Chirashi Sushi

A friend originally from Japan brought Chirashi Sushi to a potluck reception after a recital. She gave me some basic instructions on how to make it, but they included using a chirashi sushi packet purchased from an Asian market. So I went searching for a recipe that didn't require the prepared packet and found a pretty authentic one from lafujimama.com. The recipe below is based off the online recipe with my Americanizing simplifications. I also added a few ideas from my Japanese friend's suggestions as well.

Chirashi Sushi
adapted from lafujimama.com and my Japanese friend
Makes 4 – 6 servings

2 large dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 carrot, sliced into thin matchsticks
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 ounces sushi vinegar
2 cups steamed short grain rice
handful of snow peas
nori seaweed, sliced thin
2 eggs, beaten and pan-fried into flat crepe shape, sliced into thin strips
cucumber, sliced thin
pickled ginger

1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms in water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and cut into small pieces.

2. Combine the chicken broth and sugar in a pot and add the shiitake mushrooms and carrot. Cook over low heat until the liquid is 2/3 of the original amount. Add the soy sauce and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. (Don’t add the soy sauce before this point, or it will make the mixture too salty.) Turn off the heat and let everything cool in the pot.

3. Add the sushi vinegar to the cooled ingredients in the pot and then fold everything together with the freshly steamed rice.

4. Put the rice mixture on a large serving plate, sprinkle with snow peas, nori seaweed, and then finish with the egg strips on top. Also garnish with cucumber and pickled ginger.