KitchenNippon

Ingredients for 4 Servings

Rice
Rice (米 / Kome) 360 ml
Water (水 / Mizu) 360 ml
Konbu (昆布 / Konbu) 1 (5-cm sq)

Sushi Vinegar
Rice vinegar (米酢/ Kome-su) 4 tbsp
Sugar (砂糖 / Satōh) 2 tbsp
Salt (塩/ Shio) 1 tsp
White roasted sesame seeds (白炒り胡麻 / Shiro irigoma) 1 tbsp

Other Chirashi Ingredients
Kanpyō (かんぴょう / Kanpyō) 10 g
Dried shīhtake (干しいたけ / Hoshi shīhtake) 10 g
Water (水 / Mizu) 150 ml for rehydrating the dried shīhtake
Abura-ageh (油揚げ / Abura-ageh) 1
Ginger (しょうが / Shōga) 5 g
Soy sauce (醤油 / Shōyu) 2 tbsp
MirinMirin (みりん / Mirin) 3 tbsp

Sakura Sprinkles
Cod (タラ / Tara) 2 slices (about 150 g)
Sugar (砂糖 / Satōh) 1 1/2 tbsp
Sake (酒 / Sake) 1 tbsp
Salt (塩/ Shio) Pinch
Red food coloring (食紅 / Shoku beni) 1-2 drops

Julienned Egg Crepe
Eggs (卵 / Tamago) 2
Salt (塩/ Shio) Pinch
Katakuriko solution (水溶き片栗粉 / Katakuriko solution)
Water (水 / Mizu) 2 tsp
Katakuri flour 片栗粉 / Katakuriko) 1 tsp
Salad oil (サラダ油 / Sarada yu) Dash

Boiled Shrimp
Shrimp with shells (殻つき海老 / Kara-tsuki ebi) 8
Sake (酒 / Sake) 1 tsp

Snow Pea and Carrot Garnish
Snow peas (絹さや / Kinu saya) 12
Carrots (にんじん / Ninjin) 16 carrot flowers
Salt (塩/ Shio) Pinch

Vinegar Lotus Root
Lotus root (れんこん / Renkon) 80 g

How to Make

1. Soak the dried shīhtake in 150 ml of water for at least 1 hour to rehydrate it.
2. Rinse the rice. Do this multiple times, until the water is mostly clear. Drain off the last rinse water then add the water for cooking (400 ml) and the konbu. Set the pot aside for at least 30 minutes then turn on the rice cooker. When the rice is finished cooking, remove the konbu and then use a shamoji (flat paddle-like utensil) to mix the rice with a cutting motion.
3. Add the sushi vinegar ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Set this aside.
4. Prepare the vinegar lotus root.
a. Skin the lotus root. Cut the lotus root into thin quarter rounds or half rounds, and then rinse these in water and let them drain.
b. Add a dash of vinegar (not included in the recipe) to a pot. Place the pot on medium heat. Add the lotus root slices and cook until they are semi-translucent. Turn off the heat.
c. Add the lotus root slices to the mixing bowl with the sushi vinegar and set the bowl aside for about 10 minutes to let the lotus root absorb some of the sushi vinegar. Remove the lotus root slices from the vinegar and set them aside. Set the sushi vinegar aside.
5. Transfer the cooked rice to a mixing bowl. Add the sushi vinegar you used for the lotus root slices and mix with a cutting motion. When the rice takes on a gloss and becomes a little more sticky, mix in the sesame seeds.
6. Roughly mince the rehydrated shīhtake. The water used to rehydrate the shīhtake will be used later, so set it aside.
7. Rinse the kanpyō and then sprinkle on a bit of salt (not included in the recipe) and knead the kanpyō until it becomes stretchy. Rinse out the salt then place the kanpyō into boiling water (rolling boil) for 3 minutes, or until it softens. Cut the kanpyō into pieces about 5 mm long.
8. Mince the ginger and cut the abura-ageh into squares about 5 mm on a side.
9. Use a flower-shaped cutter to make carrot flowers. Set these aside. Mince the leftover carrot pieces.

10. To a pot, add the shīhtake, kanpyō, ginger, abura-ageh, minced carrots, water used to rehydrate the shīhtake, soy sauce, and mirin. Cover the pot, place it on medium heat, and bring it to a boil. After the pot has boiled for 5 minutes, open it. If there is liquid left, continue heating until it is gone. Let the contents of the pot cool until they are only warm to the touch and then add them to the rice. Mix with a cutting motion.
11. Prepare the sakura sprinkles.
a. Place the cod slices into a pot and add just enough water to cover them. Place the pot on medium heat. When the pot comes to a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes to fully cook the fish. Transfer the cooked fish to a bowl of cold water and remove the bones and skin. Place the fish on a paper towel to remove excess water.
b. To a pot, add the fish, sugar, sake, salt, and 1-2 drops of red food coloring. Place the pot on low heat. Mix the contents of the pot by using 4-5 cooking chopsticks held in a bundle. When the contents of the pot have become uniformly pink and evenly heated, turn off the heat and transfer them to a bowl to let them cool.
12. Prepare the julienned egg crepe.
a. Add the eggs, salt, and katakuri solution to a bowl and mix to create an egg solution.
b. Add a dash of salad oil to a frying pan, spread the oil around, and put the pan on low heat. Pour in the egg solution. When the bottom is cooked, flip and cook the top side.
c. When the top side has cooked, remove the cooked egg solution to a cutting board. Let it cool and then roll it up and cut it into thin strips.
13. Prepare the boiled shrimp.
a. Use a toothpick to devein the shrimp. Rinse the shrimp in water.
b. Put the shrimp into a pot and fill the pot with just enough water to cover the shrimp. Bring the pot to a boil and then add the sake. Continue to heat for 1 minute then turn off the heat and let the pot cool.
c. When the shrimp have cooled, remove the shells and tails. Split the shrimp in half.
14. Prepare the snow pea and carrot garnish.
a. Remove the strings from the snow peas.
b. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Boil the snow peas and carrot flowers until they are fully cooked.
c. Remove the carrot flowers from the boiling water and let them drain. Remove the snow peas to cold water. Cut the snow peas in half diagonally.
15. Transfer the rice to your bento box. Top with the julienned egg crepe, sakura denbu, shrimp, snow peas, carrot flowers, and vinegar lotus root.

Recipe Developed by Chef Machiko Tateno