Explore the world of Japanese cuisine with renowned food influencer, Aiste Miseviciute aka Luxeat, and the talented Japanese chef, Yuki Gomi. Yuki’s mission is simple – to share the joy of Japanese cooking by blending traditional and modern techniques, making it accessible, healthy, and exciting.
In this recipe, Yuki presents Te Mari Sushi – Hand-ball Sushi (手まり寿司), a dish that embodies the beauty of simplicity. Yuki also shares her expertise on achieving the perfect sushi rice – a fundamental element in Japanese cuisine. Follow her detailed instructions to create flavourful and authentically sticky rice that complements the Te Mari Sushi experience. Join Yuki and Aiste in this culinary adventure, as they bring the art of Japanese cooking to your home with a recipe that is both delicious and approachable.
Te Mari Sushi – Hand-ball Sushi – 手まり寿司
There’s something about the beautiful simplicity of this sushi dish that is particularly elegant. It looks wonderful served on a colourful plate to offset the colours of the fish. It’s really satisfying to shape the sushi when it’s wrapped in clingfilm and then to un-wrap it, revealing a perfectly formed round ball.
In Japanese the name is very literal: ‘Te’ means hand and ‘Mari’ means ball, so together it’s ‘hand-made ball’. Do you think the name does it justice?
For this dish, lay different varieties of fish on top to create assorted colour combinations and tastes. Enjoy this cheerful, colourful dish!
INGREDIENTS
GARNISH
Fish roe (masago, tobiko, ikura, lump fish roe), cress, white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds.
METHOD
Place a sheet of cling film or parchment paper on the palm of your hand and put a piece of fish on top. Damp fingers help when handling sticky sushi rice, so wet the fingers of your other hand in the bowl of water and shake off any excess. Take a quarter of the sushi rice (roughly 20g) and put a small amount of wasabi paste on top of the rice if you like. Then, place the rice on top of the fish. Bring the edges of the cling film into the centre, over the rice, and shape into a tight ball, then twist and close over the top. Unwrap the sushi and place on a plate. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Garnish with a piece of cress, sesame seed or fish roe on top of each piece of Te Mari Sushi.
PERFECT SUSHI RICE
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the Sushi-su (sushi vinegar):
For the rice:
METHOD
To make the rice, first wash it thoroughly in a sieve for 4 minutes, gently turning it over by hand until the water runs clear. Drain the rice and put it into a pan with the 3 cups of water. Leave it to stand for a minimum of 30 minutes. It can be left overnight, but for best results, I recommend leaving it for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Leave the soaking rice in the pan with the water and bring to the boil. Put the lid on and reduce the heat, letting it simmer for 8–9 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it stand with the lid on for a further 5 minutes. Do not open the lid during this time.
While the rice is cooking, make the sushi-su. Place the rice vinegar, sugar and salt into a pan and heat on a low heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Be careful not to let it boil or the flavour will spoil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Once the rice is cooked, put it into a wide flat dish such as a ‘sushi oke’, a baking dish or a roasting tray. Pour the sushi-su over the rice and fold it carefully into the rice with a wooden spoon as it cools down, being careful not to damage the grains. You can use a fan or a hairdryer on the coolest setting to speed up the cooling process, directing it at the rice. The sushi-su gives the rice more flavour and that familiar sticky glazed look. If you don’t want to use the rice immediately, cover it with cling film or a damp cloth so that it doesn’t dry out. Leave in a cool place, but do not refrigerate. The fridge will make the rice texture hard and dry, and the sushi-su helps to preserve the rice without refrigeration. It will keep for a day. You can also freeze any left over rice.
YUKI’S TIPS
Sushi vinegar keeps in the fridge for at least a few weeks, so I recommend that you make double the amount or more.
I also recommend using a non-stick pan for cooking the rice.
If you have an electric fan, it will be much quicker and easier to cool the sushi rice down.
Eat the sushi rice within a day once cooked! Fresh sushi rice is very important.
To make rice for 1–2 people only, use the following quantities instead:
If you would like to see more Luxeat content, please click here to view Aiste’s favourite things to eat in Japan.
