Rinse the rice until the water runs nearly clear. Cook it with the water in a rice cooker, or covered on low heat for 15 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes.
Warm the rice vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved. Spread the hot rice in a wide bowl, pour over the vinegar mix and fold with a rice paddle while fanning it, until glossy and just warm.
Set out the fillings, the nori and a small bowl of water for wetting your fingers.
Hold a half sheet of nori shiny side down in your palm. Spread about 2 tbsp rice over the left third with damp fingers.
Lay your fillings diagonally across the rice, pointing up to the top left corner.
Fold the bottom left corner of the nori over the fillings, then roll it into a cone. Stick the last edge down with a grain of rice.
Eat straight away, while the nori is still crisp, with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

About this dish

Temaki (手巻き) means "hand roll". Instead of rolling a long log with a mat, you wrap a small cone of nori around sushi rice and fillings and eat it straight away. It is the easiest sushi to make at home and the most fun for a group, because everyone builds their own.

Nori is dried, pressed seaweed, the same sheets that sit on the side of a ramen bowl. It tastes salty and gently of the sea, and in temaki its crunch is the whole point. Season the rice with rice vinegar as you would for maki sushi, and use any leftovers for chirashi don or inari sushi.

Tips for the best result

Keep the nori in its packet until the last minute. It goes soft quickly in humid air.
Use less rice than you think. Too much and the cone won't close.
Wet your fingers, not the nori, so the rice doesn't stick to your hands.

Filling ideas

Teriyaki chicken and cucumber
Prawn tempura and lettuce
Crab stick, Kewpie mayo and avocado
Tamagoyaki and pickled radish for a vegetarian roll

Storage

Temaki don't keep once rolled. Store leftover sushi rice covered at room temperature for a few hours, or refrigerate fillings separately for up to 1 day.

Temaki sushi FAQs

What is nori?

Nori is a sheet of dried, roasted seaweed. In Japan it wraps sushi and rice balls, and a square of it is a classic ramen topping, where it softens in the broth and adds a sea-salty flavour.

Do I need sashimi-grade fish?

If the fish is raw, yes. Buy it labelled "sashimi grade" from a fishmonger or Japanese grocer, and keep it cold. Cooked fillings like tuna mayo, prawns or chicken avoid the issue.

Where can I buy nori in Australia?

Most supermarkets sell sushi nori in the Asian aisle. Asian grocers sell bigger packs and better grades; look for sheets that are dark green and glossy, not brown.