Kakinoha-Zushi Inspired Chirashi
柿の葉寿司風ちらし寿司·(kakinoha-zushi fū chirashizushi)
Hare no Hi: Weekend Rituals & Family Tables
True Kakinoha-zushi is a labor of love from the mountains of Nara—salted mackerel pressed into sweet rice and wrapped in astringent persimmon leaves to survive the brutal summer heat. Since you probably aren't foraging persimmon leaves in an Ohio suburb, we're taking the soul of that dish and scattering it. This is how the grandmothers do it when time is short but the family is hungry: deeply seasoned Kansai-style rice, cured mackerel, and a generous fistful of finely shredded shiso to mimic that earthy, botanical magic. Do not pour soy sauce over this; the balance of sweet, tart, and oily fish is a perfectly self-contained system.
Before you start
Rinse and soak the rice.
Rinse the short-grain rice in cold water three to four times until the water runs mostly clear; if you have the time, let it soak for 30 minutes before cooking for an even better texture.
Salt and wring out the cucumbers.
Toss the thin cucumber slices with a heavy pinch of salt, let sit for 10 minutes, and squeeze them fiercely in your hands to extract all water so they don't dilute the perfectly seasoned sushi rice.
Ingredients
- short-grain Japanese rice2 cup
- dried kombu1 small
- sake1 tbsp
- water1 3/4 cup
- unseasoned Japanese rice vinegar4 tbsp
- granulated sugar1 1/2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- shime-saba (vinegar-cured mackerel)5 oz
- English cucumber1/2 med
- fresh shiso leaves10 large
- eggs2 large
- white sesame seeds2 tbsp
- sweet pickled ginger (gari)2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Cook the umami-rich rice.
Combine the rinsed rice, sake, and water in your rice cooker, place the kombu flat on top, and press start.
- 02
Make the Kansai-style sushi vinegar.
While the rice cooks, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, stirring until dissolved so you don't boil away the bright acidity.
- 03
Prepare the kinshi tamago.
Heat a lightly oiled non-stick skillet over medium-low, pour in the beaten eggs to make a paper-thin crepe, cook for a minute until just set, then remove, roll tightly, and slice crosswise into incredibly fine golden threads.
- 04
Mix and fan the shari.
When the rice finishes, discard the kombu and immediately transfer the hot rice to a wide, shallow bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture evenly over the top and use a rice paddle in a horizontal chopping motion to fold it in without mashing the grains, fanning the rice vigorously with your other hand to give it a signature glassy shine.
- 05
Fold in the mix-ins.
Once the rice has cooled down completely to room temperature, gently fold in the squeezed cucumber, chopped pickled ginger, half of the toasted sesame seeds, and half of the shredded shiso.
- 06
Assemble the chirashi.
Transfer the seasoned rice to a large serving platter, scatter the golden egg threads evenly over the top, arrange the mackerel slices generously across the bed, and garnish with the remaining shiso and sesame seeds.
Notes
Leave the soy sauce in the pantry.
This dish is perfectly seasoned between the salt-cured mackerel, sweet Kansai vinegar, and aromatic shiso, requiring zero additional condiments.
Peel the mackerel membrane.
If using store-bought shime-saba, locate the edge of the transparent outer skin membrane and peel it away completely; skipping this leaves a chewy, unpleasant texture on the fish.
Never mix raw or cured fish into hot rice.
The rice must be brought completely to room temperature before assembling, or the residual heat will ruin the texture and flavor of the mackerel.
From Cook Japanese in America.