Barazushi

Barazushi

Difficulty

Ingredients (Serves 9～10): thin egg strips (Kinshi-tamago):
6 eggs
15 g sugar
2 g salt

Simmered shiitake:
5 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated
(reserve 100 ml of the water from rehydrating the dried shiitake)
100 ml dashi
20 g sugar
20 ml soy sauce

Mackerel crumbles (Oboro):
560 g canned seasoned mackerel
160 ml sake
80 g sugar
20 ml soy sauce

Bamboo shoots:
170 g bamboo shoots
30 ml soy sauce
15 g sugar
30 ml sake
300 ml dashi

Dried gourd (Kanpyo), simmered to rehydrate
kamaboko fish cake
green peas
beni-shoga

Seasoned sushi rice:
1.5 kg short-grain rice
200 ml rice vinegar
150 g sugar
25 g salt

Directions

1. First, prepare the items to be added to the sushi rice. Make the thin egg strips: Lightly season the eggs with sugar and salt, then cook a thin layer of egg in a frying pan, turning over once. When cooked, remove the egg and cut into thin strips. Repeat with the rest of the egg.

2. Prepare the simmered shiitake: Slowly simmer the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms in a mixture of dashi and the water the mushrooms were rehydrated in, for 3-4 hours, then add the seasonings and simmer for an additional 15 min. Cut into easy-to-eat pieces.

3. Make the mackerel crumbles: Remove the seasoned mackerel from the can and press into small pieces using a wooden spatula. Add the seasonings.

4. Heat the seasoned mackerel mixture over high heat. When it comes to a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 min, or until most (but not all) of the moisture has been cooked out.

5. Prepare the bamboo shoots: Combine the bamboo shoots with the soy sauce, sugar, salt and sake, then add the dashi and cook. Cut into easy-to-eat pieces.

6. Cut the simmered gourd, kamaboko, and beni-shoga into easy-to-eat pieces. Prepare the green peas as well.

7. Next, make the sushi rice: Mix together the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar to make sushi vinegar, then mix it into freshly cooked rice, using a cutting motion with a wooden spatula. After mixing, let the rice rest for a few minutes to absorb the sushi vinegar.

8. Prepare the barazushi to be served. First, transfer about half of the sushi rice to a wooden frame, and spread it out to cover the bottom. Try to avoid pressing it, in order to help keep the finished texture relatively light.

9. Cover the layer of rice completely with a layer of gourd and mackerel crumbles.

10. Cover that with another layer of sushi rice, followed by another layer of gourd and mackerel crumbles. Top with the remaining items in a visually pleasing style, and serve.