Hawaii Maki Sushi Maki Sushi, made for the family and made for a snack that goes well with just about anything was maki sushi (roll sushi" which classically has canned meats in the middle especially canned tuna. Nothing can top the dish that was made by the hands of many grand mothers and aunties or even the moms out there who would make the sushi and wrap it in wax paper. There were many ways to make it, since you could throw in all sorts of food inside. A common thing to add was: flavored powder, shredded meat either marinated or not, crunchy vegetable, and choice ingredient. It appeared to look like a sushi shaped like a log that was cut in individual slices. The blade was always kept wet, so it would stick to the rice and make a maki disaster. Some even put oil on their blade. The most basic makisushi would have: canned tuna, carrots, tamago egg, red and green ebi powder. Kamaaina ate makisushi casually and was a favorite among pupus and was even said to bring good luck. For many in Hawaii the taste brings many back the younger years of their childhood in reference to many pioneers of Hawaii sushi. The makisushi was actually based on the maki-type in Japan called the "futomaki" however, what makes the maki sushi roll different in Hawaii is the ingredients. It was so common that you could go over and ask someone's mom if they could make some sushi as a snack or for a meal that they would go to the pantry using a canned tuna. Traditional Sizes of Maki Sushi If someone were to look up what the Maki Sushi means it literally means rolled sushi from a sushi rolling mat. In Hawaii, it is important to know the Japanese term Maki Sushi is actually a category of traditionally named sizes, such as: Hosomaki, Uramaki, Futomaki, and Temaki. The reason it is important is to know the interchangeable names some with knowledge of Japanese cuisine may use when a roll looks similar to the Japanese sizings. The Hawaii Maki Sushi is its own dish and when compared to traditional sizes it fits the description of a size category of a "Futomaki". Back in the day the maki sushi was sort of a one size fits all, until much later. At that time Uramaki's had arrived with the interest in the dish called a "California Roll" that were reverse rolls and about the size of a futomaki and added roll varieties other than plain and marinated shredded meats. What this would add is mayonnaise varieties for creamy meats that were in between the rolls. The types of Sushi Rolls in Hawaii is: Temaki Sushi (cone hand-roll), Sushi Rolls (large hand-roll), Maki Sushi (futomaki rolled sushi), Jumbo Sushi (aka. bumbucha rolled sushi). Variations of Maki Sushi Okazuya Maki Sushi, these maki sushi would be sometimes labeled as futomaki types, sometimes they were called Nori Futomakis and inside out rolls were sometimes called Ura Futomakis (ura means inside out). However the Hawaii people just know it as a Maki Sushi. These names were used when trying to distinguish the difference between a nori on the outside roll and a reverse inside out roll. Early futomakis were: Shoyu Tuna Futomaki (aka. Hawaiian Futomaki), Shoyu Pork Futomaki, Sweet Egg Futomaki, Kinpira Konbu Futomaki, Hot Dog Futomaki, Kamaboko Futomaki, and Vegetable Futomaki (aka. korean roll). Maki Sushi was especially popular on the Big island and had some interesting rolls including: Mustard Futomaki and Egg Futomaki that could be found at Hilo Lunch Shop. Canned Food Ingredients after the War It started from Japan but changed into something identified as a Hawaii dish even to the Japanese. The canned foods were used, due to their long shelf life in the pantry and their ease of accessibility. Families always had their recipe that they followed with all sorts of canned goods or shredded meats including: canned albacore tuna, canned sardines, canned unagi eel, canned salmon, and even canned saba. The ingredients would be paired with sweet sushi rice that would be wrapped in nori and flavored with seafood powders. The rice was often times more traditional as sour sushi rice, but some still preferred sweet sushi rice. The flavor would be sweet from the sugar from the plantation melted in with the salt that had only a certain amount of vinegar and mirin included that did not take away from the sweetness of the sushi rice. Fresh Food Varieties As time went on people moved from plantation work into other fields of work they were able to afford better food. Sometimes they would even catch it themselves and use the meat to