I want you to forget about sushi burritos and fall in love with temaki, or sushi hand roll. Sushi burritos don’t treat you the way you deserve to be treated - bloated cylinders stuffed to bursting and a faint whiff of fast-casual sterility.
I fell hard for temaki (much like maki, but left whole, not cut into slices and intended to be eaten by hand) in Brooklyn at the achingly hip, subterranean DeKalb Market . There, at a small counter overlooking a Trader Joe’s, sits Daigo, which turns out only temaki and miso soup. The nori was crisp, the fish sweet and fresh, the whole package elegant and simple. I wondered what I had thought I was doing with all those chain sushi burrito joints with flashy crunchies and sauces.
Yes, you can get temaki at most sushi restaurants, but I realized that I could make these precious little sushi bundles at home. Make seasoned sushi rice; invest in good nori, toast it quickly by waving it briefly over a lit burner; slice fillings like sushi-grade fish, cooked shrimp, cucumbers or avocados. Assemble. This is a great, casual, make-as-you-go group meal with friends, since temaki are meant to be eaten as soon as possible after rolled while the nori is still crisp.
A Recipe for Temaki (Sushi hand Roll)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb sushi-grade salmon
- 1 cup uncooked sushi rice, prepared according to package instructions, including seasoned rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (for rice)
- 6 sheets of sushi nori, cut in half into two equal rectangles
- Choice of assorted vegetables, thinly julienned. Choose from: cucumbers, avocados, carrots, bell peppers
- Wasabi paste, wasabi mayonnaise, sriracha mayonnaise, sesame seeds, furikake, fried shallots (optional)
- Small bowl filled with room temperature water
Instructions:
Fill a medium bowl with ice. Slice fish into thin, 1/4 inch by one inch strips or cut into ¼ inch cubes. Place in a small bowl and nestle into the bowl with ice. This is to keep the fish cold while you prepare everything else.
If you have a gas burner, turn one on to medium high and gently wave each piece of nori an inch above the flame for a few seconds on each side to lightly toast. Here’s a video that demonstrates how to do this.
To assemble: hold a piece of nori horizontally in your left hand. Place about a quarter cup of the cooked, seasoned rice in a thin square on the left side of the nori, leaving the right side plain. Place a few strips of fish (or a couple of tablespoons of cubed fish) and vegetables, plus a dab of wasabi or flavored mayo and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, furikake, or shallots, if using, in the middle of the rice square. Roll the nori into a cone by taking the bottom left corner and lifting it to meet the top-middle portion, about where the top right corner of the rice square is. Continue rolling in this direction until you have a cone. Dip finger in water and gently moisten the edge of the nori to help it stick. You can watch a video of the rolling in action online here .
Eat as soon as possible and roll another one when you’re done!
