I know, making sushi or maki at home is not a quick and easy meal to prepare but I promise you it's so worth it plus it can be eaten in many different ways - even on the next day!
The key components are: GOOD SUSHI RICE (get an organic brand or a little pricier one from an asian supermarket - ideally from Japan!). I promise you, this makes all the difference and just costs you a few € more.
I also bought a special sushi seasoning (https://www.clearspring.co.uk) but you can easily make your own with rice vinegar, soy sauce, mirin and a bit of maple syrup (both optional but makes the rice exxxxtra delicious and "authentic").
For the filling I really craved something creamy so besides the classic cucumber, carrot and avocado I also roasted some shiitake mushrooms in some sesame oil and added a bit of the sushi rice seasoning. But the star of the show was definitely (vegan or non vegan version): canned sustainably fished tuna or salmon // mashed chickpeas with some (vegan) mayo, greek soy yoghurt, soy sauce and lemon juice (just this alone with rice and avocado is amazing). It's maybe not the most common maki filling but I really liked the contrast of crunchy and creamy in the maki roll. I also like to add my (homemade) furikake seasoning but you can simply skip it or add some toasted sesame seeds if you like. It's important that the sushi rice is not hot but room temperature when you add it to the nori sheet, sticky and seasoned well. I cook it like "normal" rice with salt / water but add the sushi seasoning when its almost done, cover with a lid and let it cool a few hours. You can also make the rice a day in advance (and it's best to double the recipe) so you can eat the leftovers with some steamed veggies, avocado, kimchi, salmon etc...
For the assembly make sure to not overfill the roll and wrap it tightly so "stuff" doesn't fall out.
Whenever I order sushi to eat at home, I crave something fresh, bright and green alongside. So I usually just make a small side salad with arugula or spinach, some toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar and extra avocado (you can never have too much avocado :-D)
That's why I decided to just add some of the leftover sushi / maki (which to my surprised were not soggy at all but kept shape, texture and flavour pretty well). So satisfying but light and cooling (great for the follicular phase - especially the sweet rice and raw veggies / greens).
And actually a pretty quick meal when you have some already rolled and cut maki in your fridge. So don't be shy - make it over the weekend for friends / family or yourself (like I did :-) and enjoy the leftovers of the hard work the next day! itadakimasu