make sushi. This would bring variations that used less canned meats and more fresh meats that would be used to make meals of a wider variety then the limited choices of canned goods. A few of these variations started to pop up in the 1970s when more and more families started to become interested in Futomakis for left overs. This made many variations of what was available at the time. Some Hawaiian families in the liliha area would use left over Kalua pork and toss it in a roll along with some crab, or the samoan families that used corned beef in their rolls, and some okinawan families would also use left over shoyu chicken to make rolls. The rolls were getting really diverse with their shredded variations with the following list: kalua pork, oven-roasted turkey, shredded teriyaki beef, oio bone fish, samoan crab, imitation crab, shredded shoyu chicken, miso butterfish, and corned beef. Temaki Sushi Temaki Sushi, has come in the 1980s as travel started becoming common place and making portable dishes to take the beach were popular. One such dish would be a sushi that never left the sushi bars at local Japanese Restaurants which had Okazuya, which would be Temaki Roll Sushi. It may not look like much with its grab and go appearance of a sushi hand roll that is cone-shaped with seaweed on the outside and is packed in the way of a bouquet of sushi. The temaki sushi roll would be treated more like a ice cream cone with ingredients with texture and creaminess and a large amount of toppings. Sitting at the sushi bar with a friendly face and a few bottles of beer would always hit the spot of a relaxing place to hang out. Many of these locally run Hawaii-style Sushi bars would have a pretty large menu, however a popular order would always be temaki rolls. A consistent favorite to eat along with Hawaii Cone Sushi and Maki Sushi would be "Hawaii Temaki Sushi" would be the dish that was delicious made fresh and the sushi bar would be the place for it. Okazuya's would also have Temaki Sushi, but it was not as crunchy as it was made before hand and ready for take out. There are a few Okazuya that would even speciallize in a large variety of Temaki Sushi if many of their orders were take outs. The reason for this would be to make take out sushi the priority with the kitchen sushi station being used for take-out orders instead of eat in orders. A notable location that has made Temaki well known is called Masa & Joyce on Windward side of Oahu which many households still have the recipes of really olden day rolls from residents that moved to the area in the 1980s. Different Okazuya would have different sizes in serving Temaki Sushi depending on what their specialty dish was, so there were kinds of sizes. Creaminess was a factor taken into account of many sorts of rolls which would be mixed in a bowl before placed into a bowl and sometimes placed in a plastic bag to squeeze out of a tip as if it were frosting. It was important to know the difference between a Cone Sushi, Temaki Sushi (cone hand-roll), Sushi Rolls (large hand-roll), Maki Sushi (futomaki rolled sushi). As well as the different sorts of Musubi which was in a category of its own. Temaki Sushi had similar names as other sushi with the: Mini Temaki Sushi (small), Temaki Sushi (medium), Fat Temaki Sushi (large). At homes there was a chance to use a much larger field of ingredients and many of these would come in contact with creamy mayonnaise. The seasoning and texture of the roll would usually come from added shoyu, sesame seed oil, and fish eggs like: tobiko fish eggs (flying fish roe), masago eggs (capelin roe), abalone with kazunoko eggs (herring roe). While poke may have put a balanced amount of fish eggs many of the temaki recipes put generous amounts of fish eggs for a nice crunch. Or in some cases it was mostly eggs for ikura temaki or another roll famous for its stench the option of a chopped up natto. The creaminess comes from the component mixture of: plain mayonnaise, avocado mayonnaise, spicy mayonnaise(chili sauce, or kimchee, or sriracha), light oyster sauce mayonnaise (panda brand), misoyaki mayonnaise, or kamaboko mayonnaise. Some of these would be mixed up with: green onion negitoro (various raw-fish), small bay scallops, baby shrimp, chopped up tamago sweet egg, chopped up whole softshell crab, chopped canned tuna, chopped sea urchin (various), or poke. Garnishes would include thinly sliced green onion, japanese cucumber, daikon, kaiware sprouts, sliced nori, sliced