Cate Can Cook, So Can You!!: Japanese Style Chirashi Salad

Monday, January 3, 2011

Japanese Style Chirashi Salad

My local Japanese Sushi bar makes a fabulous Chirashi Salad.

I have had a couple of attempts at making it over the years, but there dosen't seem to be a definitive recipe for it. When I did a little "googling", it appears that anything goes when it comes to making a chirashi salad. It is regarded by some as "scattered sushi", and so any of the ingredients that you would find in sushi is acceptable. You may want to add some other ingredients that you like - such as roe or avocado!!!

So what I have done is try and replicate the one that I buy at my "local". The most difficult part of this recipe may be in "sourcing" the ingredients. I am lucky I have a Japanese neighbour and she regularly frequents the Japanese markets!!!

This is the first time I have used the Varoma on my Thermomix - so it was an exciting day for me. I am going to give you a step by step - so you can see how easy it is using the TMX.

There is a wide assortment of ingredients - but I will walk you through it.

Chirashi Salad

Serves 4

440g Sushi rice
900g water
2 x pieces of salmon approx 200-250g each
6 x seafood sticks, cut into small pieces
3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cucumber, finely diced

kombu, cut into thin strips *

seasoned fried soybean curd (used in making inari) cut into thin strips **

yaki nori sushi sheet cut into thin ribbons***

toasted sesame seeds

To Serve
Japanese Soy Sauce
Wasabi

Glaze for Salmon
1 tbs mirin
1 tbs cooking sake
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sushi Rice Seasoning
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar

Place the rice in the TM basket, and wash the rice under running water until the water runs clear.

Salmon

Combine the mirin, sake, sesame oil and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place the fish in the tray of the varoma. Place the rice, in the basket, in the bowl of the TM, place the lid on the TM bowl, then top with the varoma. Brush the glaze over the salmon, until all used. Place the top on the varoma and cook at Varoma temperature speed 4 for 20 minutes. (Alternatively cook salmon by poaching in a frypan with a small amount of water, but increase the seasonings and add to the water.)

While the rice and salmon are cooking make the seasoning for the sushi rice.

Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Do not bring to the boil. Allow to cool until needed.

Now is also the time to make the "omelette". Place the beaten eggs into a lightly oiled frypan. Heat over medium heat, and cook the omelette until set. Remove from frypan and allow to cool. When cool, cut into lite cubes.

When the rice is cooked carefully remove the bowl from the TM bowl. Place the rice in a large bowl, add the sushi seasoning and mix well using a spatula to "fan" the rice, and incorporate the seasoning.

Remove the salmon from the varoma tray and allow to cool. Remember this is a salad - so the rice and fish need to be cool/cold. When the fish is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and flake apart into largish chunks.

Chirashi salad is essentially a layered salad. You may wish to do this as one large dish, or you may like to do four individual salads. The process is the same.

The cooked, seasoned rice is the first layer. Top with salmon chunks, then the pieces of seafood sticks. Next goes the egg, then the cucumber. Your garnishes are the pieces of kombu, and the fried soybeancurd. These are the lovely little sweet additions to your salad - so use as much or as little as you like. Top it off with the pieces of nori and toasted sesame seeds.

Serve with Japanese Soy sauce and wasabi.