Chirashi zushi (scattered sushi)

to see the preparation process in photos  look at Janet Majure’s blog post (where the photo on the right is taken from)

Rice ingredients

Cooked Japanese sushi rice      4 cups

Water                                       4 1/4 cups

Kelp (kombu)                           3 x 3 inches

Sake                                        2 Tbsp

Vinegar sauce ingredients

Rice vinegar                              1/2 cup

Salt                                          1 tsp

Sugar                                       1 or 2 Tbsp

Toppings ingredients

Shiitake mushrooms - can use dried (1 1/2 oz) or fresh (1/3 cup)

Cook enough to rehydrate dried shiitake or soften fresh shiitake, in 3-1/3 cups of warm water (keep the water for cooking carrots-see below) together with the following:

Sugar               2 -1/4 tsp

Salt                  1/4 tsp

Sake                1/4 Tbsp

Soy sauce         1-1/2 Tbsp

Carrot 7 oz.

Cook in water left over from cooking shiitake (after taking out shiitake)

Add     Sake    1/2 Tbsp

Salt      1/4 tsp

Hijiki (seaweed, dried)　        1 oz.

Cook in water left over from cooking shiitake and carrot above (after taking out carrot)

Add water (if needed)

Soy sauce         1-1/2 Tbsp

Sugar               2 tbsp

Sake                1/2 Tbsp

Cooking oil       2/3 Tbsp

Kinshi-tamago (shredded egg crepe)

Eggs     3-5

Salt      a pinch

Cooking oil       enough to keep eggs from sticking to pan

Nori (dried seaweed ) 2-1/2 sheets

Beni Shoga (red pickled ginger) a few pieces

Shiso (green)   3 to 5 pieces

TO COOK

1) Prepare toppings

A. shiitake

1. if using dried, rehydrate first in 3 and a half cups of warm water. (Keep the water for cooking)

2. Take out shiitake from water. Remove stem of shiitake and discard, then slice shiitake thinly.

3. Cook it with 2 1/4 tsp of sugar, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 Tbsp of Sake, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce with enough water used for rehydrating shiitake for 15 minutes. Set aside for a while.

B. carrots

1. Slice carrots into thin strips.

2. Cook them with 1/2 Tbsp of sake, 1/4 tsp of salt in the soup used to cook shiitake above, after taking out shiitake. Simmer it with no additional water.

C. hijiki

1. Wash hijiki with cold water. and rehydrate it.

2. Stir fry with 2/3 Tbsp of cooking oil. Add some shiitake water, 1-1/2 Tbsp of soy sauce, 2 Tbsp of sugar, 1/2 Tbsp of sake to the pan. Simmer it for 15 minutes.

*These toppings should be prepared well before cooking chirashi zushi.

D.  Slice beni shoga into thin strips

E. Prepare egg crapes (with a little amount of salt and 1 or 2 Tbsp of water )and shred them.

F. Cut nori sheet into thin strips (3/4 inches long)

G.  Wash shiso and cut into thin strips

2) Prepare vinegar rice for sushi

1. Cook Japanese rice with sake and kombu, and take out kombu after it’s done.

Keep it for 5 minutes with clean cooking cloth over the bowl.

2. Mix 1/2 cup of rice vinegar, 1 tsp of salt and 1 or 2 Tbsp of sugar.

3. Move the rice into wide bowl (wooden bowl is best ) forming a cupped shape.

4. Sprinkle the mixed vinegar over the rice. Fold the rice using a shamoji (rice spatula) quickly. Be careful not to smash the rice.

5. Cool and remove the moisture with a fan as you mix sushi rice.

6. Keep it for a while with a clean wet cooking cloth over the bowl.

3) To Serve

1. Mix toppings (A to C) with sushi rice while it is still warm

2. Serve it on large plate or in individual bowls

3. Sprinkle other toppings (D to G) neatly on top of rice.

*You can enjoy other local vegetables or food as you like, too for variation.

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