lettuce, sliced yama imo (mountain yam), sliced shiso leaves, sliced tsukemono (various), sliced kim chee (various). Futomaki Sushi The kitchen of canned goods with many hungry mouths to feed that see the steam shooting off the white and black rice cooker that starts to whistle in the distance. Gathered in the kitchen are wives from each son who married into different families that are all led by the grandmother of the home with her wooden cutting board and broken english pidgin mixed with Japanese. The futomaki is a nori wrapped roll of sushi rice with ingredients in the middle with a rounded outside look that is tube like. The word futo means fat and maki means roll and would sometimes be referred to as hammamaki which also means eat em up roll. They were eaten at times of celebration and were said to bring good luck the more you ate. As a casual dish that was made to eat at home or on the go it was typical of this comfort food dish to be wrapped in wax paper and placed in a container to eat later.
Kamaaina ate sushi casually. When many people think of a futomaki they are thinking of a roll of sushi that is made with strong culinary presentation and many rules on how to eat a roll. But, in Hawaii the taste brings many back to their younger years of their childhood in reference to many pioneers of Hawaii sushi futomakis that made a home style sushi that eventually were served in okazuya and high class Japanese restaurants. You could go over and ask someone's mom if they could make up some sushi or often hear a happy father asking his wife if dinner could include some sushi if he went to pick up some ingredients for the meal that would vary from freshly caught fish to canned tuna. It started from Japan but changed into something identified as a Hawaii dish even to the Japanese. The canned foods were used, due to their long shelf life in the pantry and their ease of accessibility. The ingredients would be paired with sweet sushi rice that would be wrapped in nori or served inside out, but either way it would have flavored seafood powders. The rice had a very different taste than the traditional flavoring of slightly sweet with a bite of vinegar… the flavor would be sweet from the sugar from the plantation melted in with the salt that had only a certain amount of vinegar and mirin included that did not take away from the sweetness of the sushi rice. It would be common to bring a rounded container with a flat bottom and a lid to keep the rice from going hard if it was cooked, but in the case of sushi rice this would also be the container the rice would be mixed in and stored. Always something delicately layered in flavors the futomaki sushi was a food that would be big. The process is tedious said one of the aunties who was mixing the rice and then asking for a rice paddle to prepare the sushi rice to be placed on the nori for rolling. When looking from a distance everyone in the kitchen would be doing their part to make an abundance of rolls. There would be one aunty who was making the rice, another who was mixing the rice and setting the nori, while another aunt would be assembling everything together leaving the grandma moving the trays to the table in the living room. What were the married spouses doing while all the ladies were making the sushi? Spending time watching baseball on television and sometimes adjusting the antennas to get better quality on the channel they were watching. The dishes would keep coming row after row of sushi, bowls of boiled peanuts, and garlic edamame would be added a nice selection of pupus to accompany the beer. The grandmother said that she would make a pile of it and keep on stackin the sushi like a small mountain for larger gatherings in case people would just linger near the sushi. The Futomaki is one roll that is apart of Hawaii cuisine that came from Japanese-Americans, but it really made its mark when canned goods began being apart of the local staple, since people would have to make use of whatever they could to make sushi. She said the same was for mixed sushi rice as well as mixed rices in general were created as a means to survive, but in the later days it was for variation of meals. An aunty who was rolling the maki said that in the days that baseball was popular was when there were many sushi recipes being passed around the pot lucks for a variety that were unique to the islands which used fried egg, vegetables, canned things, as well as fresh catches. The aunties spouse said no can forget