Our home delivery sushi may be scrumptious and beautiful, but how much do you really know about what’s in your sushi delivery? If you love the thick, well-stuffed futomaki which arrive on your doorstep from our handmade sushi experts in London, we’ve got all the facts so you can learn more about your sushi favourites!
What is futomaki?
Futomaki is a kind of sushi roll. In Japan, you may hear these big, thick sushi rolls referred to as makizushi (rolled sushi) or norimaki (sushi rolled in nori seaweed). These two sushi types refer to a wide range of rolled and nori-covered sushi types, of which futomaki is just one.
If you want to get right back to basics, futomaki are made from a selection of Japanese ingredients, rolled into the centre of a cylinder of sushi rice and wrapped in nori (dried, flattened seaweed).
What distinguishes futomaki from their scrummy brothers and sisters in these sushi “categories” is their size. Thick, wide and stuffed with at least three ingredients, futomaki are designed to be a hearty mouthful, typically measuring five or six centimetres across. If you can’t fit your futomaki in your mouth in one bite, your itamae has made them too big (or you’re not greedy enough!). However, these bite-sized pieces should be a challengingly big mouthful of sushi goodness.
What goes into futomaki?
The ingredients which make up the centre of your futomaki vary considerably depending on the itamae and the kind of sushi you like. Unlike many classic sushi rolls, futomaki are often vegetarian, featuring ingredients like cucumber, strips of omelette, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, avocado and carrot.
However, not all futomaki are vegetarian. When these short, fat sushi rolls contain raw seafood, they traditionally include ingredients like tobiko (flying fish roe), crab and raw tuna.
Choosing futomaki ingredients should be a carefully deliberated process. Designing a delicious futomaki isn’t just about sticking in a bit of what you fancy. With so many ingredients in one roll, itamae (sushi chefs) must take into consideration the blending of flavours and the combination of colours which will show when the futomaki is sliced into portions. These rolls aren’t just supposed to be delicious, they must also look beautiful!
Let’s roll!
The talented itamae behind the scrumptious sushi delivery which reaches your doorstep in London have been handrolling futomaki for decades. However, if you’re thinking about trying to roll your own futomaki at home, be warned – these are notoriously difficult sushi to roll! With lots of ingredients to contend with, it’s very tricky to keep your futomaki nice and tight.
Once you’ve managed to neatly roll up your big, chunky futomaki, the next challenge is slicing it. Because these rolls are so wide and typically short, there’s every chance that the nori will tear and the futomaki will disintegrate if the futomaki hasn’t been perfectly rolled. To avoid this disaster, a very sharp sushi knife is essential for the slicing.