How makemysushi.com Guides Beginners to Make Sushi Rolls at Home

Updated

makemysushi.com is a beginner-oriented sushi tutorial site that explains roll-making through a step-by-step guide with animated illustrations, a dedicated sushi rice preparation section, and recipe pages for specific rolls. It suits someone who has never made sushi and wants a visual walkthrough before buying ingredients. The site is in English and is organized around instruction and recipes rather than around ordering or booking.

What the site actually provides

The homepage describes the site's core offering in three parts:

  • A detailed sushi guide with animated Flash illustrations showing how to make sushi rolls for the first time.
  • A sushi rice preparation section, treated as a separate skill from rolling.
  • A recipe collection for cooks who have moved past simple homemade rolls.

It also branches into background content — restaurant and festival recommendations, and an explanation of the difference between nigiri and sashimi — but those are not needed to start rolling.

The four sushi types it teaches

The site's main instructional content is organized by sushi type, each with its own guide page:

Type What it is Key detail from the site
Maki Fish or seafood with rice wrapped in nori Split into futomaki (two or more fillings) and hosomaki (one filling, often a single vegetable or omelette)
Nigiri Hand-shaped sushi A slice of fish, seafood, tamago or other topping on a thumb-sized chunk of vinegar-seasoned rice, with a small amount of wasabi between
Inside out (uramaki) Maki with the rice on the outside Usually more than two fillings; sometimes topped with a thin slice of fish, seafood, avocado or sweet potato
Spicy tuna A Western-style roll Diced raw red tuna with a chili-based sauce, used inside the roll, as drops on top, or on the side

How a beginner would work through it

  1. Start with the rice. The site separates rice preparation from rolling, which matches the actual order of work: rice must be cooked and seasoned before anything is assembled. Use the rice section first and let it cool to handling temperature before rolling.
  2. Pick one type, not all four. For a first attempt, hosomaki is the lowest-risk choice because it uses a single filling — the site explicitly notes it can be just one vegetable or omelette, so no raw fish is required.
  3. Follow the animated guide for the roll you chose. The illustrations are the site's main teaching device for first-time rolling; read the full guide page for that type (maki, inside out, nigiri, or spicy tuna) rather than working from the homepage summary.
  4. Move to recipes once the basic roll holds together. The recipe section is positioned for people whose simple homemade sushi "no longer satisfies" — in practice, that means trying futomaki with multiple fillings or a topped inside-out roll.

Expected result: a roll that closes around its filling and slices without falling apart. If the roll splits or the rice spills out, the usual causes are rice that is too wet or still hot, overfilling, or too little pressure while rolling — check the rice section again before changing anything else.

Practical notes before you start

  • The illustrations are Flash-based. The site describes its guide as using "animated flash illustrations." Flash is no longer supported in current browsers, so those animations may not play. If they don't load, rely on the written steps and the recipe pages instead of assuming the page is broken.
  • Raw fish is optional at the start. The site's own definition of hosomaki allows a single vegetable or omelette filling, and nigiri can be made with tamago. You can learn the rolling mechanics without sourcing sushi-grade fish.
  • The site does not publish prices, a store inventory, or login requirements in the material available. The "Store" link appears in its navigation, but nothing in the provided content confirms what it sells or on what terms — treat it as unverified until you visit.
  • Cookie consent appears on first load. The site uses a standard privacy/cookie notice; accepting or adjusting it is required before browsing normally.

Where to go for what

  • First roll, no experience: the sushi rice section, then the maki guide, choosing hosomaki.
  • Want the rice on the outside: the inside out (uramaki) guide.
  • Hand-pressed style: the nigiri guide.
  • A specific Western-style roll: the spicy tuna recipe page.
  • Beyond the basics: the general recipes section.

The site is a reasonable starting point precisely because it sequences rice before rolling and offers a single-filling option for a first attempt. Its limits are equally clear: the visual guide depends on a deprecated format, and the content is instructional only — you still need to source ingredients and, for raw fish, apply your own judgment about freshness and handling.