Sushi Hand Roll: How to Make Temaki at Home
A sushi hand roll is also known as temaki in Japanese. DIY hand roll nights are so fun and easy to do, everyone can build their own perfect roll, and it’s much cheaper than going out for it!
What is a Sushi Hand Roll?
A sushi hand roll is also known as temaki in Japanese. Just as it sounds, it is a rolled sushi that looks like a cone.
The “cone” is seaweed paper or nori. It is filled with rice, various seafood, and vegetables.
Hand rolls in my opinion are the easiest form of sushi to replicate at home compared to sushi rolls or nigiri.
DIY hand roll nights are so fun to do. Kind of like hot pot, you prepare all the ingredients first, and then everyone can build their own perfect temaki!
There are endless combinations of sushi-grade fish, seafood, vegetables, or condiments. This is a little guide to use as inspiration for your own diy sushi hand roll night!
RELATED: How to Make Hot Pot at Home
Ingredients for Hand Rolls
There are really so many options for what you can put into a hand roll. For one hand roll, I recommend the follow components: rice, 1 seafood, and 2 vegetables.
Most important is that if you plan to eat the seafood raw, make sure to look out for sushi-grade or sashimi-grade fish.
I typically shop at H Mart or 99 Ranch Market for sushi ingredients. Where I live, those tend to be the most accessible and also have the best variety for sushi-grade fish and seafood for sushi. They have fish that are pre-sliced or in bigger pieces that you can cut yourself.
I also discovered recently that my local Costco has salmon and tuna sashimi. The slices are kind of unevenly cut but the quality is pretty good! The price per pound is about $25 which is about the same compared to the Asian grocery stores. I would say the Asian grocery stores generally have slightly better quality.
However, if you don’t have those stores near you, I recommend checking out your local Asian grocery store. Particularly Japanese or Korean markets.
Below is some inspiration for your sushi hand roll shopping list:
Seafood
- salmon
- tuna
- shrimp
- yellowtail
- albacore
- scallops
- octopus
- unagi (eel)
- kani (crab)
- uni (sea urchin)
- toro (fatty tuna)
- salmon belly
- ikura (salmon fish eggs)
- masago (capelin roe)
- tamago (Japanese omelet)
Vegetables
- avocado
- mini cucumber
- seaweed salad
- shiso leaf
- green onions
- radish
- sprouts
- carrots
- ginger
- tofu
Condiments
- soy sauce
- wasabi
- eel sauce
- Japanese mayo
- sriracha
- spicy mayo
RELATED: How to Make Spicy Crab Sushi Bake Cupcakes
Prepping Sushi Ingredients
Firstly, prep all the ingredients you want to put into your sushi hand roll. Slice the fish and seafood if needed. Then wash and cut the vegetables.
Secondly, cut the nori seaweed sheets in half.
For the sushi rice, a short-grain rice, wash and cook. After that, season the rice with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt to your preference. The measurements listed below is for how I personally like it, just lightly seasoned. Finally, taste test and make adjustments based on your taste.
How to Hand Roll Sushi
To build your own sushi hand rolls, place rice before fillings diagonally centered under the top left corner of a horizontal seaweed sheet.
As I have said, the options and combinations are truly infinite! However, be careful not to overload. I like it with just a thin layer of rice, a one piece of seafood, and a few vegetables (e.g. salmon, cucumber, avocado).
Then grab the bottom left corner of the seaweed sheet and bring it up towards the top edge.
Lastly, wrap the remaining seaweed sheet around like a cone and enjoy!
Click Here For a Video Tutorial
It is important to roll as quickly as possible and equally important to eat as you go. I love the crisp and crunch of biting into fresh seaweed paper. However seaweed paper can become soft rapidly once it comes in contact with moisture.
It’s so fun, super easy to do at home, and much cheaper than going out for sushi hand rolls!
Did you make this recipe? I would love to see! Tag me on Instagram @feedmi_ or TikTok @feedmi
Sushi Hand Roll
Ingredients
- 1 lb sushi-grade seafood (salmon, tuna, etc.)
- 10 seaweed sheets
- 2 avocados
- 5 mini cucumbers
- 4 cups sushi rice, cooked
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- soy sauce
- wasabi
- ginger
- optional: other veggies (shiso leaves, carrots, sprouts, etc.)
- optional: other sauces (spicy mayo, eel sauce, cream cheese, etc.)
Instructions
- Cut sushi-grade seafood into slices if needed.
- Season cooked sushi rice with rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Taste and adjust to preference.
- Cut seaweed sheets in half.
- Wash and prep veggies. Cut cucumbers into thin sticks. Remove the avocado seed, peel, and cut into slices.
- Serve with wasabi, soy sauce, ginger, and other condiments.
- Plate all the ingredients on a board or separately.
- Build your own hand rolls by placing rice and fillings diagonally centered under the top left corner of a horizontal seaweed sheet.
- Grab the bottom left corner of the seaweed sheet and bring it up towards the top edge.
- Wrap the remaining seaweed sheet around like a cone and enjoy!
