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You are here: Home / Rice / Sushi Rolls, simple and classic – Futomaki 巻き寿司

January 26, 2019 By Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles 10 Comments

Sushi Rolls, simple and classic – Futomaki 巻き寿司

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Super easy futomaki sushi rolls on a bamboo traay

Wouldn’t it be great if you could roll sushi easily without much effort? Sushi rolls are very cheap to make. You can make a sushi roll for A$1.50 ( amount) or US$1.08


two sushi rolls classic futomaki on a bamboo tray

Futomaki 

Futomaki literally means futo (thick/fat) maki (roll). This is the sushi that you often see at take away sushi shops. This type of sushi roll is the traditional and classic sushi roll. In Australia, the take away stores usually cut the rolls in half, but are still quite long. In Japan, Futomaki is cut into 2cm (0.8inch) thick pieces.

Futomaki sushi rolls ingredients on a bamboo tray - tamagoyaki, carrot, cucumber, mitsuba, and kanpyo

Sushi rolls Fillings

Basically you can put any fillings you like in sushi rolls to suit your tastes. I see many creative fillings here in Australia, unique fillings Japanese would not think of. For example, like chicken katsu, and Yakiniku. Traditionally, fillings are combination of vegetables and egg or sea foods.

Kanpyo in a packet and soaked in a bowl of water

Special ingredients : Kanpyo 

Kanpyo is made from dried shavings of calabash. Calabash is a type of gourd. Kanpyo is the typical filling of futo makizushi (thick rolls) sushi rolls. It is usually cooked and flavoured in soy sauce, sugar and mirin. It can also be used as edible strings to tie up Konbu kelp and stuffed fried tofu. They are available from Japanese grocery stores or online.

The first 4 steps of sushi rolls

Makizushi

Other Typical fillings of Futomaki sushi rolls

Dried shiitake mushrooms, Tamagoyaki egg rolls cut like sticks, cucumber, carrots and Mitsuba. Mitsuba is a Japanese herb that has a distinctive flavour which add fresh glassy taste to sweet vinegar, and balances the overall flavour. If you would like to know more about Mitsuba read the Chawanmushi post.

The last 4 steps of rolling futomaki sushi rolls

Tips to make a perfectly rolled Futomaki

Perfectly rolled sushi has the fillings rolled right in the centre. NONE of nori seaweed sheet should look like a pinwheel. Presentation is a significant aspect of Japanese cuisine, so we need to roll it right. It is not a hard thing to do.

4 pieces of futomaki on a plate.

Tip 1 : Place nori seaweed sheet in line with one edge of the bamboo sushi rolling mat, as the first step photo indicates.

Tip 2 : Then place rice on the seaweed about 5mm thick and leave about 3cm(1.2 inch) gap on one side. Also make the rice on the end slightly thicker. (see the second process photo)

Cutting sushi rolls into small pieces

Tip 3 : Place the fillings in the centre of the rice. Furthermore, do NOT layer the fillings on top of each other, rather placing them next to each other. (See the above step by step photos)

Tip 4 : When you roll, make the edge of the bamboo that alined with nori seaweed, meet with the edge of the rice. Put a little bit of water or vinegar on the 3cm(1.2 inch) gap of the nori seaweed sheet, and continue to roll over the gap and squeeze over the bamboo mat.

wiping of a knife with a wet dump cloth

Slice sushi rolls neatly

We don’t want to spoil the perfectly rolled futomaki sushi rolls.  So of course we use a sharp knife to slice the rolls. However, let me tell you a Japanese secret to make the cut neat. When you cut the sushi, wet the knife with a little water before every cut, and wipe with a damp cloth after every cut. In that way, you never squish the sushi accidentally.

two pieces of futomaki sushi rolls served on a bamboo tray

Also, if you like my guise making sushi rolls, Futomaaki, please leave comments below and don’t forget to follow me on Youtube, Pinterest, Facebook , Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on Chopstick Chronicles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChopstickChronicles so I can see your wonderful creations!

