Maki is a famous and favorite Japanese dish. It can be any kind of sushi rolled with rice and nori (also known as seaweed) inside. “Maki” in Japanese means “roll.”

There are many kinds of maki, depending on the filling used. For example, there is California maki. This is salmon and mango rolled in rice and seaweed. Kappa maki is cucumber rolled in rice. And tekka maki is tuna fish rolled in rice.

Uramaki is more complex. Only an expert chef can do it to perfection. The easier ones to make are temaki. Temaki is often served in social gatherings at home.

There are several maki sushi according to thickness of the roll. Hosomaki is the most common and is made of thin rolls. By thin, it means the rolls are slender, with small strips of every ingredient inside. Hosamaki is cut to small sizes before serving.

Thicker rolls are called futomaki. These are thick because of the many ingredients inside. Thick roll can measure 1 to 1 ½ inches in diameter. Most futomaki are made of vegetables like radish and cucumber. Some have eggs also. Like hosamaki, futomaki is also commonly cut to small pieces before serving. However, in big festivals, it is served in whole uncut rolls.

Next, there is also the uramaki, wherein the rice is outside the roll. And temaki is a cone-shaped sushi rice roll.

When making maki, remember to freeze raw fish or seafood first below 4oF to kill any possible pathogens or parasites that may be harmful when consumed.

In making a maki sushi, one should have a sharp knife, and bamboo mat. A rice cooker is optional. It just makes it easier to cook rice. There is a special sushi knife with only one sharpened edge. It is advisable to use this when you can buy one, instead of using an ordinary kitchen knife.

Maki Sushi Recipe

Ingredients:

Sashimi-grade fish or sushi

Nori (thin sheet of seaweed)

Wasabi

Vegetables or other fillings (e.g. asparagus, avocado, cucumber)

Short-grained rice with sticky consistency

Vinegar rice

Gari (thinly sliced ginger roots)

Soy sauce

First make the sushi rice. Prepare the vinegar rice. Combine it with heated salt and sugar. Cook rice, making sure it will have a sticky consistency. It is the suitable type of rice for spreading on the nori.

Lay out the bamboo mat and place a plastic wrap on top. Lay out the nori, with the shinier side facing down. Slightly wet your hands and take a handful of rice. Spread it evenly and thinly on the nori. Leave a margin of half inch on all sides of the nori. Put the other ingredients in the middle.

Next, hold the two ends of the bamboo mat and roll it away from you. Make sure that the food tightens as you roll. Don't roll too tightly though or the fillings will fall out.

Unfold the bamboo carefully, making sure the rolled food does not break. Place the rolled sushi in a cutting board and slice it evenly to several pieces. Serve it with soy sauce dip on the side.