Sushi Class 2: Chirashi-zushi

Tokyo style with salmon and tuna sashimi, tamago yaki, unagi kabayaki, shiitake mushrooms, avocado, cucumber, salmon roe, shiso leaf on top of sushi rice with wasabi in a cucumber cup

This was the second class in a series of three sushi classes I'm teaching for the Fort Worth Japanese Society.  The first class was on the basics--how to make sushi rice, inside out rolls and nigiri-zushi.

This class highlighted three types of chirashi-zushi, or tossed sushi.  The first was gomoku chirashi zushi, a typical homestyle version using cooked carrots, simmered shiitake mushrooms, lotus root, shredded omelet and kampyo (simmered gourd), along with some pickled ginger and nori.

I made all the ingredients from scratch, a huge undertaking considering all the simmering and chopping, especially simmering the dried shiitake mushrooms and getting the taste and texture just right.  When my mother made this type of chirashi-zushi she would use a can of "chirashi-zushi no moto" and now I see why!  However, my version here was so tasty and fresh.  For those who want a vegetarian sushi you can't beat the gomoki chirashi-zushi.  We also made another type of chirashi-zushi called Bara-zushi, or Kansai style chirashi-zushi.  This one was similar to the first type, however the ingredients are cut into large pieces and can include meat or fish.  My version had pieces of shrimpa and unagi (eel) along with tamgo yaki (egg) and cucumbers and avocados.

Gomuki style with shiitake mushrooms, kanpyo, koyadofu, and omelet

Kansai style (bara-zushi) with cooked shrimp, eel, omelet, cucumbers

I really enjoyed the classic Tokyo style chirashi-zushi the best, though.  Maybe it's because I have fond memories of having that type in Japan or with my mother, but it really is my favorite and the easiest to make.  You can see in the photo below the plates with the components for the chirashi-zushi, and the finished one I made at the very top of the blog. 

The most important ingredient is good sushi rice.  I covered that in my first sushi class blog post on the basics.  Place the rice in a shallow bowl, or as in my photo, a chirashi bowl.  They are even available on Amazon for a reasonable price.

Prepare all the componets in advance and leave the raw fish for last.  For my recipe I used:

sushi grade salmon, sushi grade big eye tuna, sushi shrimp, unagi (broiled and barbequed eel), simmered shiitake mushrooms, avocado, tamago yaki, cucumber fans, salmon roe in a lemon boat, wasabi in a cucumber cup, sushi ginger and shiso leaves from my garden.  The unagi kabayaki is heated right before preparing the chirashi by broiling it briefly in an oven (or toaster oven).

You can use any sushi grade fish you desire and cooked items in place of eel, such as a piece of chicken teriyaki. Slice the sushi grade fish right before you serve the chirashi-zushi.  There is some preparation involved in this dish such as making a recipe of tamago yaki, simmering shiitake mushrooms, and making some pretty cucumber fans, cups, and lemon boats.  I have a great book, The Sushi Experience by Hiroko Shimbo in which she has detailed illustrations on how to make the cucumber fans and lemon boats.  They are very simple, yet look so beautiful.

Arrange the various items on top of the sushi rice and enjoy!  The raw fish can be dabbed with a bit of wasabi and dipped lightly in soy sauce or in the special tsuke joyu sauce we made for the class which contains some dashi and mirin.

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Noodle Salad with Fresh Vegetables and Ginger Peanut Dressing

I don't usually like peanut dressings, bottled or otherwise.  The noodle salads I've had with sesame peanut dressings are often so oily and over seasoned I've never like that type of dressing enough to make my own.  When I started eating more plant based dishes I decided to try my own version of Asian Peanut Dressing and use a really good peanut butter.  I had been Nut ' N Butter Organic Peanut  butter and it is really tasty.  I thought that could make a good base for the dressing.  I was right and the dressing was so good I could put it over anything.   Try it with the noodle salad here or use these ingredients over brown rice drizzled with the peanut dressing.  If you want to have beef, chicken, or tofu with this dish, prepare a simple marinade of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, mirin, jalapeno and a teaspoon of canola oil.
Marinate the protein in a bowl or bag and grill over medium heat until desired doneness.  Cut into small pieces and set aside.  I like the salad with the vegetables alone, however I made grilled sirloin steak for my husband.

Ingredients

Ginger Peanut Dressing

Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup crunch peanut butter
1 T canola oil
3 T low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup agave syrup
1 T grated ginger
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.

Salad

Noodles
1 pound thin spaghetti noodles, multigrain or any type preferred, cooked according to package instructions, rinse and set aside
1/2 head purple cabbage, cut into thin shreds on a mandoline
1/2 head romaine lettuce, cut into shreds
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin into julienne slices
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin into julienne slices
1 English or Japanese cucumber, slice very thin on a mandoline and cut into julienne slices
5 scallions, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 cups cilantro, soaked, rinsed, and chopped
2-3 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced and chopped
2 cups bean sprouts (optional)

For each serving,  take 1 cup cooked spaghetti and mix 1-2 T ginger peanut dressing into noodles.  Don't mix more than 4 cups of spaghetti with sauce at a time.

On a plate or in a large shallow bowl place a pile of shredded cabbage and lettuce.  Place the noodles on top.  Add slices of pepper, carrots, bean sprouts, scallions, cilantro and jalapeno peppers.  Drizzle a little more dressing on top.  Very filling and satisfying.

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