 

two sushi rolls classic futomaki on a bamboo tray

Sushi rolls Futomaki

Easy recipe with lots of tips and tricks for homemade, perfectly-rolled, classic sushi rolls Futo Makizushi with all your favourite fillings!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Rice, Rice dish
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: #Futomaki, Makizushi, rolled sushi, Sushi rolls
Servings: 3 sushi rolls
Calories: 364kcal
Author: Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles

Ingredients

  • 3 seaweed nori sheets
  • 4.5 cups of sushi rice *1
  • 1 rolled egg tamagoyaki *2
  • 1/2 carrot
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 1/3 packet Kanpyo
  • 1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 tbs sugar
  • 2 tbs sake
  • 2 tbs soy sauce
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • Prepare the sushi rice by folowing the recipe link.
  • Soak the mushrooms in a bowl with 1 cup of water. Soak Kanpyo in a separate bow with 1 cups of water. 
  • While the mushrooms are soaking, prepare the carrot, egg, and cucumber.
  • Cut the carrot and cucumber into long sticks and set aside.
  • Prepare the tamagoyaki by following the steps in the recipe link then cut into long sticks.
  • Squeeze out the excess water from the mushrooms into a bowl (save the water) and slice them thinly.
  • Squeeze out the excess water out of the Kanpyo and cut them in same length of nori sheets. 
  • Put 100ml of the water that the mushroom soaked in and 2 tbs of sugar, 2 tbs sake, and 2 tbs of soy sauce into a saucepan.
  • Put the sliced mushrooms, Kanpyo and carrots into the sauce pan and bring it to boil then reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer until the most of the liquid has reduced and the carrots are soft.
  • Remove from heat and allow to cool down before putting into the sushi roll.
  • Lay a seaweed sheet onto a sushi mat and place 1.5 cup rice on top and spread it out about 5mm thick leaving 3cm(1.2 inch) gap at the one edge of nori sheet. 
  • Lay out the fillings in the centre of the sushi rice. Do not layer them on top of each other fillings, rather line them up. *3
  • Place a little water on to the larger edge of the seaweed then roll the other side towards it and press down on the fillings as you roll then squeeze tightly.
  • Repeat for the remaining amount of rice and fillings.
  • Cut the sushi roll into smaller sizes and serve with Sushi ginger and Wasabi if you have. *4

Notes

*1 How to make Perfect sushi rice, check here. 
*2 How to make Tamagoyaki, check here. 
*3 detailed tips in the above post.
*4 Sushi ginger is available from Japanese grocery stores or make your own.  Check the recipe here .  
*5 Prep time/Cook time does not include cooking the rice as everyone's rice cookers vary on time.
*6 Nutritional fact are per sushi roll. One sushi roll is 364 cal. Half a sushi roll which is the size you get normally from take away outlets is 182 cal with the ingredients I used.  
 

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 719mg | Potassium: 315mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1815IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1.2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @chopstickchronicles or tag #chopstickchronicles!

 

Filed Under: Rice Tagged With: #futomaki, #Makizushi, sushi, sushi roll

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Greg @ Naked Sushi says

    May 9, 2016 at 2:08 PM

    These look perfect! I noticed one of the 105 yen sushi restaurants in Japan had hamburger sushi (literally just a mini burger on top of rice!) I haven’t seen these in Australia (yet!)

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      May 9, 2016 at 3:48 PM

      Thank you:D

      Reply
  2. pablo says

    March 18, 2018 at 4:59 AM

    finally i can perfect my sushi roll 🙂

    Reply
    • Chopstick Chronicles says

      March 18, 2018 at 8:50 AM

      great! 😀 I’m glad it helps you

      Reply
  3. Tef Albert says

    September 12, 2018 at 8:15 AM

    Hello!
    All you dishes look so tasty! I want to try them all.
    Sorry, but I don’t find the recipe link for the sushi rice. Where is it?
    Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      September 12, 2018 at 7:42 PM

      Hi Tef, Thank you. I will check the link and fix it. Thank you for letting me know 😀

      Reply
  4. Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes says

    January 28, 2019 at 4:08 PM

    Delicious and fresh flavours!
    Beautiful presentation, as always.
    Have a great start to the week!
    Alexandra 🙂

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      January 28, 2019 at 9:20 PM

      Ohhh Thank you Alexandra 😀 You too have a great week!

      Reply
  5. Puro Food says

    January 28, 2019 at 11:57 PM

    That looks delicious! Comfort food recipes will always find a way to me eventually, I love trying new things.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      January 30, 2019 at 11:30 AM

      Thank you Puro Food 😀 Let me know how this sushi turned out for you.

      Reply

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