Temaki

Temaki is a Japanese hand roll: a sheet of nori wrapped into a cone around sushi rice and fillings. Unlike rolled sushi, it is assembled and eaten by hand.

Put a thin layer of seasoned sushi rice on one side of a nori sheet, add a small amount of filling diagonally, then roll the lower corner over it to form a cone. Keep the filling modest so the nori closes neatly.

Use Japanese short-grain rice, which turns pleasantly sticky when cooked and helps the cone hold its shape. Season it while warm with sushi vinegar, then let it cool before assembling.

Try salmon or tuna with cucumber and spring onion, or cooked prawns with avocado. For a vegetarian temaki, use cucumber, avocado, pickled radish or shiitake mushrooms.

Assemble each cone just before eating: moisture from the rice and fillings quickly softens the nori. Keep the rice and fillings ready in separate dishes and let everyone make their own.

It is best eaten as soon as it is assembled, before the nori loses its crispness. Keep cooked rice and prepared fillings covered in the fridge until serving, and do not leave assembled rolls sitting out.

Use your hands: temaki is made to be picked up and eaten like a small cone. Hold it upright so the filling stays inside.