Hi, I’m Francis,
the host of this show "Cooking with Dog."
Let’s prepare the ingredients.
First, remove the firm stringy fibers of the snap bean pods.
Add a pinch of salt to a pot of boiling water
and then drop in the bean pods.
Simmer for just under a minute,
remove
and soak them in a bowl of ice water
to keep them from discoloring.
Drain the excess water
and slice the bean pods using diagonal cuts.
Next, rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms
and squeeze out the excess liquid.
Remove the stems
and slice the shiitake into the thinnest possible strips.
Strain the remaining shiitake liquid
and reserve it for later use.
Remove the excess oil from the aburaage,
thin deep-fried tofu using a paper towel.
Cut it in half,
stack and then cut into strips.
Remove the stem end of the carrot.
Peel it with a peeler.
Then, cut into 3cm or 1 inch strips.
Make the strips kind of thick
to keep them from breaking apart while simmering.
Peel the lotus root.
Make several cuts lengthwise
and then slice into small pieces.
Lightly rinse
and remove the excess water.
Let’s make the vinegar mixture.
Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt
and mix thoroughly.
This vinegar mixture is also known as Awasezu.
Now, let’s cook the ingredients.
Add the dashi stock to the shiitake liquid
until it reaches about 200ml or 7 fl oz.
Pour the dashi stock into a pot.
Add the shiitake mushrooms,
aburaage,
carrot
and lotus root
and turn on the burner.
When it comes to a rolling boil,
ladle out the foam to remove any unwanted flavor.
Then, add the sake,
sugar,
soy sauce
and salt
and lightly stir.
Place a drop-lid, also known as otoshi buta into the pot.
This will help the ingredients cook evenly
while reducing the broth.
Simmer on medium low heat for about a total of 12 minutes
until most of the liquid reduces.
Now, it is ready.
Turn off the burner,
cover with the otoshi buta again
and allow the ingredients to absorb the broth.
And now, let’s make the sushi rice.
Gradually pour the vinegar mixture onto the fresh steamed rice.
Toss to coat using a slashing motion to avoid crushing the grains.
Use a fan to slightly cool the rice.
Next, place the mixed ingredients into a mesh strainer
and lightly squeeze to remove the excess liquid.
Then, add it to the sushi rice
and toss to coat.
A tip to mixing evenly is to do it
when the rice and the ingredients are still warm.
Now, place the rice into a wide shallow bowl.
Cover the rice with the shredded fried egg sheet,
known as kinshi tamago.
To make the kinshi tamago,
please watch our Hiyashi Chuka video.
Next, scatter the snap bean pods onto the egg.
Then, add the shoga amazuzuke,
ginger pickled with sweet vinegar.
Finally, garnish with the marinated salmon roe, ikura shoyuzuke.
The name Chirashizushi comes from the word Chirashi
which literally means scattered.
It is often served to celebrate special events
especially Hinamatsuri, Girls' Day on March 3rd annually.
For the sushi rice, add the sake and kombu seaweed to the rice
and then cook with a little less water.
Good luck in the kitchen.