Salmon, Cucumber and Cream Cheese Uramaki Recipe

October 14, 2014

We've explored maki, handrolls and round, sweet sushi, so now we'll move on to something a little more complicated to roll; Uramaki! 

Uramaki is the name often given to sushi rolls where the rice is on the outside and the nori in the middle, around the filling. This isn't really a traditional Japanese name for this type of sushi, and it's thought to be a western adaptation. Nonetheless, Uramaki has become increasingly popular in sushi restaurants around the world! 

By placing the nori inside the roll, the sushi rice can be seasoned with a variety of toppings including fish roe and sesame seeds, giving it a new and intriguing texture or flavour. 

However, to many of us, just rolling a simple maki roll can be daunting, nevermind one where all that incredibly sticky rice is outside the confines of nori! But don't worry, there are ways to make rolling delicious uramaki really simple, so read on for this delicious recipe!

You will Need

1 Cup Sushi Rice

1 Cup of Water

1 Tsp Sugar

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

4 Sheets of Nori

Sesame Seeds

OR

Yutaka Sushi Kit For 4 

1 Pack Fresh Sliced Salmon

250g Tub of Cream Cheese

1/2 Cucumber

Make the Sushi Rice

• Wash the dry sushi rice thoroughly under a running tap to remove all excess starch. 
• In a pan with a lid, combine the sushi rice and the cup of water. Bring to a rolling boil with the lid on, and cook until all water has been absorbed or evaporated. 
• Mix together the rice wine, sugar and salt to form a seasoning for the sushi rice. 
• Mix in the seasoning to the rice whilst it is still warm, then stir using a cutting motion to cool the rice. It helps to aim a fan at the rice too!
• When cool, it is ready to work with.

Build the Sushi Roll

• Take a bamboo rolling mat and line it with cling film. This will prevent the rice sticking to the mat.
• Place a layer of nori on the mat, as you normally would when making maki rolls. 
• Then add a layer of rice about 1cm thick. Spread right to the edges, and ensure it is nice and even. 
• Flip the nori over so the rice is now facing the bamboo mat. This is made much simpler if you layer cling film on top of the rice layer too before flipping. Make sure you peel away the cling film from the nori layer afterwards! :)
• Take some cream cheese with a knife and spread it along the length of your nori, from one end to the other, about 3cm in width and half a cm in depth. Don't spread it too near the edges or it will squeeze out when you roll the sushi.
• Next layer on thinly sliced strips of cucumber.
• Finally, add your salmon to the line. Ensure your layers have not become too tall or it will be tricky to get a neat roll.
• Take the bamboo mat and start rolling the sushi tightly. 
• Roll the sushi until the rice is round and the filling is tightly sealed inside.
• Remove your roll from the mat and cling film. On a tray, sprinkle an even layer or sesame seeds roughly to the same width as the circumference of your sushi roll. Lightly turn your full roll in the sesame seeds to coat the outsides of the rice.
• Using a very sharp knife, cut the roll into sushi pieces which are 2cm wide. 
• Enjoy with a soy and mirin dipping sauce!