Fiona's Japanese Cooking: CHILDREN'S DAY FISH FINGER & CHICKEN GOUJON TEMAKI RECIPE

Children's Day (called kodomo no hi) is celebrated in Japan on May 5th. On this day Japanese people celebrate their children's health and happiness by flying carp kites (called koinobori) outside their houses. They eat traditional sticky rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves called kashiwa-mochi and take iris baths (shobu-yu).

Here's my recipe to celebrate Children's Day which is one of my toddler's favourite foods. This recipe can be used for your child's school lunch or it's a great idea for a children's birthday party.

Temaki is a cone shaped sushi hand roll wrapped in nori seaweed and filled with sushi rice and your favourite ingredients.

FIONA'S RECIPE FOR FISH FINGER & CHICKEN GOUJON
TEMAKI SUSHI HAND ROLL

This recipe makes 6 temaki rolls

SUSHI RICE INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS

320g Japanese rice, uncooked

Bottled sushi vinegar or homemade sushi vinegar

To make homemade sushi vinegar you'll need:

- 100ml Japanese rice vinegar

- 2 tbsp caster sugar

- Half tsp salt

Click here to see how to prepare sushi rice.

TEMAKI ROLL FILLINGS

3 x nori sheets, cut in half

2 x fish fingers. cooked and cut in half lengthways

2 x chicken goujon, cooked and cut into thin strips

Tinned sweetcorn, drained

Cucumber, cut into thin strips

Carrot, boiled and cut into thin strips

Sesame seeds (optional to garnish)
Mayonnaise

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut the nori sheet in half placing the shiny side down.

2. Put a heaped tablespoon of sushi rice (50g) on the left side of the nori sheet.

3. Moisten your hands (in a water bowl with a few drops of rice vinegar) before spreading the rice evenly over nearly half of the nori sheet using your fingertips.

4. Place the halved fish finger and a thin line of mayo at a 45 degree angle on the rice. For the chicken goujon temaki place the chicken, cucumber and carrot with a thin line of mayo at a 45 degree angle on the rice (try not to overload with ingredients as this will make it difficult to roll).

6. Slowly start to roll the temaki by taking the bottom left corner of the nori and fold it over towards the top right corner of the rice. Continue to fold as shown in the photos below. Place a few grains of cooked rice on the last corner of the nori (to stop the roll unfolding) and finish folding.