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Autumn Colored Sushi - Naturally dyed red, orange, & yellow rice rolled up with your favorite fillings, these sushi rolls are a real showstopper that anyone can master! Step-by-step instructions + video tutorial available at loveatfirstbento.com | fall, bento box, lunch, recipe

Autumn Colored Sushi


  • Author: Shannon
  • Yield: 6 - 8 Sushi Rolls
  • Category: Sushi

Description

Step-by-step instructions teaching you how to make autumn colored sushi – red, orange, and yellow rice rolled up with your favorite sushi fillings. 100% natural dyes are used to color the rice, making this a truly beautiful & delicious celebration of fall colors!


Ingredients

Food Items:

  • ~ 1.5 cups cooked sushi rice (with sushi vinegar added)
  • Beet powder
  • Sriracha (can substitute carrot powder if you don’t like spice)
  • Turmeric
  • Nori seaweed
  • Your choice of fillings (see Recipe Notes for ideas!)

Recommended Tools:

  • Bamboo sushi rolling mat
  • Plastic wrap

Instructions

Dying the Rice:

  1. Divide warm, cooked sushi rice into 3 equal portions.
  2. Red Rice: In a small bowl, combine 1 – 2 tablespoons of warm water with beet powder; start by adding the beet powder a 1/2 teaspoon at a time, adding as much as you’d like until desired red color is achieved. Add your homemade dye to one portion of rice and mix until evenly colored.
  3. Orange Rice: Add sriracha to one portion of rice and mix until evenly colored. Start with 1 tablespoon of sriracha, then add more (if necessary) until you get the desired orange color.
  4. Yellow Rice: In a small bowl, combine 1 – 2 tablespoons of warm water with turmeric; start by adding the turmeric a 1/2 teaspoon at a time, adding as much as you’d like until desired yellow color is achieved. Add your homemade dye to one portion of rice and mix until evenly colored. If you find the yellow isn’t as bright as you’d like, sprinkle a bit of turmeric on top of the rice and mix.

Assembling Sushi:

  1. Spread out your bamboo sushi mat so that the slats are horizontal, then place a sheet of plastic wrap over top, followed by a sheet of nori (make sure the shiny side is facing DOWN).
  2. Add red rice on top of the nori edge that’s closest to you. Wet your hands with water and spread the rice out evenly with your fingers, until you have a horizontal strip of red rice.
  3. Add orange rice on top of the nori, right above the red strip of rice. Wet your hands with water and spread the rice out evenly with your fingers, until you have a horizontal strip roughly equal in size to the red one.
  4. Add yellow rice on top of the nori, right above the orange strip of rice. Wet your hands with water and spread the rice out evenly with your fingers, until you have a horizontal strip roughly equal in size to the red & orange ones. Make sure you leave about a 1 inch space of nori at the end of your sushi roll.
  5. Place your fillings in the middle of your colored rice, making sure to keep them tight together and horizontally aligned.
  6. Grab the part of the sushi mat that’s closest to you and begin to roll your sushi away from you. Aim to cover your fillings with the first roll, then continue rolling until there’s no nori left, using the bamboo mat to tighten and shape the roll along the way. Adding a little bit of water along the vacant edge of nori at the end of your roll will help things stick together better. I learned how to roll sushi using this helpful video.
  7. With a sharp, wet knife, cut your sushi roll in half. Re-wet the knife by wiping it clean on a damp towel, then cut each half roll into 3 – 4 sushi rolls. Be sure to wet your knife again in between each cut.

Notes

  • Here are some sushi filling ideas you can use in this recipe: veggies such as carrot, sweet potato, cucumber, mushroom, bell pepper, pea shoots, avocado, asparagus, kanpyō, or radish; proteins such as smoked salmon, tuna salad, imitation crab sticks, tamagoyaki, beef or turkey soboro, spam, tempura shrimp, or fried tofu skin.
  • When coloring your rice, feel free to add as much or as little color as you like. I honestly just eyeballed the whole process, so use the measurements provided as a starting point. Your eyes are the best tools for telling you when you have the right color!

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