Chakin-zushi (Sushi Wrapped in Thin Omelette)

Sushi’s not just raw fish on rice cas these delicate little parcels prove. Admittedly, they’re a little bit fiddly – but well worth the effort!
Ingredients
Serves: 4
- 800g sushi rice
- 6 shiitake mushrooms
- 25g gourd
- 60g lotus rootoot
- 60g burdock root root
- 60g carrot
- 6 eggs
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp sugar
- Some vegetable or sunflower oil
- [A]
- 100ml dashi
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- [B]
- 100ml dashi
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- Pinch of salt
Steps
- Rinse the gourd, rub it with salt, soak it in lukewarm water and then boil it for 4-5 minutes. Place in a pan with the shiitake and [A], bring to the boil then lower the heat then cook for 15 minutes. Cut the cooked shiitake into 5mm cubes, and the gourd into 10cm strips.
- Finely slice the lotus root, and quarter the slices.
- Wash the burdock, scrub off the skin and cut into fine shavings. Peel the carrot and julienne.
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the lotus root, burdock root and carrot. When tender, add [B] and cook until the sauce is reduced to nothing.
- Mix the sushi rice with the shiitake, gourd, lotus root, burdock root and carrot. Keep some of the gourd for wrapping up the parcels.
- Beat the eggs gently with the sugar and salt, and pour a small amount of the mixture into a heated, lightly oiled frying pan to make a thin sheet of omelette. Make several sheets.
- Place some of the sushi rice in the centre of the omelette and fold it up like gift-wrap. Tie with a string of gourd.