Hand Roll Vs Cut Roll: What’s The Difference?
Hand roll vs cut roll sushi? What’s the difference? As their names suggest, the main difference is in how they are rolled. Hand roll sushi is simply rolled and served, while the cut roll sushi is rolled like a long log and then cut into 4-5 bite-sized pieces.
Sushi has become extremely popular over the last few years, and its popularity seems only to grow over the years. Even people who aren’t extremely familiar with Asian and Japanese cuisine go to sushi restaurants to eat sushi on a regular basis.
However, not everyone is familiar with the subtle differences between various sushi rolls. In this article, we will talk more about those differences and explain the difference between cut roll sushi vs. hand roll sushi.
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Hand Roll Vs Cut Roll
Hand rolls are called temaki sushi, and cut rolls are called maki sushi. Since hand rolls are simply rolled and served, they are usually much bigger than cut rolls, which are almost bite-sized.
You can eat temaki sushi rolls with your hands, while maki sushi rolls are usually eaten with chopsticks. A hand roll sushi typically comes as a single serving for one person, while cut rolls are shared among several people.
Both cut roll and hand roll sushi are made with sushi rice. Hand roll sushi uses a nori sheet for rolling and wrapping the rice. Nori sheet is a thin, dried, edible seaweed. Cut roll sushis can be made with nori sheets, but they can also be made without.
Hand rolls have a cone shape (similar to the ice cream cone), and they are rolled by hand. Cut rolls are rolled using a bamboo mat. Bamboo mats help the rolling process by enabling cut rolls to be rolled into perfect tubular shapes.
When it comes to ingredients, hand rolls are much simpler, and they usually contain only one ingredient besides rice, rice vinegar, and nori sheets.
Maki sushi rolls, on the other hand, can be made with multiple ingredients. Some of those ingredients are smoked or raw fish, pickled vegetables, vinegar-flavored sushi rice, raw seafood, Japanese shiitake mushrooms, sesame seeds, etc.
Hosomaki cut roll is made of exactly seven ingredients on the 3rd of February each year. It symbolizes the arrival of spring and good fortune. This maki roll variety is called ehomaki.
What Is A Cut Roll In Sushi?
A cut roll is a type of sushi that is made by cutting the raw seaweed paper that surrounds the rice, fruits, vegetables, and fish. This allows for a more even distribution of ingredients and makes it easier to eat. Cut rolls are typically served with soy sauce and wasabi, but they can also be enjoyed without these condiments.
Types Of Cut Roll Sushi
Below are some of the popular sushi roll types.
Hosomaki Rolls
Hosomaki is a type of sushi roll that is made with only one ingredient, such as cucumber or salmon, in the center. It has a specific thin shape, and the most popular types of hosomaki cut rolls are Kappa Maki (rice sushi roll with cucumber), Shinko Maki(rice sushi roll with pickled yellow daikon), and Natto Maki(rice sushi roll and soybean).
Futomaki Rolls
Futomaki is a type of sushi roll that is made with multiple ingredients, such as vegetables, fish, and eggs. It is even more popular than the hosomaki sushi rolls, and it can have 3-10 ingredients.
The most popular futomaki rolls are spicy tuna rolls made of spicy tuna, mayonnaise, and avocado. Another popular futomaki sushi is spider roll, made of avocado, daikon sprouts, deep-fried soft-shell crab, cucumber, and spicy mayonnaise.
Tekkamaki Rolls
Tekkamaki is made with tuna and usually has cucumber, pickled ginger, and wasabi inside. It is then rolled in nori seaweed and rice. Other popular types of tekkamaki cut roll sushi include salmon, yellowtail, shrimp, and avocado.
Uramaki Rolls
Another type of cut roll sushi is the uramaki. Uramaki is different from tekkamaki because the rice is on the outside, and the nori seaweed is on the inside. This type of sushi is usually rolled with cucumber, crabmeat, or avocado in the center.
The most popular uramaki rolls are California roll, Alaska roll, spicy tuna roll, and Philadelphia roll. California rolls are made of imitation crab or tempura fried prawns, avocado, and cucumber.
Alaska roll is made of smoked salmon, cucumber, asparagus, and avocado. Philadelphia roll is made of smoked salmon, cream cheese, and avocado. Spicy tuna rolls are made of spicy tuna, mayonnaise/sriracha, and avocado.
Nigiri sushi is made when a sashimi-style fish is placed on a pile of vinegared rice.
What Is A Hand Roll?
Hand rolls are small, cone-shaped sushi rolls that are typically made with just a few ingredients. The most common fillings for hand rolls include fish (such as tuna or salmon), vegetables (such as cucumber or avocado), and rice.
These simple ingredients are then wrapped in seaweed and rolled into a cone shape. Hand roll sushi is usually eaten without soy sauce or wasabi, as the flavors of the fillings are meant to be enjoyed on their own.
Types Of Hand Roll Sushi
Hand roll sushi is more flexible than cut roll, and it doesn’t have any specific types and names. They can have local names in different places around the world.
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Summary
Now you know the main differences between hand roll vs cut roll! Cut rolls are made when the ingredients are rolled with the help of a bamboo mat, also known as a sushi mat. This long roll is cut into smaller pieces with a sushi knife that’s specifically designed for slicing sushi rolls.
Hand rolls are rolled manually, and they aren’t cut into smaller pieces. These hand rolls are also much simpler than the cut rolls, as they contain only one filling, vinegar rice, and nori sheets.
The next time you visit a sushi restaurant to enjoy the most popular Japanese dish, you will be able to tell the difference between hand-rolled sushi and cut-rolled sushi. Bon appetite!
