The Philadelphia Roll is one of our favorites! Also called Philly Rolls and Japanese Bagel Rolls, these tasty homemade sushi rolls are super simple and only require a few ingredients to make!
Thoroughly rinse 1/2 cup of sushi rice in cool water using a mesh strainer. Rinse until water runs clear then shake it a little to drain through the strainer.
In a medium saucepan, add rice and 2/3 cup cold water and heat to high. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 20 for 20 minutes covered, then remove from heat (keeping lid on) and allow rice to steam an additional 10 minutes.
Transfer to a non-metallic bowl and fluff with a fork. Add 2 TBSP of seasoned rice vinegar and mix well. Allow to cool while you prep the rest of your sushi ingredients.
Roll/shape chilled cream cheese into ropes long enough to spread across your seaweed sheet horizontally. Set aside.
Slice salmon into strips. If adding optional cucumber or scallions (or add them both - they're so tasty every which way!) prep those as well. I like to cut my cucumber into matchsticks and then use only the green parts of the scallions.
Next line a bamboo mat with plastic wrap and top with nori, rough side facing up.
Spread rice thinly on the seaweed sheet and turn it so that the rectangle is vertical/tall. For seaweed on the outside, place toppings directly on the rice. For rice on the outside with the filling inside, flip your sheet of nori so the rice is touchign the plastic wrapped mat and place filling directly on the nori.
In a horizontal row about an inch from the bottom, place sliced salmon, cream cheese, and optional veggies on top of your rice.
Grab the nori and the mat, and roll approx. 1/4 of the mat over the fillingand gently squeeze (so it sticks) to the rice below it and unfold the bamboo mat. Repeat the process until you’ve rolled the sheet of rice, seaweed, and veggies into a spiral. Give it one last squeeze to seal the deal. For a full photo tutorial of the process, click here.
Slice each roll into 6 bite-sized discs with a freshly sharpened chef’s knife. Sprinkle the cut side with sesame seeds and dive in with soy sauce and/or Sriracha chili sauce.
Notes
Recipe Yields 2 tasty sushi rolls.Looking for my shortcut method? This rice is great for speedy sushi for one. It makes enough for two rolls and is ready in 90 seconds. Simply heat, mix in a spoonful of rice vinegar, season with a pinch of salt and sugar, and fluff with a fork. So. Flipping. Easy. You can pick it up on Amazon, at local International food stores, or in many (if not most) grocery stores in the International or rice section.Nutrition Facts below are an estimate gathered using an online recipe nutrition calculator. If adding topping and extras, simply adjust as needed.