temaki, the lazy cook's sushi

i've been on a japanese food kick lately, if you haven't noticed. these mini obsessions seem to come and go in waves. i usually can tell i'm on the tail end of this particular one when i make sushi, which i've never really been crazy about. when i say sushi i'm usually referring to maki, the seaweed wrapped rolls that are stuffed with the usual suspects in the usual combinations in the usual limp seaweed skins. while they're not particularly difficult to roll and slice there is just something so mundane about them. they've never really turned my crank. and then i discovered temaki, or "roll your own" sushi.

and this is how it works: you cook up the "usual suspects" and some unusual ones for the filling, cutting them about the length of a halved seaweed wrapper, season some rice, lay out some condiments, toast the seaweed sheets and, as i mentioned before, cut them in half, and serve. not only is it more fun for everyone to make their own little japanese burritos, getting wacky with crazy, unpalatable combinations for which they have no one to blame but themselves, but it's also fun to watch the, um, unusual shapes that emerge: cigars, snow cones (sometimes), ambulance stretchers, anna nicole smith before the diet, you name it.


in the platter pictured above i have some seasoned shitake mushrooms, blanched carrots, shiso leaf (try this, it is so interesting and good!), avocado, fake meat, daikon sprouts, slivered green onion, seaweed salad, pickled ginger. not pictured but some other things i frequently use are green bean or asparagus tempura, cucumber and seasoned omlette.


and here we have some hamachi and tuna for the flesh eaters.

sorry for the blurry picture. too much sake.

to assemble, lay the halved sheet flat on a plate with the long part horizontal, spoon rice in the 1/3 left part, lay in your fillings and roll in a snow cone shape with bottom edges meeing and top fanning out into a triangle. your first few attempts may result in something more geometrically, um, interesting. and the best part is that you can take your leftover fillings (barring such items as avocado and fish), diced them up and mix with the leftover rice for your next meal. easy, no?

sushi rice seasoning
4 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons +1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

this makes enough seasoning for about two cups (if using a regular measuring cup, 3 cups if using cup measure that come with your rice cooker) of uncooked, short grain rice. mix the ingredients together and slowly pour over cooked rice. fan the rice with one hand (the help the steam escape) while gently folding the seasoning in with the other. lightly toast seaweed sheets over a stove burner on each side and cut in half with kitchen shears.