White Tekkamaki
Ingredients: Fresh Yellowtail for sashimi (buri, hamachi, kampachi or hiramasa), Toasted Nori Seaweed, Shiso Leaves, Fresh Steamed Rice, cooked with a little less water, Rice Vinegar · 30 min cook time · 385kcal · ~₩14,000
Ingredients
400g Fresh Yellowtail for sashimi (buri, hamachi, kampachi or hiramasa), 2sheets Toasted Nori Seaweed, 8leaves Shiso Leaves, 320g Fresh Steamed Rice, cooked with a little less water, 1.66tbsp Rice Vinegar, 2tsp Sugar, 0.5tsp Salt, 1to taste Soy Sauce, 1to taste Wasabi, 30ml Water, 30ml Vinegar
Instructions
1. Combine the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Mix it well. The salt and sugar doesn't have to be completely dissolved at this moment.
2. Prepare fresh cooked piping hot rice. Stir the sushi vinegar thoroughly and pour it over the hot rice. If the rice is cold, it will not absorb the sushi vinegar well. Move the rice paddle quickly as if you are cutting the rice and distribute the sushi vinegar. This slashing motion will keep the rice from becoming sticky while spreading the vinegar evenly. The rice for sushi is made with a little less water than usual, because the vinegar is added later. When the vinegar is distributed evenly, use a fan to remove the excess heat. This will help to remove the excess moisture as well, giving the rice a glossy texture. Using a tightly squeezed damp kitchen cloth, gather the rice from the paddle and the edge of the bowl. Cover the sushi rice with a damp kitchen cloth to prevent it from drying out.
3. Prepare the sashimi-grade yellowtail, also known as buri. Remove the excess moisture thoroughly with paper towels. Cut off the left and right sides of the yellowtail to make it roughly the length of the Nori seaweed. Slice the yellowtail into long strips. The length of the strip should be about 21cm/8.3". The yellowtail is fresh and chewy, so it is best to cut it lengthwise into 5mm/0.2" thick pieces. Tekkamaki usually refers to a red Tekkamaki made with tuna. However, in Nagasaki Prefecture, fresh white-fleshed fish with a chewy texture was easily available and also popular. So the most common type of Tekkamaki was made with white-fleshed sashimi. Recently, with the development of freezing technology and the increasing popularity of tuna, red Tekkamaki seems to be becoming more popular. Transfer the yellowtail to a tray and add a little soy sauce. Add some wasabi to taste. Coat the yellowtail with the seasoning evenly.
4. Place a bamboo sushi mat with the smooth flat side facing up. Also, the end with the cotton strings attached should be placed at the top. Place the toasted Nori seaweed with the smooth glossy side facing down. On the rough side of the Nori, you should see multiple vertical lines created when the Nori was dried. Use half of the sushi rice to make one sushi roll. Divide the sushi rice into several portions and place them on the rough side of the Nori. Starting from about 2cm/0.8" below the top of the Nori, place a small portion of sushi rice and spread it horizontally with your other hand. The layer of the rice should be the same thickness as possible. If the rice sticks to your hands, moisten your hands with vinegar water, also known as Tezu, to make it easier to work with. Take another portion of sushi rice and spread it out as well. The thickness of the rice tends to be thinner at the edges of the Nori, so make sure it is the same thickness as the center. Now, the toasted Nori should be covered with a thin layer of sushi rice except for the top 2cm/0.8". Place two Shiso leaves onto the rice slightly below the center. You can use more Shiso leaves, since they help to remove any unwanted odor from the sashimi. Next, arrange the yellowtail. If the soy sauce drips from the sashimi, use a paper towel to remove the excess liquid and place the yellowtail on top of the Shiso leaves. This time, we used a relatively small amount of soy sauce, so there seems to be very little liquid. If you are using four pieces of yellowtail, place the thin yellowtail first, then the two wider yellowtail pieces on top of each other, and finally, the other thin yellowtail. If you place them in this way, it is easier to roll them into a round shape. Cover the top of the yellowtail with two Shiso leaves.
5. To roll the sushi, lift the bottom edge of the sushi mat with your thumbs and hold the yellowtail in place with your other four fingers. Then, tightly wrap it around and tighten the sushi roll. Pull the sushi roll toward you. Partially remove the end of the sushi mat to check if the sushi is rolled properly. And then, tighten it again. Continue to roll until the end of the toasted Nori is placed at the bottom of the sushi roll. Since the left and right ends of the sushi roll easily become loose, lightly press the sides with your fingers while holding the sushi roll with your other hand.
6. Remove the sushi mat from the Tekkamaki. Let's cut the Tekkamaki. Cut off the yellowtail that is sticking out from the side. Cut off the other side as well. The sushi roll is often cut into eight slices, but since we wanted it to be bite-sized, we'll cut into slightly thinner pieces. Before cutting, wipe the knife blade with a damp cloth to lightly moisten it. If the rice sticks to the blade, it will not cut cleanly, so clean the blade with a damp cloth after each slice. Now, we have ten slices. Arrange the slices onto a plate to make the cross-sections more presentable.
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