Futomaki Recipe: How to Make Homemade Futomaki
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Aug 5, 2022 • 2 min read
With its bright cross-section of fresh and cooked ingredients, futomaki is a sushi roll for maximalists, equally at home in a homemade bento box or the appetizer section from a Japanese restaurant menu.
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What Is Futomaki?
Futomaki is a Japanese sushi roll (literally translated as “fat rolled sushi”) containing seasoned rice and fillings wrapped in a thin sheet of roasted, dried nori seaweed. The long, cylindrical roll is then sliced crosswise into rounds and served with wasabi and pickled ginger. The inner components include a few mainstays but are mostly up to the individual sushi chef.
Futomaki is all about eye-popping color and harmonious flavors, which is achieved with a variety of complementary ingredients: vegetables like spinach, cucumbers, pickled ginger, shiitake mushrooms, and kanpyo (gourd strips); bright-yellow pieces of tamagoyaki (sweet omelet); and seafood like sakura denbu (sweet, dried cod flakes), unagi (cooked eel), smoked salmon, or raw tuna. You can find many of the prepared ingredients, as well as sushi mats, at Japanese grocery stores.
What Is the Difference Between Futomaki and Maki?
Size is the main difference between futomaki and maki (sushi rolled with nori). While the terms maki and futomaki are sometimes used interchangeably, the latter generally describes larger size rolls.
Regionally, there are a few different terms used to describe sushi rolls. In Osaka, it’s called “maki sushi” or “makizushi.” However, in the areas surrounding Tokyo, it’s called “nori maki” and further classified by size, of which “futomaki” is the largest.
Futomaki Recipe
makes
2 rollsprep time
20 mintotal time
1 hrcook time
20 minIngredients
- 1
Bring water to a boil in a small pot. Cook the kanpyo in the boiling water for a few minutes, until soft, then transfer to an ice bath. Drain, and squeeze to remove any excess water.
- 2
Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a sauté pan. Bring it to a boil, and add the mushrooms and cooked kanpyo to the pot. Cook until the liquid has been fully absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- 3
Squeeze out any excess liquid, and cut the kanpyo into 8-inch strips, then set aside.
- 4
Meanwhile, whisk the egg with the remaining teaspoon of sugar. Heat 1 teaspoon of neutral oil in a small sauté pan. Pour in the egg mixture, and lower the heat; allow it to cook in a single layer until set.
- 5
Using chopsticks or a spatula, roll into an omelet. Remove it from the pan and let it cool before slicing it into strips.
- 6
To season the rice, drizzle the vinegar over the freshly cooked rice and gently fold to incorporate (stirring will make the rice too mushy.)
- 7
When ready to assemble, lay a bamboo mat on a cutting board. Cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap, followed by a sheet of nori.
- 8
Spread ¾ -1 cup of rice evenly over the nori, pressing gently with your hands (wetting them slightly will help with sticking), leaving a ½ inch gap at the top.
- 9
Starting with the cucumber strips, place the ingredients horizontally across the rice, starting at the side nearest you. Roll up the bamboo mat as firmly as you can, pressing as you go, using a hand to keep ingredients in place as needed.
- 10
Remove the roll from the mat, and slice into rounds with a sharp knife. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, and serve with pickled ginger and wasabi.
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