White Ninja Roll Recipe

Rinse and cook rice

Place the sushi rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold water, stirring with your hand, until the water runs almost clear (about 3–4 minutes). Drain. Combine rinsed rice and 1 3/4 cups water in a rice cooker or medium pot. If using a pot, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce to low and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes.

Season rice

While rice rests, warm rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over low heat just until sugar dissolves; don’t boil. Transfer cooked rice to a large shallow bowl. Gently fold the vinegar mixture into the rice with a rice paddle or spatula using cutting and fanning motions to cool slightly. Aim for sticky, glossy rice. Cover with a damp towel until ready to use (up to 1 hour).

Prepare tuna: Pat diced tuna dry with paper towels. In a bowl combine tuna, Japanese mayonnaise, sriracha, sesame oil, soy sauce and sliced green onion. Mix gently until evenly coated. Taste and adjust heat or seasoning. Refrigerate briefly if needed; keep chilled.

Prep nori and mat

Wrap the bamboo mat with plastic wrap to prevent rice sticking. Place a half sheet of nori shiny side down on the mat (if using full sheet, cut in half crosswise). Wet your hands with water mixed with a little rice vinegar to prevent sticking.

Spread rice: Take about 3/4 cup of seasoned sushi rice and evenly spread it over the nori to within a 1/2-inch border at the top edge. Press gently to form an even layer about 1/4-inch thick.

Add filling: Along the edge closest to you, arrange a line of spicy tuna (about 2.5–3 oz), a thin row of julienned cucumber (about 2–3 tbsp), and sprinkle the chopped cilantro evenly across the tuna.

Roll and seal: Lift the edge of the mat and begin to roll away from you, pressing firmly but gently to shape a tight cylinder. When you reach the top border of nori, moisten the bare nori edge with a little water and finish the roll to seal. If you prefer inside-out (rice on outside), you can place plastic wrap on the rice, invert the nori so rice faces down, then continue — instructions above assume nori outside. For a white-topped presentation, see next step for albacore placement.

Slice roll: Using a very sharp knife dipped in water and wiped between cuts, slice the roll into 8 pieces. If you made the roll inside-out (rice outside), place thin slices of albacore across each piece now. If the albacore is separate, lay each thin albacore slice across each sushi piece so it drapes over the top.

Add garnishes: On top of each piece, place a thin jalapeño slice (half or whole depending on heat preference), a small sprinkle (about 1/4 tsp) of finely diced red onion, and a small dot (about 1/8 tsp) of sriracha. Sprinkle a few toasted sesame seeds over the top.

Wasabi cream

Make wasabi cream by mixing the wasabi paste with the 1 tsp Japanese mayonnaise until smooth. Adjust wasabi to taste. Using the back of a spoon or squeeze bottle, add a small dab of wasabi cream to each piece (or on the plate to the side).

Finish with ponzu: Lightly drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon ponzu over each piece (total about 3 tbs over the roll). Serve immediately so rice retains texture and fish is fresh.