Temarizushi (Decorative Sushi Balls) Recipe
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
40 minutes
Servings:
3 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice (2 rice cooker cups)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 pinches salt
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 4 boiled shrimp, shelled and tail off
  • 8 ounces raw, high-quality tuna
  • 3 cherry belle radishes
  • 1 cucumber (Japanese or Persian)
  • 1 sheet of nori
  • ⅓ cup seasoned rice vinegar, or to taste
  • ¼ cup edamame, boiled and shelled
Directions
  1. Cook the short-grain white rice using your preferred method, either rice cooker or stovetop.
  2. To make the usuyaki tamago (thin egg crepe), mix 2 eggs, 2 pinches of salt, and ½ teaspoon of sugar.
  3. Heat a frying pan on medium-low heat. Coat with oil and add just enough egg to cover the bottom of the frying pan.
  4. When the egg starts to set around the edges and in the center, turn off the heat and cover the pan for 2 minutes.
  5. Transfer the sheet of egg to a plate to cool, and repeat the cooking process with the remaining egg mixture.
  6. Julienne the usuyaki tamago into strips about ⅛ inch wide (called kinshi tamago).
  7. Slice the cucumber and radish into thin rounds using a mandolin or sharp knife.
  8. Cut the nori into thin strips.
  9. Slice the boiled shrimp in half down the spine so that both of the halves are mirror images.
  10. Slice the fresh tuna and set aside.
  11. Place the warm, cooked rice into a large bowl and add seasoned rice vinegar.
  12. Fold in the vinegar with a shamoji (rice paddle) or spatula while fanning the rice to help cool it down. It helps to have one person fan the rice while the other person mixes.
  13. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap and arrange one of the topping ingredients in a layer — this will be the top of the sushi.
  14. Place a mound of rice over the topping and wrap the plastic wrap around it, twisting the ends of the wrap to shape the temarizushi into a round ball.
  15. Unwrap the temarizushi and add a garnish, such as lemon slices for boiled shrimp, sesame seeds or julienned shiso on tuna, or strips of nori encircling the egg.
  16. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, then serve the temarizushi with wasabi and soy sauce, if desired.