that nothing could stop grandma and the aunties from using anything they could get their hands on to make the sushi. In the Good ‘ol days the best sushi people would find would usually made by their own mother or grandmother and remembered all the way from recipes in the camps. A particular style that is well known is old plantation style maki or just plantation makisushi which uses string beans, carrots, takuan pickled radish, boiled fish, green ebi or pink ebi seasoning. It would be a tradition to eat sushi on New Years, Christmas, and Thanksgiving for holidays or when people were just in the mood for some sushi pupus on beach outings or picnics with the family. Many grew up thinking that futomaki was the quintessential sushi roll experience with the main variation being teriyaki beef instead of tuna inside. Hawaii Futomaki Varieties A Futomaki dish consists of several elements: the rice, the vinegar, and the filling. The typical rice is sweet sushi rice that has canned meats like: corned beef hash, spam, vienna sausage, oiled sardines, mackeral, albacore tuna, salmon, and if you were lucky some crab. The most common is the albacore tuna that was marinated then assembled and rolled with the maki mat. Okazuya Futomaki Pupu. From children to adults it was known that a local okazuya would have their reputation challenged from their skill of making cone sushi and maki sushi as one of the many okazuya dish standards of the time. The sushi rolls were seen as a snack that could be shared or eaten on the go. It was big and compacted ingredients inside with many goodies that would make people want to come back for more. These futomakis would sometimes be called Nori Futomakis and inside out rolls were sometimes called Ura Futomakis (ura means inside out). Big island had some interesting rolls including: Mustard Futomaki and Egg Futomaki that could be found at Hilo Lunch Shop. Early futomakis were: Shoyu Tuna Futomaki (aka. Hawaiian Futomaki), Shoyu Pork Futomaki, Sweet Egg Futomaki, Kinpira Konbu Futomaki, Hot Dog Futomaki, Kamaboko Futomaki, and Vegetable Futomaki (aka. korean roll). It wouldn’t be hard to find a small crowd in the open air area of an okazuya munching on some ala carte sushi with the filled chairs and benches of the old guard. Marinated Futomaki Sauce. The rice had its own sauce and in the olden days so did the fish to give it some extra kick to its flavor. The base of the marinating sauce would be teriyaki as the go to sauce base until fish sellers started to making the dish a little more exciting by making other types of sauce bases: classic teriyaki marinade, shoyu miso marinade (shoyu, sugar, sesame oil, miso, chili pepper water), sweet chili marinade (shoyu, sugar, vinegar, garlic, pickled chilies), hot teriyaki marinade (shoyu, kimchee marinade), and adobo shoyu marinade (shoyu, vinegar, garlic, black peppercorns, bay leaf). The sellers would talk to the fishermen and get fish from the sampan fleet which would go out to catch tuna. Many of these families would later on buy larger boats to go and get their catches. The sellers would be at the pier early in the morning and fish that never sold were sometimes taken home to their families. Some of these available fish would turn into sushi like: tuna, yellowfin tuna, albacore tuna, samoan crab, and oio bonefish. Later additions int he 60’s and 70’s from the overseas trades brought: classic krab, canned salmon, and butterfish. Negitoro Futomaki Mayo. Inexpensive and creamy mayonnaise would not only be popular on the mainland, but it would make its mark in Hawaii as well. Futomaki at home would usually be of the marinated variety, however its rival would be of the mayonnaise variety that was better suited to pantries and budgets as tuna began to be more expensive. Imitation crab would be the ingredient matched with mayonnaise on a dish known as “Pan Sushi” and similar ingredients would be placed inside sushi rolls. A similar dish started being served at fast food sushi establishments that made reverse rolls the norm these were the california rolls, negitoro rolls, tamago roll, and tempura rolls. With ingredients featuring a wide spread of dishes the negitoro futomaki was born. It had a layer of minced raw fish as a topping with a sauce, the roll itself was inside out, and filled with most commonly imitation crab. Some variations would be filled with: mayo krab, teri krab, spicy krab, avocado krab, shrimp, or tamago.
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