Is It Possible To Make Sushi Without A Mat?

You have fish, rice, and nori, but no bamboo rolling mat. Can you make sushi without one? The short answer is yes — but it might not be the kind of sushi you were picturing.

A sushi mat, or makisu, is made of dozens of skewers of bamboo woven together with cotton string. It's flexible enough to be rolled, but stiff enough to press its contents into shape. That combination results in neat, rounded sushi rolls. Let's be real: You'll be hard-pressed to make perfect makizushi without a makisu. It's not easy for a beginner to achieve tight, even rolls with a mat, let alone without one.

Thankfully, sushi mats are cheap and easy to find. Expect to spend a few bucks at an Asian grocery store. "Honestly, you're gonna spring for fish and you can't buy a makisu? Just buy one," says James Dumapit, chef and partner at omakase restaurant Bar Miller. His advice is worth heeding — he helped pioneer sustainable sushi at Rosella before joining Bar Miller. That said, it's possible to make sushi without a mat. Certain forms of sushi don't require a makisu at all; rolls can be formed with substitute tools in a pinch.

If you're all set for sushi night, minus the sushi mat, you have options. First, you can jury-rig a substitute. "Anything that can create tension (cling film, for example) will help," says chef James Dumapit. In addition to (or in combination with) cling film, you can use a silicone baking mat, newspaper, or a kitchen towel in place of a sushi mat.

Alternatively, you can opt for one of the types of sushi that doesn't require a sushi mat in the first place. Futomaki, for instance, are thick, fat sushi rolls that are a couple of inches in diameter. According to Dumapit, "they don't necessarily require any special equipment."

"You can always make nigiri," Dumapit says. To make these small, ovoid portions of rice and sashimi, you don't need a sushi mat. Just shape the rice in your hands and cut a perfect slice of fish to go on top. Chirashi, or scattered sushi, is another option for the matless. Fill a bowl with sushi rice and top it with fillings. You can't go wrong with fish, egg, and roe.

Don't let the name fool you. A sushi mat isn't a one-task tool; you can use it to form any roll-shaped food. Try it with a small jelly roll. Or opt for more Japanese cuisine and use it to perfect the shape of tamagoyaki, a Japanese rolled omelette. After you've cooked the egg and dashi mixture into a layered, rectangular shape, finish it off in the makisu.

According to chef James Dumapit, sushi mats also make for "great ad hoc cavatelli paddles." Traditionally, the small, hot-dog-bun-shaped pasta gets its ribbed texture from a board carved with vertical lines. The same kind of board is used to make gnocchi. Rolling pasta (or dumplings) on a sushi mat creates a remarkably similar texture to the real thing.

Now that you know everything a sushi mat can do, there's no excuse not to drop a couple of bucks on one. You'll never have to panic-Google "how to roll sushi without a sushi mat" again.