Hosomaki 細巻き Homemade

Hosomaki sushi is thin sushi rolls cut into perfect bite-sized pieces. These cute little rolls are filled with just one ingredient usually vegetables or fish to create a lovely pop of colour in the centre. They’re great for a light lunch or bento box or as a beautifully presented appetiser.

What is Hosomaki?

Hosomaki are small sushi rolls made with only one filling. “Hoso” means thin in Japanese and “maki” means roll so the word together literally means “thin roll”. This is why only one ingredient is used for the filling to maintain the thin shape.

What Ingredients Do I Need?

Basically, you need Sushi rice, Nori – dried seaweed sheets and a filling. Sushi rice plays an essential role in any variation of sushi. So ultimately how well you make the sushi rice determines the result of any type of sushi you are making. Learn how to make perfect sushi rice from my previous post.

Filling Variations

There are a variety of different types of delicious fillings for hosomaki, though you will only need one filling per roll. Furthermore, depending on the filling, they have a special Japanese name for it. Cucumber filled rolls are called “Kappa-maki”, sushi-grade fish Tuna filled rolls are called “Tekka-maki”, and pickled daikon, called oshinko, is called “Shinko-maki”.

Filling Substitution

As many of us are not living in Japan, some of the ingredients are hard to obtain. We just need to be a little creative and let your imagination run wild. Some Japanese would use, kanpyo, umeboshi (pickled plum), canned tuna, rolled egg omelette (tamagoyaki), imitation crab meat, etc. You can use any filling you like. Just make sure to remove any excess moisture from the ingredients. Also, see Japanese food substitution.

How To Prepare Each Ingredient?

Rice– 2 cups of uncooked sushi rice will make 10 hosomaki rolls. Once cooked, portion the rice into 80 grams (1/2 cup) for each roll.

Nori– Briefly roast the nori sheets by placing and turning each side over heat (like a cooktop/stove) but don’t let it burn. Because hosomaki are thin rolls, you only need half of a standard nori seaweed sheet. You will need to cut the seaweed sheet in half through the longer edge. Typical seaweed sheets are 8.3inch x 7.5inch (21cmx19cm). Cut the 8.3inch(21cm) side in half so that you have two thin but long sheets of nori.

Fillings– whichever filling you choose to use will need to be cut into a uniform thin size to fit evenly down the middle of the roll.
You will need a small dish of vinegar or water to dip your finger into to go along the edge of the seaweed sheet to act as a glue to hold the roll together.

2 Ways To Roll Hosomaki

• Using a Bamboo sushi rolling mat– A bamboo sushi mat is the classic way to roll sushi. Place a nori seaweed sheet onto the rolling mat. Top with 80g (1/2 cup) of cooked sushi rice and spread it out evenly over the nori sheet. Make sure to leave a 1cm gap along one side of the nori sheet so that it can be sealed. Add your desired filling in a straight line down the centre of the rice. Dip your finger into some water or vinegar and swipe along the 1cm gap on the nori sheet. Place your fingers over the fillings to secure them in place and with your thumb, lift the rolling mat on the side with rice to fold and roll the sushi onto the side lined with the water/vinegar. Gently press the mat to seal the sushi and then release. Done!

• Using a hosomaki mold– You can buy these molds from Daiso. Lightly wet the mold to make sure the rice doesn’t stick. Place 40g (1/4 cup) of cooked sushi rice into the mold. Add your filling. Top with the remaining 40g (1/4 cup) of rice. Press the mold closed. Open it up and then push the roll out onto the nori seaweed sheet. On one edge of the nori sheet swipe some water or vinegar (like above) and then roll and seal the sushi.

How To Cut Hosomaki?

Sushi rice is very sticky and it can be hard to cut sushi rolls into pieces. You need to use a sharp knife and lightly wet it with some water to cut the pieces well. Make sure you don’t press the knife down and squish the roll when cutting the sushi. You need to cut forward or back instead of down. This will ensure the rolls are cut nicely. Usually, hosomaki are cut into small bite-size pieces so usually, I cut each roll in half and then each half into thirds. This means 1 roll will make 6 pieces of sushi. But it is truly up to you how small or big you want to cut the sushi rolls.

How To Serve Hosomaki?

Chop the hosomaki into bite-sized pieces and serve them up on a plate with the fillings visible. A platter of hosomaki can look so appetising from the variety of colours in the fillings so it’s easy to present it well like a rainbow of sushi. Add a little saucer of soy sauce and some pickled ginger and you’re ready to dig in.

What to serve with Hosomaki?

• Sushi Ginger Gari
• Japanese clear soup
• Miso Soup
• Gyoza soup

2 Tips

1. Make sure to cut the fillings evenly and thinly so that they fit well in the sushi roll to avoid overpacking the sushi. This will make it easier to roll and will ensure the sushi will hold its shape.
2. Briefly roast the nori sheets by placing it over heat (like a cooktop/stove) as mentioned above. This will make it easier to cut the nori sheets and give them a tastier crunch.

Related Recipes

• Chopstick Chronicles’ Ultimate Sushi Guide 寿司ガイド
• Sushi Cake – Easier To Make Than a Sushi Roll
• Sushi Rolls, simple and classic – Futomaki 巻き寿司
• Pokemon Ball Sushi
• Ehō Maki
• Salmon Oshizushi
• Sushi donuts
• Inari Sushi
• California Roll
• Wild Rice Chirashi Sushi

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