Bluefin Tuna and Avocado Chirashi Sushi
Rolling a balanced maki-sushi or crafting a perfect bite of nigiri-sushi can take a lifetime of practice, but here's an easy low-effort way of enjoying sushi at home. Chirashi-sushi (literally "scattered sushi"), refers to a type of sushi where a bed of sushi rice is adorned with fish, vegetables and eggs. In this simple take on the classic, a bed of sesame seed studded sushi rice is covered in a cheerful layer of kinshi-tamago (golden egg threads), rich creamy avocado, and velvety bluefin tuna that melts in your mouth. It's a one-plate sushi meal that's gorgeous to look at, and a treat to eat.
Makes 4 servings
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
passive time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
for sushi rice
325 grams sushi rice
1 1/2 cups cold water
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
for egg
2 extra large eggs
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
vegetable oil
toppings
240 grams Bluefin tuna, sliced thin
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced thin
4 green shiso leaves, rolled and sliced into thin ribbons
Instructions:
1. Put the rice in a strainer and wash, gently rubbing the grains of rice between your hands until the water runs mostly clear.
2. Drain well and then put in a heavy bottomed pot with 1 1/2 cups of water. For best results, let the rice soak for 2 hours before starting to cook.
3. Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Reduce the heat to low and set the timer for 15 minutes. When the timer finishes, turn off the the heat and let the rice steam without opening the lid for 10 minutes.
5. While you're waiting for the rice to finish cooking, put the rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of table salt in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until it's steaming, but not boiling. Remove from the microwave and stir until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved
6. To prepare the egg, break them into a bowl and then add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Use a whisk or eggbeater to beat until the mixture is totally uniform and there are no clumps of white remaining. Pass this through a fine mesh sieve (such as a tea strainer) to remove any remaining clumps as well as the bubbles.
7. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat until moderately hot and then wipe the inside of the pan with a paper towel soaked with a little vegetable oil.
8. Pour a few tablespoons of egg mixture into the center of the pan, and then quickly swirl to evenly spread the mixture.
9. When the egg is set, flip the crepe and cook for a few seconds on the other side.
10. Transfer the egg crepe to a cutting board and repeat with the rest of the egg, stacking each additional crepe on top of the last. When you're done, roll up the crepes and use a sharp knife to slice into thin threads of egg.
11. When the rice is done, dump it out into a very large bowl (or any large vessel with a lot of surface area). Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and stir it in using a shamoji or a silicon spatula while fanning the rice to quickly cool it down. Use a folding motion followed by a spreading motion to ensure each grain of rice gets evenly coated with the vinegar mixture. Be careful not to break or smash the grains of rice. It helps to have someone fan the rice, or you can use a blow dryer set to cool.
12. The rice is done when it is room temperature and very shiny and sticky. Finish the rice by folding in a tablespoon of sesame seeds.
