Ingredients 4 Person(s)
Save this for later 📌
Pin this article to your Pinterest board so the full list is one tap away when you need it.
Save on PinterestDirections
Step 1: Rinse and Cook the Rice
Put 300 g sushi rice in a sieve and rinse under cold running water, swishing the grains with your hand, until the water runs clear — usually 3 to 4 rinses. Tip the rice into a medium saucepan with 360 ml cold water, cover with a lid and bring to the boil over high heat. As soon as it boils, turn the heat right down and simmer gently for 12 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave it to steam, lid on and undisturbed, for 10 more minutes.
Step 2: Make the Seasoning and Spicy Mayo
While the rice cooks, stir 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp caster sugar and ¾ tsp fine salt together in a small bowl, then microwave for 20 to 30 seconds (or warm briefly in a small pan) and stir until the sugar fully dissolves. In a second bowl, mix 4 tbsp mayonnaise with 2 tbsp sriracha — taste it and add more sriracha if you like real heat. Set both aside.
Step 3: Season and Cool the Rice
Tip the hot rice into a wide, shallow dish. Drizzle over a third of the vinegar seasoning and fold it through with a rice paddle or spatula using a gentle cutting motion — stirring hard will mash the grains. Repeat twice more until all the seasoning is in and every grain looks glossy, then spread the rice out and let it cool for about 10 minutes until just warm.
Step 4: Prep the Toppings
While the rice cools, boil the edamame in salted water for 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and cool under cold running water. Slice the cucumber into thin half-moons, cut the carrot into fine matchsticks and shred the crab sticks with your fingers (or flake your salmon into chunks). Slice the avocado last so it stays green.
Step 5: Assemble the Bowls
Divide the just-warm rice between 4 bowls — roughly 200 g per bowl. Arrange the crab, cucumber, carrot, edamame and avocado in separate wedge-shaped sections on top of the rice rather than mixing everything together; it looks like a proper poke-shop bowl and lets everyone combine each bite the way they like.
Step 6: Sauce, Garnish and Serve
Spoon the spicy mayo into a small sandwich bag, snip a tiny corner off and pipe thin zigzag lines over each bowl (or simply drizzle it from a teaspoon). Scatter over the nori strips and toasted sesame seeds and serve straight away, with soy sauce and pickled ginger on the side if you like.
Pro Tips
Rinse the rice until the water runs completely clear — usually 3 to 4 changes of water — or the finished bowl turns gluey instead of glossy. Season the rice while it is still warm, folding the vinegar mix through with a gentle cutting motion rather than stirring, which mashes the grains. Fanning the rice as you fold (a piece of cardboard or a magazine works) cools it quickly and gives it that shiny takeaway finish. Cut the cucumber and carrot into thin matchsticks about 5 mm wide so every forkful has crunch, and toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes to wake up their flavour. Finally, pipe the spicy mayo from a sandwich bag with a tiny corner snipped off — you get neat zigzag lines instead of one heavy blob.
Storage or Make-Ahead Tips
Seasoned sushi rice keeps for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge; revive it with a teaspoon of water and 60 to 90 seconds in the microwave until piping hot (74°C / 165°F), then let it cool to just-warm before adding toppings. The spicy mayo keeps for 5 days in a sealed jar, and prepped carrot, cucumber and cooked edamame hold well for 3 days in separate containers, so this is a genuinely good meal-prep lunch. Always slice the avocado just before serving and toss it with a squeeze of lime or lemon juice to slow browning. Assembled bowls made with cooked protein like crab sticks or prawns are safe for up to 3 days chilled, but if you use raw sushi-grade fish, eat the bowl within 24 hours. Don't freeze assembled bowls — the cucumber and avocado turn to mush once thawed.
Sushi bowl how to: 6 easy steps to seasoned sticky rice, crunchy veg and spicy mayo for a fresh homemade bowl on the table in about 45 minutes. For more sushi bowl inspiration, browse the full Sushi Bowl Recipes board — every idea there is written for real home kitchens, not professional bakers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short-grain sushi rice is best because its high starch content makes the grains cling together and absorb the vinegar seasoning properly. Medium-grain Calrose rice is a good supermarket substitute. Jasmine or basmati will work in a pinch, but the grains stay separate, so the result tastes more like a rice salad than sushi.
Related Recipes
Save this for later 📌
Pin this article to your Pinterest board so the full list is one tap away when you need it.
Save on Pinterest