One of the most popular types of sushi is the tekkamaki. This is a simple makizushi, or sushi roll with just rice and tuna wrapped in a thin layer of nori (seaweed). Unlike futomaki which will have many ingredients and be about twice the volume, tekkamaki is part of the hosomaki family, which means ‘thin rolls’.
Interestingly enough, tekkamaki is not seen as a traditional Edomae style sushi. In fact the only sushi roll that traces back to that time period is the kampyomaki, filled with dry gourd strips.
What Is Tekkamaki
Tekkamaki is a type of hosomaki, or thin sushi roll, that is made of rice and tuna wrapped in seaweed. Originally believed to be derived from the word tekka for red hot iron (like the color of the tuna), it is now understood it is named after tekkaba (gambling houses) where this dish was served as a quick snack for gamblers without dirtying their hands.
Similar to tekkamaki is negitoromaki, which is tuna that has been minced with green onion (scallions) and wrapped in a roll. While negitoromaki is usually made from the tuna belly, or scrapings from around the spine, you can also make it with akami (red tuna meat) if you wish.
What Do You Need To Make Hosomaki
Because hosomaki is a single filling makizushi you should cut your seaweed sheet in half. Actual tools you will need include:
- Makisu – the sushi rolling mat
- Knife – Interestingly, there is a specific knife used for slicing makizushi called a sushikiri (寿司切り). However I do not suggest you go and buy a specific Japanese knife just for this one purpose, your yanagi-ba or takohiki will work just fine (plus you need to slice the fish anyways). In fact, even a gyuto (chef’s knife) will work as the double bevel makes slicing rolls a little easier for most people. You can read more about Japanese sushi knives here.
How To Make Tekkamaki
For this recipe you will have to acquire a saku (block) of tuna. I recommend akami tuna for this recipe as it is what is most common. Simply take your block of tuna and slice it into strips that will fit in the rolls. I like rather thick pieces of tuna in my tekkamaki, only surrounded by a thin layer of rice.
For all hosomaki it is standard to use a half sheet of nori. If you can’t buy already made half sheets, simply place the full sheet on a cutting board and slice down the middle. Place the nori onto your makisu (rolling mat) to begin.
Spread a thin layer of your sushi rice on the seaweed, leaving about two centimeters off of the top. This will make sealing the tekkamaki much easier.
Lay down a strip of tuna from end to end and roll up the tekkamaki. You can wet the edge of the seaweed with your finger to help it stay sealed. Also use the makisu to squeeze the roll into an even roll shape, but do not squeeze too hard as it can extract moisture out of the rice and compress the grains.
Tekkamaki is traditionally sliced into six pieces, but I have seen some chefs do eight pieces instead. I prefer six personally. On the right of the above image is a sort of knock-off negitoro. I say knock-off because I just used the akami scraps chopped up instead of the belly. Just mince the fish with some negi (green onion) and put it into the hosomaki as well. It is delicious and a great way to prevent waste.
Sushi Terms Used In This Article
tekkamaki: a hosomaki (small roll) with rice encompassing a small strip of tuna.
makizushi: a type of sushi where various ingredients are rolled in rice and seaweed and then cut into bite size pieces; Makizushi are usually eaten with chopsticks.
nori: a type of edible seaweed used in various Japanese culinary fields
hosomaki: a type of makizushi with only one filling eg tuna, gourd, negitoro etc…
futomaki: a type of makizushi with plenty of filling, about two size the volume of a hosomaki
Edomae: a type of sushi that originated in Edo (Tokyo) in the 19th century
kampyomaki: a hosomaki with kanpyo, or dried gourd as the filling. This is considered the ‘first sushi roll’
tekkaba: Japanese gambling houses
negitoromaki: a hosomaki traditionally made with minced tuna belly and green onion as the filling
akami: red tuna meat; See also, chutoro and otoro
makisu: a traditional sushi rolling mat commonly made of bamboo
sushikiri: a makizushi cutting knife
yanagi-ba/takohiki: sashimi slicing knives
gyuto: Western inspired double beveled chef’s knife
saku: a block of fish prepared for slicing into sashimi or for nigiri