Japan Food (How to roll and cut sushi maki)

The preparation of the sushi maki (rolled sushi) is not very difficult in itself but still requires a little training.
There are several kinds of maki, referred to mainly according to their size.
The best known are the hoso-maki, about 2cm in diameter and containing a single pad, then the naka maki, about 3cm in diameter and finally the futo-maki, about 4 to 5cm in diameter. The latter usually contains 2 to 3 ingredients, it is also the easiest to prepare for a beginner.
There are also other variants such as california roll, or ura-maki, which has the distinction of having the nori sheets inside and not outside, "ura" meaning "to send / returned ". You can also meet other types of sushi named from the filling such as tuna tekka-maki or cucumber kappa maki.

Equipment:
To prepare your sushi in the best conditions, some accessories will be welcome.

• The essential tool is makisu, a carpet of bamboo slats linked together. If you want to make ura-maki zushis, you will need more than a little stretch film.
• A bowl with water to which a little rice vinegar has been added is also very useful. It makes it possible to rinse the fingers and to facilitate the collage of the leaves of nori.

Finally, consider equipping yourself with a clean cutting board, a sharp knife and a damp cloth to clean the blade after each cut.

Technical:
Place the nori leaf on the makisu with the shiny side of the seaweed underneath. Put the rice on the sheet leaving about 1cm on the 2 sides that will join.

Place the filling in the center and across the entire width of the sheet.
Wet your fingers a little with the vinegar water and grab the makisu from the side in front of you. Place your thumbs on the back of the makisu and start wrapping the rug by pulling it towards you. Be careful to keep the pad in place while wrapping.

The "rolling" of sushi is done in several movements, put the sushi in shape throughout the operation by pressing lightly with both hands. The sushi mat should not go inside the sushi. The shape can be round or triangular if you prefer.

Once the roll is well formed, slightly wet the edge of the sheet over the entire width and press against the sushi to stick it well.

Then place the roll on the junction of the nori leaves and let it rest for a few minutes to keep it in place.
Cut the edges of the roll well and then cut the roll in 6 to 8 slices.

Little tips
A small tip to facilitate a cut of 8 regular makis: cut the roll in the middle. Then cut each of the two pieces in the middle and repeat the same for the 4 small rolls obtained.
When cutting, use a sharp knife and cut in one motion, without "sawing" or crushing the roll. Between cuts, clean the blade with the damp cloth. Sticky rice will quickly hinder cutting if you allow it to accumulate on the blade.

You can also replace the leaves of nori with colored soy leaves, sometimes called Mamenori. The use of these leaves is identical to that of nori. If you do not like the iodine taste of nori or if you want more colorful sushi, this is a great alternative!

This mode of preparation is for the preparation of futo-makis. For smaller sushi it is necessary to reduce the amount of rice to half of the nori leaf and not to the full length.