Temaki Sushi make your own sushi

Sushi is probably the most popular Japanese dish in Europe. Originally, sushi was made to preserve freshly caught fish for longer. These first sushi versions consisted of dried fish, which was stored between two layers of rice with vinegar. For practical reasons, the whole thing was later wrapped in nori leaves to make it easier to eat.

Sushi has evolved quite a bit since then, and there are many different variations. Temaki sushi is particularly trendy at the moment.

What is special about Temaki Sushi?

Temaki sushi only comes to the table roughly prepared, and you roll it yourself right before eating it. “Te” means hand and “Maki” roll, so hand-rolled sushi. The nori sheet is triangular for temaki sushi, creating the shape of a cone, and you can see the filling through the opening. This filling of the temaki sushi is called “Neta”, by the way.

Unlike other sushi varieties, temaki sushi is eaten with your hands. Practical, if you’re not so good with chopsticks yet.

Since the special shape of the temaki sushi holds everything together well, you can try anything you can think of in terms of ingredients. Try different meats, fish and vegetables and give it a try with BBQ sauce or mayonnaise!

Where can you buy Temaki Sushi?

If you’re in Japan, you’ll often find temaki sushi as finger food at parties. The different ingredients are ready in small bowls, and each guest can roll the temaki sushi to their own taste. 

But even away from parties, temaki sushi is a popular dish, as the Japanese enjoy spending time at the dinner table and celebrating their food. Preparing the food at the table allows guests to spend more time with each other, and no one has to prepare the food alone in the kitchen. A few other dishes that are also prepared at the table are Teppanyaki and Mille Feuille Nabe .

Since temaki sushi is a trendy dish, it is often offered in restaurants with unusual ingredients.

The Temaki trend in New York

No other city in the world sees so many food trends come and go in a short time. Some time ago there was a temaki trend there, which led to the invention of “Temakerias”. One of these special snack bars was “Uma Temakeria”. There, the temakis could be put together according to preference. In addition to traditional Japanese ingredients like fish, there were also plenty of specialties from around the world like hummus or celery! But as is so often the case in New York, these trends unfortunately disappear quickly again, and the “Uma Temakeria” no longer exists.

What do you need to make Temaki Sushi yourself?

If you want to cook traditional Japanese dishes at home, it can unfortunately get quite expensive. Special ingredients that are only available in Asian stores can quickly leave you with an empty wallet. But there are a few good alternatives and tricks that can help you save money. We show them to you here:

Possible ingredients that go great with Temaki:

• Tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet)
• Cucumbers
• Salmon
• Tuna (fresh)
• Tuna mayonnaise
• Avocado
• Cream cheese
• Green asparagus
• Karaage
• Natto
• Ikura
• Takuan (pickled radish)
• Fish eggs
• Meat (e.g. thinly sliced chicken strips)

Tips

• Cut all ingredients into long, thin strips so they can be rolled up easily.
• Instead of buying fresh salmon, you can also use smoked salmon, which you can find in any supermarket.
• You don’t have to buy tuna fresh either. Tuna from a can tastes good if you mix it with mayo.
• If you want to put cucumbers in your temaki sushi, you should remove the seeds beforehand so it doesn’t get too watery.
• Let your creativity run wild with the ingredients! Cheese and bell peppers, for example, go great with temaki, even though they aren’t classic sushi ingredients.