How To Make Homemade Sushi {Paired With a Delicious Beer}.

“I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Millennial Central for Kirin. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

It's no secret that Cameron and I like to drink a beer after a long day at work, or during a nice sunny day on the boat, so when Millennial Central asked me if they could send me some Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light beer, I was all for it! I was already familiar with the beer, as I tend to order it from Japanese restaurants, so I knew I was going to like it. They also sent me everything I needed to make homemade sushi! I was a little nervous at how hard it would be, but Cameron really got the hang of it. 

If you're not familiar with Kirin beer, you should really try it! It's got a nice, clean taste and pairs perfectly Japanese and Asian cuisine. It's also known as being beer at it's purest because of its first-press brewing process. The Kirin brewery is actually one of the oldest breweries in Japan, dating back to 1888!

Here's a brief re-cap of how it went down. 

Gather all of your supplies. 

Take a sip of your Kirin beer. 

Read the instructions to your handy assistant as he/she prepares the rolls. 

We decided to make California rolls (crab, avocado, and cucumber) and spicy tuna rolls (fresh tuna + spicy mayo made with sriracha).

Enjoy your delicious sushi with your refreshing and light Kirin beer!

(Kirin Light only has 95 calories!)

It was SO good and it honestly tasted like we had ordered it from a restaurant!

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Here is the recipe to make your own sushi at home!

(Most of these supplies, other than the fresh ingredients, can be found at World Market)

 SUSHI SUPPLIES

Bamboo mat

Rice paddle

Paper fan

Sharp knife

Clean, wet towel

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

10–12 sheets toasted nori (seaweed)

1 ½ cups sushi rice = 3 cups cooked sushi rice

SUSHI-SU (SUSHI VINEGAR)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon  salt

OPTIONAL FILLERS

1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced

Fresh basil, stems  removed

1 Cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise

Carrots, thinly sliced

Japanese kaiware sprouts

Japanese umeboshi plums, seeds

Daikon pickles

OPTIONAL PROTEINS

Imitation crabmeat pieces or sticks

Smoked salmon, thinly sliced

Smoked Tofu, thinly sliced

OPTIONAL SEASONINGS

Furikake (Japanese Mrs. Dash)

Toasted sesame seeds

Togarashi

Sriracha hot sauce

Reduced-sodium soy sauce, for dipping

Ponzu sauce, for dipping

DIRECTIONS

Make your sushi rice. Prepare and cook the sushi rice as directed on the package.

Roughly 2 parts grain, 1 part water ratio. Cool the rice slightly while preparing your

sushi-su (sushi vinegar).

In a medium mixing bowl, add the sushi-su (sushi vinegar ingredients) – 3

tablespoons rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Whisk well to

dissolve all the sugar and salt.

Transfer your slightly-cooled sushi rice into a large bowl. Using a rice paddle and a

small paper fan, fan the sushi rice as you slowly drizzle the sushi  vinegar over the

rice.  Cut the sushi  rice with the rice paddle, as you fan the rice to cool at  the same

time. Be sure not to mix the rice. Simply  cut through the rice until all of the sushi-su

is absorbed.

TO ROLL THE SUSHI

Roll your sushi while the rice is still warm. Prep a  clean work surface, like a clean cutting

board or a clean countertop.

Lay down your bamboo mat on your work surface. Place the nori, on top of the bamboo

mat, shiny side down.

Using your rice paddle, spread a layer of approximately ½  cup sushi rice in the middle of

the nori sheet. At the bottom of the sushi roll, closest to you, add your choice of fillers,

proteins, and seasonings in a horizontal line. Tightly roll from the bottom up into a long

maki roll. Gently squeeze the bamboo mat to tighten your roll.

To cut, remove your bamboo mat, and cut your roll in half. (Wipe off your knife with

your towel in between slicing.) Next, line up your two halves and cut into fourths and

sixths. Repeat until all the sushi  rice is used. Serve immediately.

Dip in your choice of sauces or just enjoy as is!

Follow Kirin on Facebook here! 

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Now go check out my guest post on One Year Wedding Anniversary gift ideas for your husband over at Jenn's blog, Going the Distance!