Rice Cooker

Kanpyo Roll

Main Dish

Make this iconic Japanese sushi roll at home in a flash! This kanpyo roll is one of the easiest to make maki of all time.

Servings 2
Preparation
Cooking

Ingredients

3 cups cooked Japanese rice
40 ml rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Pickled kanpyo

Directions

Place cooked rice in a container and add rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Mix well.
Wrap bamboo mat with plastic wrap and have a bowl of water mixed with a little rice vinegar on the side.
Lay a nori sheet with the shiny side facing down on the bamboo mat. Add 1 cup of rice to the center of the nori sheet and wet your fingers with vinegar water.
Spread the rice using your fingers, evenly across the nori sheet.
Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds onto the rice evenly across.
Turn the nori sheet over so the rice is facing down. Move the nori sheet close to the edge of the bottom of the bamboo mat.
Place a few slices of kanpyo horizontally on top of the nori.
Grab the bottom edges of the mat with your thumbs and hold on to the toppings with your other fingers.
Roll into a tight cylinder and lift the edges of the bamboo mat to prevent it from rolling into the roll together with the filling. The mat should look like the letter C from the side as you roll forward. Keep rolling forward using a little pressure and let go when the roll is done.
Cut the roll in half and then into thirds.
Serve with soy sauce and wasabi.

IT’S EASY TO MAKE SUSHI ROLLS AT HOME

Now, we know that might sound a little far fetched. Sushi chefs train for years to craft the perfect maki (sushi roll).

However, if the goal isn’t absolute visual perfection, you can totally get the flavors and textures of makizushi right. And, with a little practice, you can wield that bamboo mat and chef’s knife with the best of them.

When it comes to making this vegan sushi roll, we’d say that there are two super important things: the rice, and the kanpyo itself

For the rice, you’ll want to make sure you’re using short-grain Japanese rice. Cooked short grain rice has a firm yet pliant chew – and the grains stick together slightly (not so much that it’s gluey, just enough to stick together when rolled with nori (seaweed sheets).

And since kanpyo is commonly sold at the grocery store ready to eat, half your work is done for you!

WHAT IS KANPYO?

Kanpyo (かんぴょう) is the shavings from the calabash (bottle gourd). With a cooked texture similar to shiitake mushrooms, this food is commonly used in Japanese simmered dishes and as an ingredient in larger sushi rolls called futomaki.

We’re using it in this smaller nori maki roll today because its savory and sweet flavor and pliant crunch work super well in vegan maki.

HOW TO MAKE SUSHI RICE

Now, we’ve got a post dedicated to making sushi rice at home – read it here.

But to paraphrase, simply rinse and prepare your Japanese short grain rice in your Tiger rice cooker as usual.

Then place the cooked rice in a separate container and add rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Fold that mixture into the rice as it cools. Be careful not to over mix the rice. Now you’re ready to roll!

HOW TO MAKE A KANPYO ROLL

We’ve got step-by-step instructions in the directions tab at the top of this page. But, if you’re visual learners like us, just follow the general steps in this video on how to make a California roll. Just use the kanpyo instead – and make sure the nori (seaweed) stays on the outside of the roll!