Delicately scented sushi rice, smoked or sushi-grade salmon, egg ribbons and a few vegetables are all you need to make a riff on a chirashi sushi bowl at home. This recipe makes enough for two servings, but it's easily halved or doubled. Cookbook author Sonoko Sakai strongly recommends soaking the rice before cooking. This helps ensure your rice will be especially tender and fluffy, but not damp or sticky. If you have hard water, Sakai recommends using filtered water to cook the rice for best results.
Traditional sushi rice has a touch of sugar, but even Sakai says she skips it sometimes.
The egg ribbons add protein and a spot of yellow. If you don't eat eggs, skip them. (Need another idea for yellow? Try yellow cherry tomatoes or yellow bell pepper.)
Salmon, smoked or not, and its roe provide the red in this chirashi. Feel free to use another fish, such as tuna. You can also use any other protein instead.
In place of cucumbers, consider sliced snap peas, steamed asparagus, pickled green beans or fresh herbs.
Chirashi Sushi
- For the rice:
- 1 cup sushi or other short-grain rice
- 1 ¼ cups cool water, plus more for rinsing
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, plus more if desired
- For the egg ribbons:
- 1 egg
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- Small pinch granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
- For the toppings:
- 4 ounces smoked or fresh sushi-grade salmon, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 Persian (mini) cucumber, sliced OR ½ avocado, sliced
- 1 small carrot (1 ounce), cut into thin matchsticks
- 4 ounces salmon roe (optional)
- 2 (2-inch) sheets nori, cut or sliced into thin strips (optional)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or sliced sushi (pickled) ginger (optional)
- 1 teaspoon prepared wasabi, or more to taste (optional)
- Soy sauce, for serving
Place the rice in a small, 1- or 2-quart saucepan. Add cool water to cover, gently swirl the rice around for 20 seconds with your fingers, then tip all of the starchy water out, taking care not to let the rice grains fall down the drain. Repeat this process. After draining the cloudy water the second time, add 1 ¼ cups of cool water to the rice and let it soak for 15 minutes or up to 12 hours.
Set the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and maintain a rapid simmer for 4 minutes, watching to ensure it does not boil over, then cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. At this point, the rice will be cooked, but firm and still quite damp. Remove from heat and keep tightly covered for 10 minutes. Uncover, and use a rice paddle or wide spoon to gently fluff the grains. Keep the rice tightly covered while you prepare the toppings.
Make the egg ribbons: In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the salt and sugar until homogeneous.
Heat an 8-inch, nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Lightly grease the bottom of the pan with the oil. Pour in the egg and tilt the skillet so the egg spreads into an even layer across the bottom of the pan. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook the egg gently until the surface is mostly dry with a few wet spots, 3 to 4 minutes. (The egg should not brown.) Turn off the heat and let the egg cool slightly. Transfer to a cutting board, roll the egg up into a log, then cut it crosswise to form ½-inch-wide ribbons.
Fluff the rice with a rice paddle or rubber spatula again, and stir in the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Taste the rice, and adjust the seasoning if desired.
To serve, divide the rice between two bowls. Top each neatly with the egg ribbons, salmon, cucumber or avocado slices, carrots and, if using, salmon roe, nori strips, ginger and a dab of wasabi. Serve with soy sauce at the table.
Makes 2 servings.