Spicy Tuna Sushi Rolls - Takeaway Dupe!

Recipe: Spicy Tuna Rolls Recipe »

Make your own spicy tuna rolls at home with this easy sushi takeaway dupe! Filled with creamy tuna, sriracha mayo and cucumber, these Australian-style sushi rolls are cheaper, fresher and just as delicious as your favourite food court version. Once you try this homemade version, you won't go back to store-bought sushi rolls again!

About These Spicy Tuna Rolls

These spicy tuna rolls are a dupe of your favourite Japanese sushi takeaway store's tuna rolls. Made with simple ingredients at a fraction of the cost of a roll, you won't need to buy tuna rolls again with this homemade spicy tuna roll dupe!

I have been making these tuna rolls for Mr NQN for years and he LOVES them and he can wolf down 4 of these in one go. It was Mr NQN that actually suggested that I should put the recipe up. At first I thought that they weren't exciting enough because they're quite basic but he pointed out how popular they are. And hey instead of paying $5 a roll, you can make them for so much less!

Australian sushi rolls are a thing and I thought every country had these but apparently not! These are found at food courts as an easy grab and go lunch option. Unlike hand rolls that are tapered cones, Australian sushi rolls are cylindrical.

Why You'll Love these Spicy Tuna Rolls

They taste just like your favourite sushi takeaway store!

They're easy to make with simple ingredients.

These rolls have a balance between the tuna filling and rice (I hate it when it's all rice).

It's a healthy snack with a good amount of protein (around 20g for 2 rolls).Check brand for exact protein level as it can differ between brands and oil vs springwater.

Kids love making these and they're easy to make and eat.

Once you have ingredients like rice vinegar, nori and sushi rice, you can make these again and again and just have to buy the tuna and cucumber (if you buy the ingredients from the Asian grocery store they're often a better price and I buy my nori sheets in a bulk 50 pack!).

Video How To Make Spicy Tuna Rolls

Ingredients For Spicy Tuna Rolls

Rice - Use sushi rice or koshihikari rice. Other rice will not stick together.

Rice wine vinegar - Found in the Asian aisle or vinegar aisle. It is a softer, milder vinegar than white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar can also be used, mix with 1/2 teaspoon extra sugar to mimic rice wine vinegar's sweetness.

Sugar - Use white or caster/superfine sugar.

Salt - Fine or kosher salt so that it dissolves easily in the vinegar.

Tuna - Tinned tuna in springwater or in oil.

Mayonnaise - Kewpie or your favourite mayonnaise.

Sriracha sauce - This is to give it a spicy flavour. Sriracha isn't very hot but if you want it milder, replace some of the Sriracha quantity with mayonnaise.

Shichimi Togarashi seasoning - a mildly spicy Japanese sansho chilli powder flavoured with orange peel and sesame seeds. Found in the Japanese aisle of the supermarket or at Asian grocery stores.

Cucumber - I use Lebanese cucumbers because they have a thinner skin.

Nori - Yaki nori sheets for sushi. Found in the Japanese aisle of the supermarket or at Asian grocery stores.

Tips For Making Spicy Tuna Rolls

1 - Make sure to use sushi or koshihikari rice. This rice sticks together well so it is ideal for making sushi rolls.

2 - Add the sushi vinegar mix while the rice is hot to help it absorb and flavour the rice. We also heat the vinegar mixture to help it absorb into the hot rice better. It also makes the end result a bit glossier.

3 - Make sure to drain the tuna well. Press down really well to remove any of the oil or springwater from the tuna.

4 - I like to blitz the tuna in a food processor for a more cohesive mixture. I find that when I mash it with a fork it doesn't stick together as well.

5 - You can sub the cucumber for avocado or add both avocado and cucumber to the sushi rolls.

6 - If you are new to making sushi rolls, I'd recommend using a sushi mat which you can get at the supermarket or Asian grocery store.

7 - There are two sides to nori-a shinier side and a matte side. Use the shinier side facing out.

Other sushi recipes to try next are: red rice sushi (also popular at Australian sushi stores), rainbow sushi, sushi bake and gimbab or Korean rolls.

Spicy Tuna Rolls Recipe

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Recipe Overview

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 12 minutes

Makes: 8 sushi rolls

Ingredients Needed

For rice

• 1 cup/220g/7.7oz sushi rice
• 30ml/1oz rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine or kosher salt

For Filling

• 400g/14oz tinned tuna (once drained, around 300g/10.6oz tuna)
• 4 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
• Togarashi seasoning (optional for extra spice)
• 1 cucumber, around 70g/2.5oz
• 8 sheets nori

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 RICE - Rinse 1 cup of sushi rice in cold water once and add it to a small saucepan with 1.5 cups of boiling water. Bring to a boil and then turn down to the lowest possible heat and leave lid on. Steam for 10 minutes and do not remove lid.

Step 2 SEASONING - When rice is cooked, in a small microwave proof bowl, add the rice vinegar and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in sugar and salt and dissolve. Stir this seasoned vinegar mixture into the hot rice distributing it well. Allow to cool off (do not refrigerate). It doesn't have to be completely cold and can be warm.

Step 3 TUNA - Make sure to drain the tuna well and press out any excess water or oil. Add the drained tuna to a small food processor along with the mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce. Blend until smooth scraping down the sides if needed. Taste for spiciness, if you want it spicier, add some togarashi.

Step 4 ASSEMBLE - Lay out a sheet of nori on a dry surface. Spread 120g/4ozs of the cooked rice mostly over the sheet avoiding 1/2 inch at the base and an inch at the top as shown. Cover with another nori sheet and then add 1/4 of the tuna mixture as a thick log. Slice the cucumber in half lengthways and then in 3 batons so you have 6 batons in total. Add cucumber batons and cut to fit the whole length. Roll up and then cut in half to make two rolls.

Storage: If you aren't eating these within 2 hours, wrap these in clingfilm and then an airtight container and store in the fridge. The cling film helps avoid drying out the rice.

Personal Note

I love spicy tuna sushi and we used to buy it from a place that had a sushi train and ready made rolls. It was my favourite sushi train because the sushi was fresh, well priced and had such a great variety. I'd get the spicy tuna sushi rolls to fill up Mr NQN (he can easily eat 4) and then get other interesting ones for the both of us. It got to be a weekly ritual on Thursday or Friday nights. I even got a punch card that offered you 20% off your order after 20 visits. Normally I never go back anywhere but this place was an exception. And I'm sure I was not the only one as it was always busy and full.

I finally filled the punch card and had it ready and we were driving to get some takeaway sushi. I couldn't stop talking about what I was going to get because if you've got 20% off then you are better off to get a big order. "I'll get four of those aburi salmon ones, and then some of the ones with crab meat and teriyaki sauce and then..." I chattered to Mr NQN. We had saved the sushi feast after a long week of long hours and I was so damn excited.

We pulled up outside the shop. "Is it...closed?" Mr NQN said. And sure enough, there were handwritten signs in the window letting people know that they had closed down. I lamented waiting to use my punch card for a week because they had closed down during that week but this forced me to try and make my own spicy tuna rolls instead!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you buy shopping mall sushi? What is your favourite filling? And do you use punchcards?