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Temari Sushi

Celebrate happy occasions with these colorful ball-shaped Temari Sushi! They‘re easily the prettiest sushi you can make at home. They make the perfect sushi to serve if you're hosting a party or potluck. 

Prep Time
40 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4 (28
Calories: 350 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

For the Sushi Rice
  • 5 cups sushi rice (cooked and seasoned) (prepared ahead of time; see my recipe for How to Make Sushi Rice)
For the Seasoned Lotus Root & Carrot
  • ½ inch lotus root (renkon)
  • ½ inch carrot
  • ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
  • 1 tsp sake
  • 1 tsp mirin
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce (I use light-colored soy sauce so the dish doesn‘t become too dark in color; you can use regular soy sauce)
  • ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the Shredded Egg Crepe (Kinshi Tamago)
  • 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
  • ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp neutral oil
For the Temari Sushi
  • ¼ avocado (thinly sliced)
  • ¼ cup sakura denbu (seasoned cod fish flakes)
  • 3 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba)
  • ½ sheet nori (dried laver seaweed) (sliced into thin strips, for garnish)
  • 2 slices lemon (for garnish)
  • 5 sprigs chives (for garnish)
  • ikura (salmon roe) (for garnish)
For the Sashimi Choices
  • sashimi-grade salmon
  • sashimi-grade tuna (maguro)
  • sashimi-grade sea bream (tai)
  • sashimi-grade yellowtail (hamachi)
  • uni (sea urchin)
  • cooked shrimp
  • smoked salmon

Instructions

To Make the Sushi Rice (prepare ahead of time)
    Cup of Yum
  1. If you haven‘t made 5 cups sushi rice (cooked and seasoned) yet, you must start making sushi rice (steamed rice seasoned with sweet vinegar) first as it takes at least 1 hour 40 minutes to prepare. Please note that 2¼ cups (450 g, 3 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 6⅔ cups (990 g) of cooked rice.
To Make the Seasoned Lotus Root and Carrot
  1. Thinly slice ½ inch lotus root (renkon) crosswise. If you want to make a flower-shaped lotus root, follow my tutorial for Hana Renkon.
  2. Thinly slice ½ inch carrot crosswise. If you want to make a flower-shaped carrot, follow my tutorial for Hanagiri.
  3. In a small saucepan, put the sliced lotus root, sliced carrot, and the seasoning ingredients: ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock), 1 tsp sake, 1 tsp mirin, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce, and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Bring it to a simmer and cook on medium heat until tender.
To Make the Kinshi Tamago (Shredded Egg Crepe)
  1. In a bowl, whisk 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt together. In a non-stick frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and make sure the egg is spread evenly. Flip once the bottom side is cooked. When the egg is cooked, take it out and chiffonade the egg into thin strips. You can follow my Kinshi Tamago tutorial for step-by-step instructions and photos.
To Make the Balls of Sushi Rice
  1. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of a kitchen scale. Measure 30 g (2 Tbsp) of sushi rice and make a round ball. Transfer to a plate and measure the next batch. Make sure to cover the rice balls with plastic wrap and the sushi rice with a damp towel to prevent the rice from drying out.
To Cut the Sashimi
  1. Cut the sashimi of your choice into thin slices. You can use sashimi-grade salmon, sashimi-grade tuna (maguro), sashimi-grade sea bream (tai), sashimi-grade yellowtail (hamachi), uni (sea urchin), cooked shrimp, and even smoked salmon.
To Make the Temari Sushi
  1. Place a sheet of plastic on the work surface. In the center, lay the topping of your choice. These include sashimi slices, seasoned lotus root and carrot, shredded egg crepe, slices of ¼ avocado, a bit of the ¼ cup sakura denbu (seasoned cod fish flakes), sections of 3 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba),and so on. Then, place a sushi rice ball on top of the ingredient. Wrap the plastic around the rice ball and twist to tighten. Shape it nicely so it has a nice ball shape. Unwrap and set aside.
  2. Continue with other ingredients you prepared.
  3. Garnish the Temari Sushi as you like. You can use thin strips cut from ½ sheet nori (dried laver seaweed), tiny wedges cut from 2 slices lemon, cut pieces of 5 sprigs chives, and some ikura (salmon roe), as you wish.
To Store
  1. Sashimi-grade fish must be eaten within 24 hours. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for a day. Temari Sushi should be consumed right away, but they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. I highly recommend keeping them in an airtight container or a plate wrapped tightly with plastic and then wrap around the container/plate with a thick kitchen towel so the food stay safe in a cool environment but rice doesn‘t get hard from cold air in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Information

Calories 350kcal (18%) Carbohydrates 55g (18%) Protein 17g (34%) Fat 6g (9%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 66mg (22%) Sodium 344mg (14%) Potassium 283mg (8%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 797IU (16%) Vitamin C 5mg (6%) Calcium 21mg (2%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4(28

Amount Per Serving

Calories 350

% Daily Value*

Calories 350kcal 18%
Carbohydrates 55g 18%
Protein 17g 34%
Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 66mg 22%
Sodium 344mg 14%
Potassium 283mg 6%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 797IU 16%
Vitamin C 5mg 6%
Calcium 21mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.