No8 [Cooking] Temari Sushi

Temari Sushi

Every year in Japan, on the third of March, people celebrate the Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival), a seasonal festivity where families pray for the happy and healthy development of their girl children. On the day of the festival, families with girls will display hina dolls and peach blossoms and celebrate with foods like sushi and sweet white sake. The recipe in this month’s ZOOM Japan is one of the traditional foods eaten during Hina Matsuri, a quick and easy temari sushi that anyone can make.

Temari literally means a “hand sized ball” and they were originally children’s toys, made by stuffing together cuttings from old clothing and covering them with colorfully patterned fabric. Temari sushi is named such because it has the same rounded shape and is also bright and colorful. They are a wonderful opportunity to be creative and can be made using all kinds if different sushi ingredients.

Happy Hina Matsuri everyone!

Ingredients:
200g Sushi Rice (Short grain rice)
3tbs Mizkan Sushi Vinegar
Fillings such as:
Smoked Salmon, Proscuitto, Cooked King Prawns, Thinly sliced Omelette Thinly sliced cucumber (temari sushi can be made using many other fillings too so go wild)
Also needed: Cling Film

How to prepare:
1. Once it has cooled mix three table-spoons of Mizkan Sushi Vinegar into the cooked rice to make it into sushi rice.
2. Stretch cling film over the palm of your hand and place your desired filling on top of it, along with one tablespoon of the sushi rice.
3. Round out the ball shape and let the sushi set.
4. Your temari sushi is now ready to eat.

Copyright Fujiwara Yuko/Japan Centre