Types of Maki Sushi

Hosomaki - thin roll

Hosomaki consists of sushi rice and a single ingredient like cucumber or raw tuna that is rolled on half a sheet of toasted nori seaweed. Wasabi and toasted sesame seeds are also included.

Popular thin rolls

Kappa-Maki or cucumber roll is a very familiar face in the world of sushi. I love its simple, clean taste. Add a bit of wasabi to kick it up a notch.

The picture to your left shows what kappa-maki looks like. Someone already ate three pieces, because, typically an order consists of six to eight pieces!

My favourite sushi chef told me once that the humble kappa-maki sometimes plays the same role as gari (pickled ginger). It is used to cleanse the palate before biting into a different type of sushi.

Oshinko-Maki or pickle roll is another of my favourites. Again, it is simple, but tasty. Different Japanese pickles can be used for the filling, but most often you'll find yourself chomping down on a piece of pickled daikon radish.

The radish I buy from my local Asian supermarket is a bright yellow color and comes sealed in a long plastic bag. It has quite a nasty smell! Despite that, it has a sweet, salty taste. Sometimes, I just toss cubes of it on a bowl of hot rice for a simple lunch.

Tekka-Maki or tuna roll, like the ubiquitous Kappa-Maki, is standard fare in most sushi restaurants. It uses akami maguro which can be a bright or dull red color. (Maguro means tuna). Again, it has a simple, wonderful taste. I like mine straight up, without any soy sauce. Other melt-in-your mouth varieties available are:

• Otoro - fattiest tuna meat

• Toro - fatty tuna meat

• Chu-toro

Futomaki - Fat Roll

These fat rolls have been kicking around Japan for over 200 years and are popular at special events like New Years. Elsewhere on this website, I'll show you how to make your own. Unlike the hosomaki (thin roll), the futomaki is rolled with several ingredients. A typical roll might include pickled daikon, cooked vegetables like carrot and tamago (sushi omelet made with chicken eggs).

Gunkanmaki

Gunkanmaki or battleship wrap consists of a mound of sushi rice wrapped in toasted nori and toped with fish roe. In this picture, the wrap is topped with salmon roe (ikura).

 

 

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