photo: masak-masak ; recipe: a. hagan

Chirashi Sushi

Chirashi literally means scattered. This is a great lunch box/ picnic food. It is sushi for people who don’t want to spend the time meticulously rolling delicate fillings into perfect tubes. You will found chirashi sushi in train stations platforms all over Japan either in lunch boxes for workers or packaged for picnics.
 
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked sushi rice
3 to 5 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/2 medium carrot
6 green beans
1 green onion
1 sheet nori (seaweed)
1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sake or dry sherry
1/2 cup dashi (Japanese stock), or substitute for chicken broth
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
  
1. Slice the mushrooms, carrot, and green beans into matchstick julienne or thin shreds. (Be sure to remove and discard the tough shiitake stems.)
2. Slice the green onions (white and green parts) on the diagonal, about 1/4-inch wide; set aside.
3. Cut the nori into thin shreds, about 3/4-inch long. (Scissors work best for this.)
4. In a small saucepan, heat together the soy sauce, sugar, sake, and dashi until just simmering. Add the mushrooms, carrots, and green beans. Cook on high until the vegetables just begin to soften, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
5. Beat the eggs with the salt and sugar. Lightly grease a nonstick pan and heat on medium. Pour in just enough egg mixture to coat the pan, swirling to cover the surface. Cook until set. Slide the cooked egg onto a cutting board. Roll into a cigar-shaped cylinder and cut across into thin shreds. Repeat with remaining egg mixture.
6. Mix the rice with half of the soy mixture and shredded vegetables, half the nori, and half the shredded egg. (A chopstick mixes the ingredients well without mashing them.) Lightly press the rice into bowls or spread on a serving platter. Top with the remaining ingredients, finishing with a sprinkling of nori and the sliced green onions. Serve at room temperature.

Variations are endless: try crab, tuna (fresh or canned), cooked shrimp, water chestnuts, spinach, peas, asparagus, snow peas, or even teriyaki chicken shreds.


  1. VINI VERGANI recommends: Prosecco Brut Alexander, 37.5 cl
    Producer: Sandro Bottega, Bibano di Godega Sant'Urbano, 100% Prosecco
    Degustation notes: An exquisite sparkling wine with a straw yellow color and a pleasant, vigorous body of tannin. It obtains it's sophistication by being consumed within the first year




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