Authentic Japanese Cooking:
Vegetarian Chirashi Sushi
Learn about Japanese home cooking with Master Chef Saito, based on traditional Japanese cooking techniques! Featured recipes: (1) Vegetarian Chirashi Sushi (2) Hojicha Kanten Jelly.
(1) Vegetarian Chirashi Sushi
Ingredients (Serves 2)
360 ml rice
1 piece kombu kelp (3 cm square)
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 cucumber (120 g)
1/2 carrot (70 g)
40 g Takuan (Japanese yellow daikon pickles)
White sesame seeds
Nori (dried seaweed sheet)
Gari (pickled ginger)
Edible flowers for taste
Sushi vinegar:
80 ml vinegar
30 g sugar
5 g salt
Shiitake dashi:
200 ml reserved water from reconstituting shiitake
100 ml water
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
Directions
1. Cook the rice with a piece of kombu.
2. Reconstitute the dried shiitake with water for 2 to 3 hours. Drain and simmer in the shiitake dashi and add the soy sauce at last. Leave them to cool in a pot, and cut into thin slices.
3. Peel a thin layer of carrot and cut out petals. Parboil in salted water.
4. Rub cucumber in salt, cut them and the Takuan into thin strips.
5. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt and fold into the rice with the toasted sesame seeds. Plate the rice, sprinkle the torn nori and place the shiitake, cucumber and Takuan on the rice. Topped with carrot petals and edible flowers. Serve with Gari.
(2) Hojicha Kanten Jelly
Ingredients (Serves 2)
8 g Hojicha (roasted Japanese green tea)
500 ml water
4 g powdered Kanten agar
15 g sugar
Black sugar syrup
Kinako
Directions
1. Add the roasted green tea into boiling water, simmer for 30 seconds and filter by pouring into a paper towel-lined strainer.
2. Add the powdered Kanten and dissolve. After mixing the tea and Kanten, bring to a gentle boil.
3. Stir in the sugar and pour into a mold to set.
4. Allow the jelly to cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
5. Cut into bite size pieces and drizzle with black sugar syrup and Kinako and serve.