No7 [Cooking] Gomoku Chirashi

Gomoku Chirashi

The name “Gomoku Chirashi” literally means “a mixture of five toppings” and it is an apt one, as this dish is created by thoroughly mixing several different types of fish or vegetables into vinegared sushi rice. Gomoku Chirashi is often made in Japanese homes and is especially common as a dish served at times of celebration or at parties.
There are many combination of ingredients found in Gomoku Chirashi but the most widespread use a base if dried shiitake mushrooms or groud, cooked in soy sauce, as well as boiled carrots and vinegared lotus root. To this can be added seasonal ingredients such as cherry blossom petals pickled in sweet vinegar or boiled bamboo shoots, as well as many other flavours such as chicken, fish paste cakes (chikuwa) or fried tofu (abura age). To round off the flavour you also see finely cut omlette strips (kinshi tamago), shredded seaweed (nori), sesame seeds and red pickled ginger.
In the recipe introduced here we will use a pre-mixed base that conveniently contains all the toppings and vinegar needed. If combined with instant ready-to-eat rice then you can whip up a simple but satisfying Gomoku Chirashi in minutes!

Ingredients:
2 packs of instant rice
1 bag of gomoku chirashi mix

How to prepare:
1. Heat around 500 grams of instant rice in a microwave for around 2 minutes.
2. Add the gomoku chirashi mixture to the warm rice
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Add seaweed and sesame seeds to taste (sold separately).

Copyright Japan Centre/Yuko Fujiwara