Attention sushi lovers, this article is for you! The undisputed star of Japanese cuisine is the world-famous sushi, but have you heard of its close cousin, temaki?
This dish uses the same ingredients as sushi, but in the form of a… cone. That makes it the perfect choice for homemade sushi, since you don’t need expert rolling skills or a bamboo mat to make temaki—just your hands and a bit of motivation.
What is sushi?
Before we dive into temaki, let’s quickly go over what makes a sushi unique, since temaki is really just sushi in a different shape. By the way, I also have a full article all about sushi and its origins.
Sushi is one of the most popular Japanese dishes worldwide. It’s made with vinegared rice (seasoned with sugar and vinegar) and usually paired with seafood, fish, or vegetables.
There are several types of sushi, depending on how the ingredients are presented. The best known are maki, nigiri, uramaki, gohan, gunkan, and of course, temaki. However, sashimi isn’t actually sushi.
What is temaki?
In Japanese, “maki” refers to any kind of sushi roll that uses nori seaweed, and “te” means hand. So, temaki is a type of sushi that’s hand-rolled into a cone shape.
The most important part of this recipe is the type of seaweed on the outside—nori—because it’s what lets you shape the cone with your hands. For the filling, you can use the same ingredients as for regular sushi.
So, the most common ingredients are rice, fish or meat, and vegetables. You can also serve them with tasty sauces like teriyaki sauce.
To sum up, the three key factors when making temaki are:
- Sushi rice. This is a short-grain rice that’s stickier and holds its shape better when you roll the temaki. To prepare it, just cook the rice and, once it’s cooled, add mirin, salt, and rice vinegar. (Full recipe for sushi rice seasoning)
- Nori seaweed. Try to find the best quality you can, but honestly, you’ll barely notice the difference.
- Filling ingredients. Pick your favorites! Anything goes, really. Personally, I love smoked salmon, avocado, Japanese mayo, and crispy onions.
Personally, I cut the nori sheet in half to make smaller temaki, which lets me make more of them. When I use a whole sheet, I find there’s just too much extra seaweed.
Because of its size and shape, temaki is eaten with your hands, so you can enjoy it anywhere. For a while, I used to bring a tupperware full of temaki to the library. In fact, it’s very common to have temaki for lunch in Japan.
Homemade Temaki Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram sushi rice, cooked and seasoned about 450 g uncooked rice
- 10 sheets nori, halved
- Filling ideas for temaki
- Sushi-grade fish of your choice such as salmon or tuna
- Smoked salmon or other smoked fish
- Japanese cucumbers
- leaves shiso
- Takuan pickled daikon radish
- Avocado
Instructions
- If your sushi-grade fish comes in a block, cut it into long strips.Sushi-grade fish of your choice, Smoked salmon or other smoked fish
- Just before serving, cut 10 sheets of nori in half and store them in a bag to keep them crisp.10 sheets nori, halved
- Keep your hands dry so the nori stays crisp.
- Hold the nori in your palm, shiny side down.
- Spread a thin layer of rice over the left third of the nori.1 kilogram sushi rice, cooked and seasoned
- Arrange the fillings vertically down the center of the rice.Japanese cucumbers, leaves shiso, Takuan, Avocado
- Fold the bottom-left corner over and roll to form a cone.
- Continue rolling to complete the cone.
- Dab a little rice in the bottom-right corner to use as glue, then seal.
- Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce.
