Learning Hinamatsuri Chirashi Sushi from a Master Sushi Chef: An Easy Home Version and a Lavish, Labor-Intensive Version

The ingredients for the easy version are lotus root, peeled shrimp, cucumber, kanpyo (dried gourd strips), and sakura denbu (sweet pink fish flakes), plus crumbled scrambled egg in place of kinshi tamago (shredded egg crepe). The peeled shrimp were Ryuji's suggestion; the chef says he has never used them. For the lavish version, many ingredients were assembled, but according to the chef, it's fine to use whatever toppings you have on hand.

The chef pairs the chirashi sushi with clear clam soup. He explained that the Hinamatsuri season is exactly when clams are in season, and that pairing chirashi sushi with clear clam soup is the standard combination.

Before cooking, as is customary on this channel, the two drink sake together. It is Kamotsuru's seasonal limited "Arabashiri" from Hiroshima, and the chef explained that arabashiri is the first sake to come out when it is pressed, something like the first drops. Ryuji described it as "super clear."

The rice is "Fukkurinko" that Ryuji had cooked and frozen in portions, with one portion being 400g. Ryuji thinks peeled shrimp have a better texture when thawed first rather than boiled from frozen, so he thawed them by soaking them in salted water. The chef figures about six shrimp will be enough.

The lotus root is peeled, but the chef says he uses the peel too. Since it will be made into kinpira to be mixed into the rice, it doesn't matter if peel gets in. The lotus root is divided into a portion for garnish and a portion for mixing into the rice, and soaked in vinegar water to remove bitterness.

The cucumber is cut into quarters lengthwise. If you're bothered by wateriness, remove the seeds, but this time it was used as is. According to the chef, the cucumber's role is texture and color, and since this is for Hinamatsuri, color matters. The cut cucumber is soaked in salt water. The amount of salt is a handful by eye, and since this is the easy version, it doesn't need to be precise. Store-bought kanpyo is fairly light in both color and flavor, so they didn't use all of it, only about half. For the egg, rather than kinshi tamago, a little salt was added and it was made into scrambled egg, stirred with chopsticks.

Some of the vein remained in the peeled shrimp, so it was removed. When Ryuji asked whether it would be better to butterfly them along the back, the chef answered that it's better not to. He said this is because shrimp carry the meaning of "living until your back is bent." Besides the vein, a little dirt on the belly side was also removed.

About 1% salt is added to the boiling water, and once it boils, the heat is turned off and the shrimp are cooked with residual heat. Peeled shrimp are small, so they cook quickly. Ryuji said peeled shrimp stay tender even if overcooked, and wondered whether they are processed to make them tender, explaining that this is why they are easy to handle. He said leaving them in the residual heat for about a minute makes them more tender. Ryuji predicted the chef might find the texture odd, thinking "what is this?", but after tasting, the chef replied, "It's shrimp," and described it as tender like shiba shrimp rather than springy.

The lotus root is new-crop lotus root and is said to be in season. It is boiled in boiling water for under a minute, and the portion for the rice is stir-simmered with 2 tablespoons of sake, dark soy sauce, and 1/3 teaspoon of Hondashi. No oil is used. The chef adds a little dashi flavor with Hondashi and says it's a simple step of "just seasoning it."

The sushi vinegar is made with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar and a little over half a teaspoon of salt. The recipe called for 2–3 tablespoons of sugar, but the chef reduced it to 1 tablespoon, saying that would be too sweet. He says he himself uses somewhat less sugar. After tasting, the two also confirmed that it would have been too sweet with the prescribed amount, and that 1 tablespoon is plenty since the lotus root also adds sweetness.

The rice is thawed frozen rice; Ryuji's rice at home is a bit on the firm side, but this was deemed fine. On how to mix, the chef instructs to do it "as if cutting." This is because crushing the rice releases starch and makes it mushy. The sign that mixing is done is that the rice has no clumps.

Along the way, Ryuji mentioned that the chef's hands were moving more slowly than usual. The chef explained that he would work quickly if the cameras weren't rolling, but he was showing it slowly with the filming in mind.

Plating is simply a matter of placing the toppings on the vinegared rice. The chef suggested that if there are leftover toppings, you can have children make small temari sushi so everyone can enjoy it together.

First, toasted sesame seeds are twisted between the fingers, crushing them slightly, and about two pinches are scattered. Next come the sakura denbu, kanpyo, scrambled egg, and shrimp. The shrimp are placed somewhat upright. Finally, adding green with the cucumber dramatically changes the look, and Ryuji was convinced that it just doesn't work without green. Shredded nori would be even better if you have it, but if not, you can tear up nori meant for rice balls.

