Up your street cred by producing these homemade takeaway-style sushi rolls for your lunchbox.

As a child, I got sent to school with bento boxes when all I wanted was a Vegemite sandwich. At lunchtime, I'd enviously eye off my friends' pink My Little Pony lunchboxes filled with "normal" things like apples, snack packs, and devon sandwiches.

Me, I'd pull out my bamboo bento box filled with sushi rolls, rice crackers and pickled radish, and field questions about my "weird" food. Little did I know back then that my mother was way ahead of the curve. I'd be the cool kid at school these days.

As second term begins, send your kids to school with these takeaway-style sushi rolls, and make them for work lunches while you are at it.

This recipe, courtesy of my mother, Yumiko Maehashi, is adapted from her website, RecipeTin Japan.

A bamboo sushi rolling mat is essential – it allows you to roll the sushi up tightly without leaving fingerprints. Luckily, they're widely available these days even at supermarkets and only cost a couple of dollars – cheaper than buying a sushi roll!

I've provided four filling options, each of which makes four long rolls, which you'll cut in half to finish with eight rolls.

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Canned tuna dressed in mayonnaise

Place a nori sheet on a sushi rolling mat, smooth side down and long side towards you. Lightly wet your hands with the vinegar water. Take ¼ of the seasoned sushi rice and form a ball with your hands. Place the rice in the centre of the nori sheet then use your fingers to evenly spread the rice, leaving a 2cm border on the side furthest from you.

Place your choice of fillings onto the nori sheet on the nearest third, connecting them as needed to fill the length of the sushi roll.

For the salmon, prawn and teriyaki chicken rolls, place the fillings onto the nori sheet on the nearest third. Use a single layer of each ingredient, connecting the pieces as needed to fill the length of the sushi roll.

For the tuna mayonnaise, spread ¼ of the tuna filling across the sushi roll in a 1.5cm wide strip.

For the vegetarian sushi roll, start with the lettuce leaves then place the remaining fillings on top, using ¼ of each ingredient in each sushi roll.

Lift the near edge of the mat over the filling, using your fingers to hold everything in place. With both hands, use the mat to firmly roll up the sushi roll, applying even pressure.

Pull the top edge of the mat out from under the roll as you go. Don't let the end of the bamboo mat roll under your sushi roll or it will leave an unsightly dent!

Once your sushi roll is rolled up inside the bamboo mat, press it together firmly with both hands to make it a neat roll shape, then gently remove the bamboo mat. Repeat for 3 remaining rolls.

Allow the sushi rolls to rest for 5 minutes, seam side down. Wipe a sharp knife with a wet towel (this stops the rice from sticking to the knife), then cut each roll in half through the middle to form 2 sushi rolls. Wipe the knife with the wet towel each time before cutting remaining rolls.

Serve immediately with Japanese soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger (gari) to taste. Use the cut face of the roll as the presentation side (with the exception of the vegetable roll as the end with the vegetables poking out is prettier!). Sushi rolls are best when freshly made. The salmon sushi should be consumed straight away. The other sushi rolls can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours, or packed in a thermal lunchbox to keep cold until lunch time. Wrap each roll individually in clingwrap otherwise they will stick to each other.

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