Uramaki Inside-Out Sushi Rolls (Uramaki)
Uramaki Say it: oo-rah-MAH-kee
Uramaki means 'inside-out roll': sushi rice is pressed on the outside of the roll, the nori hidden within, and the fillings tucked at the center. The style took shape in Los Angeles, where Japanese-American sushi chefs built rolls around crab, avocado and cucumber for customers who preferred the rice on the outside. It eats soft and slightly sweet from seasoned rice, creamy from avocado, with a fresh snap of cucumber and a salty-savory edge of crab and mayonnaise.
Uramaki Inside-Out Sushi Rolls (Uramaki)
Uramaki
Pronounced oo-rah-MAH-kee
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains shellfish, egg, soy, gluten, sesame. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Sushi rice
Rolls and fillings
To serve
Method
Put the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water, swish with your fingers and pour off the cloudy water. Repeat three or four times until the water is only slightly milky, then drain well.
Bring the rice and 1 3/4 cups (420 ml) water to a boil in a lidded saucepan, cover tightly, and simmer on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the surface looks pitted. Take off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan just until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Do not boil; set aside to cool slightly.
Tip the hot rice into a wide, shallow bowl and drizzle the vinegar mixture over it, folding gently with a flat spatula in cutting strokes while a helper fans it or you fan it with a sheet of paper. Stop when the rice is glossy, barely sticky and just warm to the touch.
Flake the drained crabmeat with a fork and fold in the mayonnaise. Slice the avocado lengthwise into 1/2-inch (1 cm) strips, and cut the cucumber into long matchsticks about the same thickness.
Wrap a bamboo rolling mat in plastic wrap so rice cannot stick. Lay one half-sheet of nori on the mat with the long side facing you, wet your hands in vinegar water, and spread about 3/4 cup (150 g) of rice over it in an even layer, leaving a 1/2-inch (1 cm) border at the far edge. Sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds.
Set a sheet of plastic wrap over the rice, place a second mat or your palm on top, and flip the whole thing so the rice faces down on the mat and the nori is on top. Peel off the top plastic.
Arrange a quarter of the crab mixture, avocado and cucumber in a line along the near edge of the nori. Lift the mat's near edge and roll forward, tucking the fillings in and pulling the plastic free as you go, until you have a firm cylinder. Press gently through the mat, rest seam-side down for 5 minutes, and repeat with the remaining nori and fillings.
Wipe a very sharp knife with a damp cloth between cuts. Trim the ends, cut each roll in half, then cut each half into 4 pieces, giving 8 pieces per roll.
Arrange the pieces cut-side up on a plate and serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Regional variant: Spicy Tuna Uramaki (Supaishi Maguro Maki)
Replace the crab and mayonnaise with 6 oz (170 g) sashimi-grade tuna, finely chopped and mixed with 2 tbsp (30 g) mayonnaise and 1 tsp chili paste or Sriracha. Keep the avocado and cucumber, and add a scatter of thinly sliced scallion. Build the rolls exactly the same way and serve immediately, since the tuna should stay cold and fresh.
Cook's notes
- Keep a small bowl of water with a splash of rice vinegar nearby and wet your hands and knife constantly — sticky rice is the main thing that goes wrong.
- Use rice while it is still just warm; cold rice from the fridge cracks and will not hold the roll together.
- Do not overfill: a thin line of filling down the near edge rolls far more neatly than a generous pile.
Serve with
Soy sauce for dipping, pickled ginger, and hot green tea or a cold lager.
Make ahead and storage
Rolls are best eaten within an hour; wrapped tightly and refrigerated they hold for up to 8 hours, but let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
