Maki-zushi/ Futomaki
Why don’t you make Sushi rolls and enjoy a sushi party at your home? In this recipe, we will introduce how to make sushi rice, and how to roll the sushi perfectly step by step. Also, some ideas for plant-based fillings, but you can make and enjoy your own favorite fillings and sushi rolls! You can enjoy these Sushi Rolls as “Ehoumaki” on “Setsubun”, the festival to celebrate the beginning of spring, and which is usually held around February 3rd as well.
Make time: 60-90 minutes | Soak time: 30 minutes to 1 hour | Serves: 3 sushi rolls
Ingredients
300ml white rice (Short-grain rice, Japonica rice is preferable.)
270ml filtered water
Sushi vinegar
2 ½ tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs sugar
½ tsp salt
3 sheets of nori seaweed
Fillings
[Koya-dofu]
2 pieces of Koya-dofu(freeze-dried tofu)
100ml plant-based broth
½ tbs soy sauce
½ tbs mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
oil to deep-fry Koya-dofu
[batter]
20g flour
20g water
a pinch of salt
[Carrot]
1/2 carrot
½ tsp sesame oil or your favorite oil
1 tbs water
a pinch of salt
[Salad leaves]
salad leaves
Directions
To prepare sushi rice(vinegared rice)
Wash white rice. Soak it in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour, and drain the rice using a strainer.
Put white rice in a pot. Add 270ml water. Put a lid on a pot. Heat them on medium heat. After boiling, heat them on lower heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn the heat off, and steam for 10 minutes.
Mix the ingredients of sushi vinegar in a small mixing bowl or a measuring cup.
If you have “sushi oke”, “Hangiri”, a wooden tub, moisten it with water and wipe excess water off with a cloth before you use it. Place cooked white rice in it. While the rice is hot, pour the sushi vinegar along with a rice ladle over the rice. Fold sushi vinegar into the rice using a rice ladle till the rice becomes shiny. Don’t stir and squish the rice but cut it when mixing it with sushi vinegar. Cool the sushi rice with "uchiwa", a Japanese fan until it becomes about human skin temperature to prevent the sushi rice from getting sticky and soggy. Cover the wet cloth or a plastic wrap over the sushi rice to avoid getting dry.
If you don’t have “sushi oke”, you can use a large mixing bowl. *We used “Ohitsu” as a substitute for “sushi oke”.
To prepare Sushi rolls fillings
You can put your favorite fillings in sushi rolls. Here are some ideas for the fillings of vegan Sushi rolls.
[Koya-dofu]
Soak Koya-dofu in warm water to rehydrate. Gently squeeze Koya-dofu to remove moisture. Cut it into sticks, and place it in a small pot. Add 100ml plant-based broth,½ tbs soy sauce, and ½ tbs mirin, and simmer them on medium heat till Koya-dofu absorb all the broth. Mix 20g flour, 20g water, and a pinch of salt together in a mixing bowl. Dip Koya-dofu in the batter and slowly put them in oil(340degrees F/170 degrees C). Deep fry until the batter becomes crispy.
If the batter is left, don’t waste it! You can deep-fry the batter, and make “Tenkasu”, Tempura waste. You can top “Tenkasu” on udon or soba noodles, or you can add it in the batter of Okonomiyaki.
[Carrot]
Cut a carrot into sticks. Heat ½ tsp sesame oil or your favorite oil in a frying pan or a pot. Stir-fry the carrot, then add a pinch of salt and stir-fry it more. Add 1 tbs water, and cover a lid. Stem it for a few minutes on low heat till the carrot is cooked.
[Salad leaves]
Wash salad leaves, and cut them.
To make Sushi rolls
Place nori seaweed sheet on “makisu”, the bamboo sushi rolling mat. Spread sushi rice on the seaweed thinly as the seaweed can be seen a little through it, and leave about a 0.8 inch (2 cm) gap at the above edge. When you spread sushi rice on the seaweed, put the mixture of vinegar and water on your hand to prevent the sushi rice from sticking your hand.
Lay the fillings out slightly above the center.
When you roll, bring up the bamboo sushi rolling mat along with the seaweed, and roll them to the gap of the seaweed. Meet the sushi rice with the above edge of the sushi rice. Hold the bamboo sushi rolling mat with one hand and gently pull it toward you while holding the other side of the mat with another hand and pushing it towards the other side.
How to slice Sushi rolls?
You want to slice Sushi rolls nicely and don’t want to squish them. So, when you cut Sushi rolls, wet the knife with a clean wet cloth before every cut. Now you can enjoy a Sushi party at home!
Setsubun
“Setsubun” means the day between two seasons. It is the last day of winter and the day before the beginning of spring. It is usually around February 3rd. On Setsubun, we throw beans to expel evil spirits and bring in good luck. Also, we eat “Ehoumaki” sushi rolls on the day. If you want to enjoy these sushi rolls as “Ehoumaki” on “Setsubun”, you shouldn’t cut them. Also, when you eat “Ehoumaki”, you should face the year’s lucky direction without speaking, while praying for a happy and healthy life. The lucky direction of 2022 is North-NorthWest.
