How to Make Your Own Sushi

Temari Sushi is a casual sushi that we can make at home. You don’t need sushi chef’s skill to make these cute delicious little balls of sushi. Here, we give you a step-by-step guide on how to make your own sushi!

In case you aren't familiar with Temari sushi, here is a brief history of this fun and easy dish! Temari (“hand ball” in Japanese) originated from China is children’s toy ball made from remnants of old kimonos and covered with colorful fabrics. 

As time passed and rubber balls were invented, Temari evolved from play toys to folk art objects. Since then their unique, colorful, and elegant designs have been enjoyed by the Japanese as decorations inside homes.

Just like Temari, Temari Sushi allows people to create any type of sushi they want using all kinds of ingredients. Enjoy and be creative to make these colorful sushi balls!

Chef's Note: This is an easy recipe that takes approximately one hour to prepare excluding the time for cooking rice and yields 28 Temari Sushi, which equals four servings.

Ingredients

For Sushi Rice

3 cups (540ml) uncooked Japanese premium short grain rice water
2 inch dried dashi kombu
7 tablespoons Sushi Seasoning (or 1/3 cup rice vinegar + 4 tablespoons sugar + 1 tablespoon salt)

For Topping for Temari Sushi

1/2 inch lotus root
1/2 inch carrot

Seasoning A

1/2 cup dashi stock
1 teaspoon sake
1 teaspoon mirin
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons usukuchi (light color) soy sauce (or replace with 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce + 1/4 teaspoon salt)
A pinch of salt
1 egg

Your Selection of Sashimi

Note: You can buy sashimi grade raw fish online here for US residents; you can also use cooked shrimp, smoked salmon if you don’t eat raw fish.)

Salmon
Smoked Salmon
Tuna
Tai (Sea Bream)
Hamachi (Yellowtail)
Parboiled shrimp
Uni (Sea Urchin)

2 lemon slices
1/4 avocado
1/4 cup Sakura Denbu
1/2 sheet of nori seaweed
3 shiso (Perilla)
Kaiware daikon (radish shoot) for garnish

Directions

For Sushi Rice

If you like to know the proper method of how to make sushi rice, please click here.

Rise rice gently and set aside for 30 minutes. 

In a rice cooker bowl put the kombu on top of rice. Some of the newer rice cookers include a measurement for Sushi Rice. If not, add cold water until just below 3 cups for White Rice. And start cooking (Select “Sushi” if option is available).

Transfer the cooked rice into a large bowl (or wooden flat bowl called Hangiri) and add Sushi Seasoning. Then hold the rice scooper at a 45 degree angle and start “cutting” the rice. DO NOT MIX. Move the rice scooper from top to bottom as if you are drawing number 1 three times going from one side to the other. Then gently flip the rice. Repeat this process for about 1-2 minutes. The rice is now ready for sushi and please remember to cover with damp towel (or damp paper towel) and do not to leave rice exposed or else it’ll dry out.

For Temari Sushi

Remove the part of lotus root to make it look like flower pattern.

Then, cut out the carrot slices to look like flower.

In a small saucepan, bring Seasoning A to a boil and add lotus root and carrot. Cook until soft.

In a non-stick frying pan heat oil over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk egg and salt together.  Pour the egg mixture into the pan and make sure the egg is spread evenly. Flip once the bottom side is cooked. When the egg is cooked, take it out and chiffonade the egg into thin strips.

Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of scale and measure 30g (2 Tbsp) of sushi rice and make a round ball. Transfer to a plate and measure next batch. Make sure to cover the rice ball with saran wrap and sushi rice with the damp towel to prevent from the rice drying.

Cut Sashimi into thin slices.

Place a sheet of plastic wrap and lay down the sashimi of your choice. Put the sushi rice ball on top, wrap the saran wrap around the rice ball. Twist and close the wrap tightly make a ball shape.

Continue with other ingredients

Garnish with ikura, kaiware daikon, and other miniature greens. 

Left to right from top:

Egg + Shiso + Carrot, Avocado + Tuna, Smoked Salmon + Lemon, Egg + Nori Seaweed + Ikura, Shiso + Ikura, Uni (sea urchin) + Nori Seaweed + Ikura, Shiso + Tai (Sea Bream), Sakura Denbu + Shiso, Smoked Samon + Lemon, Shrimp + Ikura, Avocado + Tuna, Lotus Root + Carrot, Shiso + Lotus Root + Carrot, Egg + Nori Seaweed + Ikura, Hamachi (yellowtail) + Kaiware Daikon, Salmon + Ikura