Uramaki

How an inside-out roll is built

To make uramaki, sushi rice is pressed evenly onto a sheet of nori. The sheet is then flipped so the rice faces down, the filling goes onto the nori, and everything is rolled up with a bamboo mat – usually wrapped in cling film so the rice does not stick. The finished roll has rice all around the outside.

This means uramaki hold more filling than thin maki. They are thicker and softer to bite into, and the seaweed flavour takes a back seat. The rice outside also leaves room for toppings: sesame, fish roe such as tobiko, or slices of avocado or fish.

Where the inside-out roll comes from

Uramaki are not an old Japanese tradition but an adaptation for diners in North America. From the 1960s and 1970s, Japanese sushi chefs there experimented with rolls that hid the unfamiliar dark nori sheet. The California roll is the best-known result.

They proved so successful that inside-out rolls became standard in sushi restaurants around the world and eventually found their way back to Japan. In Europe they are now many people’s first taste of sushi.

Uramaki or maki – which suits you?

If you love the bold, slightly salty taste of nori and appreciate simple rolls with a single ingredient, go for classic maki. If you prefer something softer, creamier and more varied, choose uramaki. Many people order both: maki for clarity, uramaki for the variety of fillings.

Uramaki are also ideal for sushi newcomers, as they come with cooked or fried fillings too – crayfish, tempura prawns or cooked tuna, for example.

How to eat uramaki

Uramaki are a little larger than maki, but are still best eaten in one bite with chopsticks. Dip just one cut side briefly into the soy sauce: the outer rice soaks it up quickly, and toppings such as roe tend to fall off.