Recipe: Ruth Pretty’s Chirashi-Sushi
This deconstructed sushi bowl tastes as good as it looks.
Recipe: Ruth Pretty Styling & photos: Carolyn Robertson
Chirashi translates as “scattered”; this is essentially deconstructed sushi. In spring, it becomes a party dish with delicately and purposefully arranged toppings.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
300g sushi rice
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced, canned, drained bamboo shoots (freeze remaining shoots)
3 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated, drained, squeezed and thinly sliced
40g podded frozen edamame beans, blanched and cooled
12 large raw prawns, heads off, peeled, tails on
100g raw salmon, sliced very thinly
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and roughly mashed
1 large avocado, stoned, peeled and cut into small cubes
30g seaweed salad, available at Asian product stores and larger supermarkets
20g salmon caviar, sometimes called roe, available at larger supermarkets (freeze the remaining caviar)
2 small handfuls microgreens, or small mesclun leaves
METHOD
Place rice in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Stir until the water turns cloudy, then drain. Repeat once or twice until the water is almost clear. Drain rice again and put in a medium saucepan with 560ml water. Cover and bring to the boil over a high heat.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Combine soy, mirin and sugar in a small pot. Bring to the boil, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat to cool.
Place cooked rice on a baking tray and scatter with bamboo shoots, shiitake and edamame. Drizzle with cold soy mixture and toss gently to combine. Divide between two low-sided presentation bowls, making sure the rice is level without pressing down.
Set a small pot of water over a high heat. Bring to the boil and add the prawns. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until prawns turn pink. Drain and refresh under cold water. Cut prawns in half lengthwise and drain on a paper towel. Arrange them on the rice in a symmetrical pattern, followed by the salmon.
Gently mix the mayonnaise and eggs. Using a small teaspoon, place little mounds of egg mayonnaise between prawns and salmon, followed by the avocado and seaweed salad.
Dot the rice with salmon caviar, followed by microgreens or mesclun.
