Sushi Rolls, simple and classic – Futomaki 巻き寿司

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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!

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!

Course: Rice, Rice dish

Cuisine: Japanese

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings: 3 sushi rolls

Calories: 364kcal

Author: Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles

Rate this recipe

4 from 10 votes

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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 | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 719mg | Potassium: 315mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1815IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1.2mg

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