Simple yet delicious, these kappa maki, or cucumber sushi rolls, are a crowd-pleaser! This recipe only requires simple ingredients and is incredibly easy to make.
You can never go wrong with the good old kappa maki! Although basic, it is super refreshing and satisfying to have.
If you do not like cucumbers, I recommend trying out my avocado maki or vegan kimbap instead!
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- Simple, refreshing, and mildly flavored
- A quick and easy recipe that is ready in 30 minutes
- Highly versatile and pairs well with other Japanese mains
- Allergen-friendly and will be enjoyed by both adults and kids alike!
🤔What is kappa maki
Kappa maki is a popular sushi roll that features seasoned short-grain rice wrapped around a slice of cucumber. The rice is usually seasoned with rice vinegar, salt, and sugar.
They can be eaten as an appetizer or side dish and are commonly served alongside condiments like wasabi and soy sauce.
🥒What you will need
📃Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Rice - make sure to use short-grain rice (also known as sushi rice). Long or medium-grain rice will not work and might fall apart while rolling. You can also opt for short-grain brown rice.
- Cucumber - Although I am using a regular cucumber here, I recommend using Japanese or English if you can get your hands on it.
- Sugar - Any granulated sweetener will work. However, if you are using coconut or brown sugar, your rice might be stained lightly brown.
- Nori sheets - can be found in most groceries or your local Asian market. As they turn stale quickly, I recommend transferring them to a zip-top bag or airtight container, then refrigerating them.
🔪How to make
Cooking sushi rice
Rinse - Start by rinsing the short-grain rice several times or until the water turns clear. This removes the excess starch that might cause the rice to clump excessively.
Cook - Place water and rice into the inner pot of your Instant pot. Pressure cook for 10 minutes, and allow pressure to release naturally.
Making sushi vinegar - while the rice is cooking, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 15-30 seconds or until sugar and salt dissolve completely.
Mix rice with seasoning - Pour sushi vinegar into the rice and gently mix until everything is well incorporated. Let sushi rice cool down to room temperature before use.
Rolling sushi
- Place a nori sheet on the bamboo mat, with the shiny side facing up.
- Add ¾ cup of sushi rice to the center of the nori. Spread it evenly across the nori using moist hands or a spoon. Leave around an inch of nori uncovered.
- Layer a strip of cucumber on the rice.
- Fold the bamboo mat over the filling, holding the cucumber strip to keep it intact.
- Continue to roll while applying pressure until you reach the other end. Dip your finger in water, and wet the edge of the nori before rolling over to seal it tightly.
- Wet your knife and slice maki rolls into bite-sized pieces. Your cucumber maki is ready to be served!
🍚Other ways to cook rice
You can also choose to cook your sushi rice in a rice cooker or on the stove -
Rice cooker - Place water and rice into your rice cooker. Select white rice and start cooking. (Depending on your rice cooker, it might have different buttons.) Cook until the indicator switches color.
Stovetop - Add rice along with 11/4 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then, lower the heat to the lowest setting, and let it cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let it steam with the lid on for 10 minutes before fluffing them.
✅Helpful tips
- Rinse rice before cooking - Rinse your rice thoroughly before cooking helps remove excess starch on the surface that might cause your rice to clump excessively.
- Allow rice to cool - Let sushi rice cool to room temperature before wrapping. The steam from hot rice might cause the nori sheet to become soggy.
- Making without a bamboo mat - You can use a piece of parchment paper to roll your sushi like you would using a sushi mat.
- Cut sushi with a wet knife - This is to prevent the rice from sticking to the blade. Do also use a sharp knife to cut your cucumber sushi rolls!
- Use wet hands and utensils - Short-grain rice is quite sticky, and this helps prevent them from sticking to your hands and utensils.
❄Storing leftovers
Eating this cucumber maki within 1-2 hours of making it is best, as the rice will dry up and go stale. However, if you do have leftover sushi, here is how to store it -
- For unsliced sushi, wrap them in plastic wraps and store them in an airtight container. They can be refrigerated for 1-2 days.
- For sliced sushi, refrigerate them in an airtight container for no more than 24 hours.
- If your maki does turn stale, a way to revive them is to heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds or until they are slightly warmed.
🍣How to serve
Here are some fun ways to serve your cucumber maki -
- Dips - soy sauce, wasabi, spicy teriyaki sauce, sriracha mayonnaise
- Other sides - vegetable tempura, pickled ginger, edamame, Japanese tofu salad, wakame miso soup
- Japanese mains - vegan yakisoba, miso ramen, teriyaki seitan served with rice
❔Commonly asked questions
Sushi is a broad term that can be used to describe various dishes that consist of vinegared rice and other ingredients like vegetables, eggs, and raw fish.
Maki is a variation of sushi that is cylindrical. They can be stuffed with various fillings, the most common being cucumber, tuna, avocado, and raw salmon.
Strips of cucumber work best in maki rolls. For smaller cucumbers (like the Japanese variety), slice them lengthwise down the middle into halves, then quarter them lengthwise again.
If you use a larger cucumber, like a regular one, you can slice them into 8 slices instead of 4. I also recommend deseeding your cucumber.
Japanese or seedless English cucumber works best for kappa maki as they have the best crunch and flavor. However, regular cucumber will work as well. Do deseed it before using.
It is not necessary to peel your cucumber to make kappa maki. I leave the skin on as it adds a nice color, but feel free to remove it.
🍽More vegan Japanese recipes
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📖 Recipe
Kappa Maki (cucumber sushi rolls)
Equipment
- Instant pot optional
Ingredients
For sushi rice
- 1 cup uncooked short-grain rice (or short-grain brown rice)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar (any granulated sweetener will work)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Other ingredients
- 4 nori sheets
- 1 medium cucumber sliced into thick strips
Instructions
Making sushi rice
- Start by rinsing the short-grain rice a few times until the water runs clear.1 cup uncooked short-grain rice
- Pressure cook the rice with water in the inner pot of an Instant Pot for 10 minutes, allowing the pressure to release naturally.1 cup water
Making sushi vinegar
- While the rice is cooking, make sushi vinegar by combining rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Heat the mixture in the microwave until the sugar and salt dissolve completely.
- Pour the vinegar into the cooked rice and gently mix until well combined.
- Let the sushi rice cool to room temperature before using.
Rolling sushi
- To roll the sushi, place a nori sheet shiny-side up on a bamboo mat.4 nori sheets
- Add ¾ cup of sushi rice to the center, spreading it evenly and leaving a 1 inch gap at the top.
- Layer a strip of cucumber on top of the rice, then fold the bamboo mat over the filling while holding the cucumber strip to keep it in place.1 medium cucumber
- Continue rolling while applying pressure until reaching the other end.
- Wet the edge of the nori with water and roll over to seal it tightly.
- Using a wet knife, slice the maki roll into bite-sized pieces. Your kappa maki is now ready to be served!
Notes
- Allow rice to cool - Let sushi rice cool to room temperature before wrapping. The steam from hot rice might cause the nori sheet to become soggy.
- Making without a bamboo mat - You can use a piece of parchment paper to roll your sushi like you would using a sushi mat.
- Cut sushi with a wet knife - This is to prevent the rice from sticking to the blade. Do also use a sharp knife to cut your cucumber sushi rolls!
- Use wet hands and utensils - Short-grain rice is quite sticky, and this helps prevent them from sticking to your hands and utensils.
- Leftover sushi - Wrap leftover sushi rolls with plastic wraps, and store them in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for up to 24 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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