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Detailed cross-section view of three variations of cucumber sushi roll or Kappa Maki, highlighting the balance of ingredients.
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Kappa Maki (Cucumber Sushi Roll)

Unleash your inner sushi chef with this easy Kappa Maki recipe. I'm sharing all the secrets of a master sushi chef to make perfect sushi rolls where cucumbers take center stage.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Japanese
Keyword sushi, sushi roll
Level Intermediate
Main Ingredient Rice, Vegetable
Diet Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Pescatarian, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 9 rolls
Calories 303kcal
Author Marc Matsumoto

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 batch sushi rice
  • 5 full sheets nori (or 9 half sheets)
  • 2 Japanese cucumbers (see headnotes for preparation and substitutes)
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Grams + US Cups - US Standard

Instructions

  • Make a bowl of tezu by diluting 1 tablespoon rice vinegar in 1 cup of cold water.
    1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • Place a half sheet of nori at the bottom edge of your sushi mat with the smooth side facing down.
    5 full sheets nori
    Half sheet of nori placed on the bottom edge of a sushi mat.
  • Wet your hands with the tezu and scoop approximately 80 grams from 1 batch sushi rice into your hand, shaping it into a cylinder that's a little wider than your hand.
    1 batch sushi rice
    Scooping 80 grams of sushi rice for making a sushi roll.
  • Keep your hands wet enough so the rice does not stick, and spread the rice cylinder across the nori from one side to the other, leaving a 1-centimeter (.4-inch) gap along the top of the nori.
    Pressing sushi rice across a sheet of nori.
  • Use one hand as a border along one side of the nori. Dig the tips of your fingers from the other hand into the rice just below the top margin and press the rice down towards the bottom edge, leaving a .5 centimeter (.2-inch) gap along the bottom edge of the nori.
    Spreading sushi rice on a nori sheet.
  • Sprinkle the rice with some toasted sesame seeds and place a cucumber stick in the center of the rice. You can also add ume and shiso leaves or shio konbu to the roll here but be careful not to overload your roll, or it will not close.
    2 Japanese cucumbers, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
    Cucumber and sushi rice and a nori sheet.
  • Place your thumbs under the sushi mat, and use your fingers to hold the filling(s) in place. Flip the bottom of the sushi mat up and over the fillings to connect the bottom margin of nori with the small ridge of rice along the top.
    Rolling Kappa Maki sushi rolls with a sushi mat.
  • Now tip the roll 90° so that the seam of the nori is on the bottom.
    Rolling sushi with a sushi mat.
  • Press the sides of the sushi roll between your fingers and thumbs to flatten them out.
    Pressing hosomaki sushi roll.
  • Use your index fingers to press down on the top of the mat (while supporting the sides of the mat with your remaining fingers) to flatten off the top.
    Rolling cucumber sushi roll.
  • To cut the roll, assuming your roll is 19cm wide, use a ruler to score the roll at 3.2cm, 6.4 cm, and 9.5cm.
    Using a ruler to cut sushi rolls.
  • Remove the ruler, wet your knife with a damp towel, and cut the roll in half using short back-and-forth strokes. Line the two halves of sushi up.
    Sushi roll cut in half.
  • Cut the two halves of sushi together where you scored one of them earlier.
    How to cut sushi rolls
  • Tip the rolls up on their sides to expose the filling and plate.
    Close-up shot of the cucumber sushi roll, emphasizing the texture of the sushi rice and the crisp cucumber.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 164mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 99IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg