How to Make Temari Sushi

Temari Sushi

Temarizushi, or Temari ​sushi, are small and ball-shaped sushi. Temari sushi is usually cooked on happy occasions like Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day: March 3) in Japan. Temari (literally means “hand ball” in English) is a traditional Japanese embroidered ball, which people used to play within Japan.  These days, Temari balls are treated more as decorative ornaments in the house rather than a children’s toy.

These are easy to eat sushi and good for parties. Let's learn how to make colorful Temari sushi. Temari sushi basically consists of parts: the bottom part with sushi rice and top part with ingredients of your choice.

If you love sushi, use your favorite sashimi (raw fish) as the topping (Temari-sushi is definitely not good for bento if you’re using raw fish).  Sashimi fish like salmon, tuna, tai (sea bream) work great. Try getting a fresh sashimi block (a small block of fish) at a Japanese supermarket and cut it on your own. It’s amazingly cheaper than buying prepared sushi.

If you are not a fan of raw fish, use boiled shrimp, smoked salmon, boiled crab, grilled meat, or anything that’s cooked. If you are vegetarian or vegan, you can make ​Temari sushi with your favorite vegetables. They can be grilled/roasted first (so they are tender), or use fresh vegetables as well.

Whether you use fish or not, you can always layer the ingredients with cucumber, avocado, kinshi tamago (shredded eggs), and herbs to make it more colorful.

Prepare Sushi Rice and Toppings

Prepare sushi rice and make small rice balls. Set aside. Prepare various toppings.

Topping Ideas

• Maguro sashimi (thinly sliced)
• Salmon sashimi (thinly sliced)
• Boiled shrimp
• Ham (thinly sliced)
• Avocado slices
• Smoked salmon slices

Tips

• Use contrasting colors like red (tuna) and green (avocado).
• Use ingredients with texture, like octopus sashimi and kinshi tamago (shredded egg crepes).
• Use translucent ingredients such as super thinly sliced cucumber and tai (sea bream). If you put ingredients underneath these materials, you can still see through.
• Garnish Temari sushi with ikura (salmon roe), a flower-shaped cutout carrot, nori (seaweed) strips, super thinly sliced lemon, chives, kaiware daikon (radish sprout), or microgreens.

Place Toppings

Place toppings on a sheet of plastic wrap.

Place Sushi Rice

Place a sushi rice ball on the topping.

Shape the Sushi

Shape the sushi into a ball, twisting the plastic wrap. (You don’t need to worry about your hands getting sticky with rice or having uneven shapes because your sushi ball will naturally become nice ball shape with the plastic wrap.)

Finished Product

Unwrap the plastic wrap. Serve the Temari sushi with wasabi and soy sauce.