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Tradition of Eating Chirashi Sushi

Chirashi sushi, or “scattered sushi,” is a type of sushi where the toppings are spread over sushi rice rather than being rolled or pressed into nigiri. In Japan, chirashi sushi holds a special place in various celebrations and festivals:

• Hinamatsuri (Doll's Festival or Girls' Day): Celebrated on March 3rd, Hinamatsuri is one of the significant occasions where chirashi sushi is commonly served. This festival prays for the health and happiness of young girls. The colorful toppings of chirashi sushi symbolize the celebration's joy and the wishes for a vibrant future.

• Other Celebrations: Chirashi sushi is also enjoyed during other festive events like New Year's (Oshogatsu), where it's called “osechi-ryori” when part of the traditional New Year's feast, symbolizing good luck and prosperity. It's also popular at family gatherings, birthdays, or any occasion where people gather to celebrate.

Ingredients in Chirashi Sushi

The beauty of chirashi sushi lies in its versatility and the wide variety of ingredients that can be used, almost all having their own symbolic meaning:

• Sushi Rice: The base is sushi rice, seasoned with vinegar, sugar, and salt, giving it a slightly sweet and tangy flavor. No specific cultural meaning, but it's fundamental to sushi, symbolizing the harmony of flavors.

• Seafood:

  • Raw fish like tuna, salmon, or white fish: Used for their freshness and flavor. Symbolically, fish can represent abundance and good fortune in Japanese culture.
  • Shrimp: Often left with tails intact for an aesthetic presentation. In some contexts, shrimp symbolize long life due to their bent shape, which resembles old age.
  • Crab meat or imitation crab: Provides a sweet, tender texture. Crab in Japanese cuisine often signifies celebration and joy.
  • Ikura (salmon roe): Adds a pop of color and briny taste. Roe symbolizes fertility, prosperity, and the continuation of life.

• Vegetables:

  • Cucumber: Adds crunch, symbolizing health and longevity in some traditional meals.
  • Carrot: Often julienned or thinly sliced, sometimes cooked or pickled. Carrots can symbolize prosperity due to their vibrant color and the resemblance to gold.
  • Shiitake mushrooms: Might be simmered in soy sauce for flavor. Mushrooms, in general, can represent life's growth and prosperity in Japanese culture.
  • Edamame or green peas: Used for color contrast and nutrition. Green vegetables generally symbolize youth and vitality.

• Other Toppings:

  • Tamago (sweet omelet): Cut into thin strips or squares. The yellow color can symbolize the sun or gold, associated with good fortune.
  • Nori (seaweed): Adds texture and is a fundamental element of sushi, symbolizing the sea's bounty and health.
  • Renkon (lotus root): Symbolizes purity and enlightenment due to its beautiful shape with holes, often linked to looking ahead or clear vision for the future.

• Garnishes:

  • Shiso leaves: Provides a unique, herbaceous flavor. Shiso is often seen as a medicinal herb that promotes good health.
  • Kinome (young leaves of the sansho pepper): Used especially when sushi is served in spring, symbolizing new beginnings and the fresh start of the season.

Recipe

Ingredients (for 3-4 people)

Sweet and Spicy Simmered Shiitake and Carrot

• Carrot: 1/4 piece
• Dried Shiitake Mushrooms: 2 pieces
• Shiitake Soaking Liquid: 150cc (5 fl oz)
• Mirin: 1 tablespoon (0.5 fl oz)
• Sugar: 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz)
• Soy Sauce: 2 teaspoons (0.33 fl oz)

Pickled Lotus Root

• Lotus Root: 60g (2 oz)
• Salt (for pre-boiling): a pinch
• Vinegar (for pre-boiling): 2 tablespoons (1 fl oz)
• Water (for marinade): 4 tablespoons (2 fl oz)
• Sugar (for marinade): 1 1/2 tablespoons (0.75 oz)
• Salt (for marinade): a pinch
• Vinegar (for marinade): 2 tablespoons (1 fl oz)

Shredded Egg Omelet

• Egg: 1
• Salt: a pinch
• Cornstarch Mixed with Water: 1 tablespoon (0.5 fl oz) (Water: 1/2 tablespoon (0.25 fl oz), Cornstarch: 1 teaspoon (0.17 oz))
• Salad Oil: 1 teaspoon (0.17 fl oz)

Sushi Rice

• Rice (cooked firm): 400g (14 oz)
• Sugar: 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz)
• Salt: 1/2 teaspoon (0.08 oz)
• Vinegar: 2 1/2 tablespoons (1.25 fl oz)

Toppings

• Peeled Shrimp: 4
• Snow Peas: 3
• Shredded Nori: as needed

Preparation

• Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in water and remove the stems. Keep the soaking liquid.
• Peel the carrot.
• Cook the rice to be firm.
• Remove the vein from the shrimp, boil in water with salt and sake (not listed in ingredients), drain, cool, and split lengthwise.
• Remove the strings from the snow peas, blanch in salted water, drain, cool, and cut diagonally in half.

Make Sweet and Spicy Simmered Shiitake and Carrot:

Slice the shiitake mushrooms thinly and cut the carrot into 4cm (1.6 inches) long julienne strips. In a pot, combine shiitake soaking liquid, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, shiitake, and carrot. Bring to a boil, cover with a drop lid, and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes until the liquid is gone. Remove from heat and let cool.

Make Pickled Lotus Root:

Slice the lotus root into 5mm (0.2 inches) thick slices, soak in vinegar water (not listed in ingredients). Boil water in a pot, add salt and vinegar, blanch lotus root for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, then drain and cool. Mix the water, sugar, salt, and vinegar for the marinade in a bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, heat in the microwave at 600W for 30 seconds, let it cool slightly, then combine with lotus root and marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Make Shredded Egg Omelet:

Break an egg into a bowl and beat until the whites are broken. Add salt and cornstarch mixture, then strain.

Heat a frying pan with 1/2 teaspoon (0.08 fl oz) of oil. Pour half the egg mixture in, quickly tilt the pan to spread it evenly. Cook on low heat until set, then flip using chopsticks, cook for another minute. Let cool on a sheet of cooking paper, roll from one end, and shred. Repeat with the remaining egg mixture.

Make Sushi Rice:

Combine sugar, salt, and vinegar for the sushi rice in a bowl, pour over warm rice in a sushi tub, and mix by cutting through with a fan.

Assemble:

Mix the sweet and spicy simmered ingredients into the rice, scatter shredded nori and egg omelet on top, then arrange the pickled lotus root, shrimp, and snow peas to finish.

Tips and Points

• Start with the toppings to avoid the rice hardening by the time you're done.
• Straining the egg mixture for the omelet gives a cleaner finish.
• Adding cornstarch mixture to the eggs prevents tearing.
• When cooking eggs, spread a thin layer of oil on the sides of the pan with kitchen paper for easier cooking.

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