It‘s fun and easy to make your own Japanese sushi hand rolls at home with my flexible Temaki Sushi recipe. Let your guests customize their own rolls with their choice of favorite fillings like vegetables and sashimi-grade fish. Perfect for a family dinner or DIY sushi party!
As sushi becomes more popular than ever, many people consider it a staple of Japanese home cooking. The truth is, we typically don’t make sushi at home, especially when it comes to nigiri or sushi rolls that require time and refined skills. We much prefer to enjoy them at a sushi restaurant.
But, we do make exceptions for the less fussy ones like Temaki Sushi (Hand-Rolled Sushi). Growing up, Temaki Sushi was our favorite party meal. My mom would make them once every couple of months because they’re very forgiving, and we all love this easy DIY sushi at home.
What is Temaki Sushi?
Temaki Sushi (手巻き寿司) is sometimes called a ‘hand roll’ because it consists of a rolled cone of seaweed wrapped around rice and fillings. The best part, for me as a cook, is that this is a meal where everyone helps themselves. You just need to prepare a platter of sushi rice, nori (seaweed sheet), and fillings such as sashimi-grade fish and veggie sticks. Then, at the table, each person makes hand-rolled sushi based on their favorite mix of ingredients.
3 Main Ingredients for Temaki Sushi
1. Sushi Rice
To make Temaki Sushi, you need to prepare the seasoned rice called Sushi Rice or Sumeshi (酢飯). The rice should be white short-grain, making it stickier and better able to hold together when you wrap the seaweed cone around it. Sushi Rice is essentially steamed rice seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Japanese only make this rice when preparing sushi; for all other Japanese meals, we eat regular steamed rice.
To learn how to make sushi rice, see How To Make Sushi Rice.
Why not brown rice? Please read my post on why brown rice is not ideal for sushi.
2. Various Ingredients for Hand Roll Sushi
The world is your oyster when it comes to choosing the ingredients. Pick what you and your family enjoy! If you’re curious, here are some popular options in Japan:
Sashimi Choice (Raw Fish)
How much sashimi do we need? We order sashimi at Suri Supermarket in San Mateo. Our typical order for temaki (for 4) is the following: 3/4 lb salmon (we all love salmon), 1/3 lb. chutoro2 packages of amaebi2 packages of hotate1/4 lb. of divided or other white fish, 1 box of uniand 2 oz of it grows.
Veggies
Cooked and Creative Ingredients
If you are vegetarian or do not eat raw fish, you can still make Temaki Sushi with vegetables and cooked items. It’s fun to make your fillings, so get creative!
3. Nori (Seaweed)
You will need good quality nori (seaweed) for Temaki Sushi. Some of you have asked me why their nori is chewy and gummy. That’s a sign of poor quality nori.
High-quality nori has an amazing fragrance and taste to it. Unfortunately, it’s challenging to find good nori outside of Japan. My recommendation is to get nori harvested from Ariake Sea (有明海), known for its superior quality seaweed, and choose the most expensive nori available in the grocery store. Still, the quality tends to be less on par with the Japanese standard. If you get a chance to visit Japan, you must bring some back (It’s light and flat!!).
How to Roll the Temaki Sushi
- Cut a square nori sheet in half (restaurant-style) or quarter (more home-style).
- Place the nori, shiny side down, on your palm.
- Add a thin layer of sushi rice (about 1-2 tablespoons) to the left third of the nori sheet (if you‘re right-handed) and flatten/spread it evenly.
- Add some ingredients over the rice: cucumber, 1-2 types of sashimi, and radish sprouts.
- Roll the bottom left corner up to the middle of the top edge of the nori to form a triangle, and continue rolling until you form a cone shape.
- Put a piece of rice on the tip of the nori to secure the folds. Enjoy!
DIY Temaki Sushi Party Video
Whether it’s for a small gathering or a bigger crowd, Temaki Sushi is truly the best type of sushi to serve at home. In this video, you can see how we set up the table with sushi rice, ingredients, small plates, salad, and side dishes for a fun yet casual sushi party.
