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.

Sushi

I just discovered sushi in the last few years. Contrary to popular belief, sushi is not raw fish. Sushi refers to the rice preparation - basically, vinegared rice. Since my husband detests seafood, I often make veggie only sushi and sometimes add tuna from a can. This time I decided to try steak, and I loved it.

Sushi

Rice:
1 cup short grain rice (short grain or sticky rice is the key to sushi)
2 cups water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. rice vinegar (unseasoned)

3-4 nori (seaweed sheets)
fillings - see below
condiments - see below

Combine rice and water in rice maker (or make on stove top - a rice maker is super easy. I highly recommend getting one.) and cook until rice is done. Combine sugar, salt, and rice vinegar in small saucepan. Cook and stir over high heat until sugar and salt dissolve - this does not take very long at all. Remove from heat. Pour over hot rice and stir to combine. Put rice in refrigerator to chill. I'm not sure how long it takes to chill - probably at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile prepare filling ingredients for sushi rolls. For steak, I seasoned a tender cut with salt and pepper and sauteed in a pan until medium well. After cooling for a few minutes, slice thinly. For veggies, cut into julienned strips. The thin strips allow the veggies to come together tightly when rolled.

Filling ideas:
carrots
cucumber
avocado
bell peppers
celery
scallions
tuna
steak
pickled ginger - this is a must ingredient. But then again I'm a ginger loving freak. Small jars are available that keep in the fridge since you most likely won't use all of it at one time

A bamboo rolling sheet is not necessary to make sushi rolls, but it does help. If using one, wrap in plastic wrap. You'll thank yourself later because cleaning dried up rice off the bamboo is not very easy. Lay the nori sheet on the bamboo sheet. Some say shiny side up or down, I can never remember and it works fine both ways. Have a dish of water nearby. Dip your hand in water and get a handful of chilled rice and start spreading over the nori. Keep dipping your hand in water as necessary. Spread rice all the way to the edge, except leave about an inch along the top of the sheet free of rice. Layer filling ingredients near bottom of sheet, opposite side of the rice free part.

Start rolling from the ingredient side and squeeze tight with each rotation. When all the way rolled up, use water to seal the nori to itself. Slice each roll into 6-8 slices.

Condiments
Pickled ginger
Wasabi sauce
Sauce made of soy sauce and chili oil with water added to dilute saltiness, if needed