Futomaki

Who doesn't love futomaki? Sushi rolls stuffed with savory, and sometimes sweet fillings. I have long struggled to properly roll any makizushi (rolled sushi) unless they are temakizushi (the hand rolls). I have decided that I can no longer fear the futomaki and decided that practice makes perfect and the best way to learn is to just jump in and do my best.

Here is the first stab. Not great, but much better than I expected. And, definitely worth the time to put these together.

First, get your fillings in order, including cooking the rice. This is the time consuming part. Once you have everything in order, rolling is the easy part.

In back there is sweet tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), cucumbers, sauteed Spam (from Minnesota!), braised spinach, and hoshi shiitake (dried shiitake) simmered in a sweet soy sauce.

I would have liked to included kampyo (dried gourd), sakura denbu (a sweet, pink colored flaked fish), and carrots simmered in the same sweet soy sauce as the hoshi shiitake, or Korean kimchi.

As for bamboo rollers, for me I found the larger one (30 cm x 30 cm) much easier to work with than the standard one. If it gets dirty, rinse in water and be sure to hang up to dry.

Add the rice to the nori, to the edge on the side closest to you and leaving about an inch on the far side. Then add the toppings and take a deep breath. It's time to roll.

Bring the edge of the roll closest to you to the far end and squeeze somewhat tight, but don't strangle the roll.

When slicing, use a wet towel to clean the knife after each slice. Also, don't cut it too thick or it will be hard to eat.

Lessons learned from my first attempt? Place the nori to the edge of the bamboo rolling meat closest to you. And squeeze a little bit harder (my rolls were too loose).

Carpe diem. Don't avoid the roll. It was good fun and I will continue to practice.