rolls, you should prepare rolling space on a countertop or table. Begin with wrapping a bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap. This will keep rice from sticking to the bamboo mat. Next, mix a splash of rice vinegar with water in a bowl or dish wide enough for dipping a knife. You will want to dip the cutting blade of a knife in the water mixture to prevent rice from sticking to the knife. Also, I recommend having ingredients in different containers as seen in the photo below. 

Rolling Futomaki
There are a few steps for rolling futomaki:
1. Take a full sheet of seaweed paper (nori) and lay it shiny side down on a bamboo mat.
2. Cover 2/3rds of the seaweed paper with a thin layer of sushi rice. 
3. Lay ingredients together across the roll. Try not to overfill a roll.
4. Begin rolling the mat away from you by forming a tight circle around the ingredients. Press firmly across the mat when the ingredients are fully wrapped. You will roll about 1/3rd of the seaweed paper around the ingredients.
5. Once the ingredients are firmly pressed, continue rolling the rest of the sushi roll until the entire roll is wrapped. Press firmly across the mat again once everything is rolled together. 
6. Unwrap the mat and transfer the roll to a cutting board. 
7. Dip a sharp knife into the water and rice vinegar mixture and shake off any excess water once removed. 
8. Cut the ends of the roll off to create uniform circled ends. Next, cut the roll into even pieces (between 6 and 8). 
9. Transfer the pieces to a platter for serving.

Inside-Out Rolls 
Creating rolls with rice on the outside is very easy. Follow steps 1 and 2 for making futomaki rolls, but put the seaweed sheet shiny side up. Next, flip the rice-covered seaweed paper over prior adding ingredients. You can also sprinkle sesame seeds on the rice before flipping the seaweed paper over. Continue to follow steps 3 - 9 to create a sushi roll with rice on the outside and nori on the inside.
​

Rolling Maki
To create maki rolls, you will follow the same rolling steps as futomaki. The only exception is that you will use half of a sheet of seaweed paper. Cut a piece of seaweed paper in half (widthwise) and place it on a bamboo mat. Try using only one or two ingredients for maki rolls. They should be made as sushi pieces eaten in one bite. 

It is my pleasure to announce that I will be hosting two panels at Ichibancon 11 held January 9th - 12th, 2020 in Concord, North Carolina. The convention is located at the Embassy Suites Hotel Concord. I will host my travel panel called The Unofficial Survival Guide: Traveling to Japan. This panel is for anyone interested in traveling to Japan for the first time. I cover planning tips, money saving suggestions, transportation options, sushi etiquette, and other related information. My second panel is a brand new presentation for 2020. It is called How to Make Sushi at Home. I will teach the process of making sushi rolls in your own kitchen along with sharing my favorite recipes and tips. This panel is one you do not want to miss.