Also, check out our post on The Ultimate Sushi Party Guide: Tips, Recipes, and Ideas!
Learn More About Sushi
Read our Ultimate Sushi Guide to learn about the origin, sushi types, etiquette, and more.
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Temaki Sushi (Hand Roll)
It‘s fun and easy to make your own Japanese sushi hand rolls at home with my flexible Temaki Sushi recipe. Let your guests customize their own rolls with their choice of favorite fillings like vegetables and sashimi-grade fish. Perfect for a family dinner or DIY sushi party!
Servings: 20 cone-shaped hand rolls (or 40 “taco-style”)
Ingredients
For the Basic Temaki Fillings (see blog post for more ideas)
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
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Before You Start: Please note that it takes at least 90 minutes to make sushi rice. For step-by-step instructions with video, see my recipe How to Make Sushi Rice. Note that 2¼ cups (450 g, 3 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 6⅔ cups (990 g) of cooked rice. You must use Japanese short-grain white rice; otherwise, your sushi will fall apart. Why not brown rice? Please read my post on why brown rice is not ideal for sushi.
To Prepare the Vegetables
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Let‘s prepare a tray of vegetable fillings.
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Remove the stems of shiso leaves (knob/ooba). Cut off the root ends of the kaiware daikon radish sprouts and rinse thoroughly under water.
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Peel Japanese or Persian cucumbers to create a striped pattern. Then, cut off both ends. Cut them in half lengthwise.
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It‘s best to remove the cucumber seeds as they contain moisture. Cut the cucumber halves in half again lengthwise and remove the seeds with a knife.
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Alternatively, you can scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the cucumbers into 3-inch (7.4-cm) lengths. Then, cut lengthwise into thin strips.
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Cut the takuan (pickled daikon radish) into 3-inch (7.4-cm) lengths. Cut the takuan into slabs, then thin sticks.
To Prepare the Sashimi
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Let‘s prepare a large platter of sashimi-grade fish. If you want to avoid cutting the sashimi yourself, ask a fishmonger at a Japanese grocery store to cut the raw fish for temaki sushi (into long sticks instead of sashimi-style slices).
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Remove the sashimi-grade fish of your choice from the refrigerator. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. If your sashimi block is long, cut it about 3 inches (7.4 cm) in length.
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Cut the sashimi block(s) lengthwise into slabs, then long sticks.
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Here, I‘m cutting tuna and hamachi (yellowtail) into long sticks.
To Prepare the Nori
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Right before you start eating, cut 10 sheets nori (dried laver seaweed) in half for 20 restaurant-style, cone-shaped rolls or in quarters for 40 home-style, taco-shaped rolls. Store the nori in the bag to keep it from turning stale.
To Set Up the Table
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At the table, prepare a big bowl or hanging/sushi limit with 6⅔ cups sushi rice (cooked and seasoned). Set out the tray with the vegetable fillings, the large sashimi platter, and the nori. For each person, prepare a medium individual plate and a small plate for soy sauce.
To Roll the Temaki Sushi
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Nori has a rough (dull) side and a shiny side; the shiny side is the presentation side. In the image below, I‘m pointing at the rough side. To make your sushi rolls, start with dry hands to keep the nori crispy. Place a half sheet of nori on the palm of your non-dominant hand, shiny side down. Add a thin layer of sushi rice to the left third of the nori sheet (if you‘re right-handed).
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Place the fillings (cucumber, daikon radish sprouts, takuan, and tuna) vertically along the middle of the rice. Fold the bottom left corner of the nori over and begin rolling it into a cone shape.
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Finish rolling the nori into a cone shape. Put a piece of rice at the bottom right corner to use as ”glue” and close tightly.
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If you‘re using a quarter sheet of nori, put the rice in the center and the fillings on top. Simply fold up the sides like a taco.
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For fatty fish, like salmon belly and chutoro (medium fatty tuna), we like to sear it with a kitchen torch at the table right before eating it.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Temaki Sushi (Hand Roll)
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on May 16, 2013. It’s been republished on January 26, 2024 with a new video, images, and more helpful content.
