Temarizushi is a ball of sushi rice topped with fish, meat, egg and or vegetables. It gets its name from the temari ball, a traditional children’s toy made of wadded kimono fabric wrapped in brightly coloured strips.
This is another Japanese recipe typically prepared for Hina Matsuri, Doll’s Day or Girls’ Day, celebrated on March 3rd.
You can use a variety of toppings, such as raw or smoked fish (tuna, salmon or whatever else you can find), eggs (scrambled, or kinshi tamago), vegetables (thinly sliced avocado, cucumber, cooked lotus root or carrot), and even sliced roast beef or cheese. We used a few simple toppings below, but feel free to be creative and work with what you can easily find in your grocery store.
If you want to make the balls dressier for a party, decorate with salmon roe, capers, herbs, nori seaweed, cooked vegetables cut into small shapes, and whatever else may inspire you!
Temarizushi
Ingredients
- 1½ metric cup sushi rice about 375mL (OR 3/4 metric cup of dry rice, adjust other sushi rice ingredients accordingly)
- 3 slices tuna sushi-grade
- 3 slices smoked salmon
- 3 tbsp salmon roe
- 3 shrimp 3-5 depending on size
- 3 slices roast beef
- wasabi
- soy sauce to serve
- cling wrap
- ½ cup water (A)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (A)
Instructions
- You’ll be mixing (A) and dipping your fingers in to prevent them from sticking to the rice – if it gets too cloudy just make some more.Prepare the sushi rice.Devein the shrimp, then bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the shrimp, boiling for 1 minute. Cut each shrimp in half (into two mirroring pieces).Cut the tuna, salmon and roast beef into 3-4cm slices.If using fresh wasabi, shave the end as you would when sharpening a pencil with a knife, then grate just a little and set the vegetable aside in cold water to keep fresh. If using ready-made wasabi paste, squeeze a little onto a dish.Mix the water and rice vinegar in a bowl.
- Lay a large square of cling wrap on the counter. Choose a topping and place in the middle of the cling wrap. When using shrimp, place 2-3 pieces together in the center of the cling wrap square, cut side up (you will be showing the opposite, “pretty” or more textured side).
- Scoop a little wasabi on your finger and spread it on your chosen topping. Dip your fingers in the vinegar water, then scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of sushi rice and place it on your topping. Wrap it into a ball, twisting the cling wrap to squeeze it into shape.
- And that’s all! Repeat with the different flavours, using a new piece of cling wrap for each topping type. Serve with soy sauce.
