Here are the cutest and daintiest sushi you can easily make at home – Temari Sushi or Temarizushi (手まり寿司). Adorned with a variety of colorful toppings, these sushi balls are often served during happy occasions like Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day) in Japan.
What is Temari Sushi?
Temari (手毬), which means “handball” in English, is a traditional Japanese embroidered ball, which people used to play with. These days, Temari balls are treated more as decorative ornaments in the house rather than a children’s toy. Temari Balls made by 90 year old lady in JapanPhoto Courtesy of NanaAkua (click for more photos) As you may have guessed, Temari Sushi was named after these brightly colored Temari balls. A fine example of food imitates everyday objects.
How to Make Temari Sushi
Temari Sushi basically consists of 2 parts:
sushi rice as the base ingredients of your choice as the toppings
1) Make perfect sushi rice
For all sushi, the rice is just as important as the toppings or fillings. Once you master the secret of making the rice, you will be ready to dish up all kinds of mouth-watering sushi recipes. So start with this step-by-step sushi rice guide.
2) Choose your ingredients
From raw fish to assorted vegetables, you can literally work with an array of ingredients for Temari Sushi. If you love raw fish, pick the freshest sashimi-grade seafood like salmon, tuna, and tai (sea bream). Not a fan of raw fish? Use boiled shrimp, smoked salmon, boiled crab, grilled meat, or anything that’s cooked. For vegetarian or vegan, you can make Temari Sushi with your favorite vegetables. They can be fresh, grilled or roasted. You can also layer the ingredients with thinly sliced cucumber, avocado, kinshi tamago (shredded eggs), and herbs to make the sushi more colorful.
Tips to Make The Prettiest Temari Sushi
Here are some useful tips to dress up your Temari Sushi:
Use contrasting colors like red (tuna) and green (avocado). Think textures. Ingredients such as octopus sashimi, kinshi tamago (shredded egg crepes) are great for creating textures. Make use of translucent ingredients such as super thinly sliced cucumber and tai (sea bream). When you place other ingredients underneath these materials, it creates a unique sheer to the presentation. Decorate Temari Sushi with colorful garnish that pops such as ikura (salmon roe), flower-shaped carrots, nori (seaweed) strips, thinly sliced lemon, chives, or microgreens. The key is to mix, match and layer.
Unlike nigiri sushi or sushi rolls, you don’t need any practice or expert skill to make Temari Sushi. The sushi balls will naturally form a nice round shape with the help of plastic wrap. You don’t even have to worry about getting your hands sticky. As you can see, the possibilities are endless for Temari Sushi. Let your creativity shines and has fun making homemade Temari Sushi! From top, left to right: Egg + Shiso + CarrotAvocado + TunaSmoked Salmon + LemonEgg + Nori Seaweed + IkuraShiso + IkuraUni (sea urchin) + Nori Seaweed + IkuraShiso + Tai (Sea Bream)Sakura Denbu + Shiso,Smoked Salmon + LemonShrimp + IkuraAvocado + TunaLotus Root + CarrotShiso + Lotus Root + CarrotEgg + Nori Seaweed + IkuraHamachi (yellowtail) + Kaiware DaikonSalmon + Ikura Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
