Recipes

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

  1. 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.
  2. Finely slice the lotus root, and quarter the slices.
  3. Wash the burdock, scrub off the skin and cut into fine shavings. Peel the carrot and julienne.
  4. 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.
  5. Mix the sushi rice with the shiitake, gourd, lotus root, burdock root and carrot. Keep some of the gourd for wrapping up the parcels.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.