Temakizushi 手巻き寿司
Now we have covered the basics of cooking rice we can move onto how we can use it. I wanted to begin with showing how versatile this ingredient is in Japanese cookery and the many ways it can be consumed.
If I asked you to name a Japanese food I bet over 90% of people would think of sushi(鮨飯). It is arguably the most identifiable food associated with Japan and I think it is fair to say anyone who has heard of Japan has heard of sushi and is somewhat familiar with the term!
The basic ingredients needed in preparing this national dish(鮨飯) are Japanese (short grain) rice, rice vinegar, sugar and salt. For some, the word sushi instantly brings raw fish to mind and although it is true many types of sushi can be made with raw fish you can also enjoy it without. Sashimi (刺身) is the correct way of referring to the delicacy of raw fish (or particular meats) with only simple accompaniments (soy sauce, wasabi or pickled ginger).
Upon hearing about this blog Sae’s aunty Izumi (a lady who epitomises the kind and helpful Japanese nature)invited us round for dinner to show us the art of Temakizushi.
It is helpful to understand although nigiri sushi, makizushi and temakizushi all differ slightly they all fall under the same umbrella of sushi. Basically nigiri sushi is vinegared rice with a topping (e.g. raw fish, meat, vegetables, natto etc), no nori (seaweed) usually. Makizushi is rice with a filling rolled into a dried nori sheet, which is usually then portioned into six or eight bitesized pieces. Temakizushi is a more casual way of eating the same thing where the same ingredients are hand rolled into a cone shape and the whole cone can be eaten directly by the maker. Its a great way to share a casual dinner amongst friends or family and since it’s cold there is no need to rush it. This particular evening we ate around the living room coffee table each at our own pace. For me personally this is one of the best ways to enjoy food,in a truly comfortable setting, and there was a surreal moment that night where I realized how perfectly the environment matched the meal.
Izumi San’s Temakizushi
1) Cook rice using using your desired method. (Cooking suggestions can be found here.) Cooking Tip - add a kombu sheet and a dash of sake before cooking for added flavor.
2) Whilst the rice is cooking prepare the fillings, you can be adventurous as you like with these but to give you some ideas to go from we used shiso leaves, cucumber cut into batons(you’ll get an idea of size from the pics below), daikon radish sprouts, tamagoyaki* and then assorted raw fish (salmon/tai/tuna/scallop/prawn etc).** You also need to make a rice vinegar/sugar solution to season the rice once its cooked. We use a 2:1 ratio of rice vinegar to sugar and then season the mixture with a little salt. Once mixed bring the mixture to a boil on the stove just to dissolve the sugar and then let it sit until needed.
3) Once the rice is cooked, from what I understand its better not to let it sit or cool down too much in its cooking pot as it will clump. You want to get it out and into a large surfaced flat based container ideally a sushi oke*** like the one pictured above. Understandably most people won’t have this option so the largest flat based roasting pan you can find will suffice.
4) Once into the roasting pan/sushi oke you need to fan the rice whilst mixing it with a rice paddle/flat stirring utensil to cool it down as quickly as possible. This is to stop clumps forming and it becoming damp. ( I do have a video of this to explain better which I’ll try and get uploaded shortly.) Izume made this look easy but when I had a go it reminded me of that game you play as a kid where you rub your tummy and pat your head simultaneously which I have managed to master but unfortunately it seems those skills aren't transferable in this case.
5) Whilst completing step 4 you need to season the rice with your vinegar sugar solution. Essentially the only way to do this is by adding a bit mixing and tasting until you find your desired taste in the same way you would with salt or pepper. Once the rice has fully cooled and you are happy with the taste you are ready to eat.
Below is a quick demonstration on how to put your temakizushi together courtesy of See’s uncle Hiroshi San. Typically soy sauce, wasabi and ginger are used for dipping. ( I guess the soy you choose depends on your own personal preference and what is easy to get hold of but we have tried tamari soy & tosa joyu (a cooked soy based sauce) and both are delicious, bear in mind both have a pretty deep flavor.
* Pictured above, “tamagoyaki” is a japanese rolled omelette. I’ve seen several different variations of these since arriving in Japan and it does help to have the specific type of pan to get the right shape. Essentially its a very tightly layered well cooked omelette. You can make something similar in a regular sauce pan but will struggle to get the uniform layers. I will post more about the technique at a later date but the raw mix usually comprises of beaten egg, a pinch of salt and sugar and even a blob of mayonnaise.(Japanese mayo that is, it differs somewhat in flavor from its western counterpart!)
**You want to make sure you have access to sushi grade fish, you can purchase it from thefishsociety.co.uk if anyone knows anywhere else to get it please let me know. For now your on your own with the fish preparation! Its something i certainly want to explain but it needs a post dedicated to it at the very least.
*** A sushi oke is a flat based cedar tub which is specifically used for cooling rice for sushi, the material actually helps to absorb any extra moisture to help avoid damp rice or clumpy rice.
The next post will lead us onto what to do with any leftover rice which was surplus to requirements, the classic Japanese snack known as Onigiri おにぎり.