Ryuji, saying "if you have it," shredded about two sticks of imitation crab ("Hobo Kani") and placed them on top, making it much more lavish. Ryuji said, "I could do this."

The lavish version uses more toppings, making it fitting for what the chef calls "celebratory chirashi sushi." First is the flower-cut lotus root for garnish. Lightly score the skin between the holes of the lotus root, cut from the opposite side as well, and shave at an angle while rounding it off like petals. It's a little difficult, but the chef says it can be done at home once you get used to it. The shaved lotus root is kept soaked in vinegar water so it doesn't discolor from its bitterness.

The flower-shaped lotus root is sliced thinly and boiled in water with vinegar added. According to the chef, about 3 tablespoons of vinegar are added to water filling about 1/3 of the pot. Half of the cooking liquid is used for the marinade, with sugar and dried red chili added. Once the lotus root turns translucent, it is taken out early to keep its texture, then soaked in the marinade to make vinegared lotus root.

The ingredients mixed into the rice are three rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced; julienned carrot and burdock; and half a sheet of aburaage (fried tofu). The chef says it's better not to peel the carrot. If you're not used to julienning, you can use a slicer. These and the lotus root are parboiled. When Ryuji asked whether parboiling is worth doing, the chef answered that it tastes better that way. All it takes is bringing it to a boil once and a quick blanch.

The parboiled ingredients are stir-fried without oil with 2 tablespoons of sake, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and Hondashi until the liquid is gone, making kinpira. The chef had previously toured the Hondashi factory with Ryuji, and used Hondashi while talking about that. The flavor is made a little stronger than the easy version, but since there will be marinated fish and other toppings on top, it is kept gentle. Ryuji said it tasted good enough to serve as a side dish on its own.

The marinade is mirin, sake, and soy sauce, 3 tablespoons each in a 1:1:1 ratio, brought to a boil once and then cooled. The salmon is cut into somewhat thick blocks, and the tuna (bigeye) is marinated the same way. Marinating for 5–10 minutes is said to be fine.

The greens for color are nanohana (rapeseed blossoms) and snap peas. For the snap peas, about five are used, with the ends snapped off and the strings removed. They are boiled in water with about 0.8% salt and plunged into cold water to set the color. The nanohana take about a minute. Ryuji was surprised at this handling, saying it's "completely different from home." According to the chef, in a restaurant they would then be cured with kombu or soaked in kombu dashi to season them. At home, it's enough to squeeze out the water thoroughly.

For the vinegared rice, 400g of rice is combined with the same sushi vinegar as the easy version, and the kinpira is mixed in. By this point the two were dividing the work, and the chef said it reminded him of when he worked in a kitchen and that it was a lot of fun.

Ryuji cooked the kinshi tamago. At home Ryuji flips the egg over, but the chef added that if you cover it with aluminum foil, you don't need to cook the other side. The cooked egg is cut into four, stacked, and sliced thinly like for hiyashi chuka. The chef says thinner is prettier. Ryuji said making proper kinshi tamago gets him excited, and that if you want to make good chirashi sushi, it's worth going this far. The chef responded that a day like this comes only once a year, so once in a while you should splurge for the kids and make it lavish.

The soup uses two pieces of kombu (4–5g) and three clams. Clams are rarely seen in supermarkets lately, and the chef said he went to about five stores that day. When you knock clams against each other, live ones make a good sound, while dead ones don't make this kind of sound. The chef explained that you judge whether they are alive by the sound. The clams are put into cold water and heated, and once they slowly open, they are removed once so they don't get tough. Since the clams are salty, only a pinch of salt is needed and the soup doesn't need to be strong.

Of the vinegared rice mixed with kinpira, the chef said it is delicious on its own and could also be stuffed into inari pouches. The marinated fish is drained in a colander before plating. While placing the sakura denbu, the chef joked that he was putting his wishes for his daughter's growth into it. Kinshi tamago, snap peas, nanohana, salmon, tuna, and tobikko are placed on top, and finally the flower-cut lotus root is added as decoration. Ryuji was amazed, saying, "Couldn't you serve this at a restaurant?"

The chef said that since it was for filming, he plated it with the camera in mind, and also demonstrated a plating style typical of a Japanese restaurant. Simply cutting the toppings and placing them on is fine, but arranging them thoughtfully and positioning the red fish and nanohana changes the impression.

The easy version was eaten first. It had been sitting while the lavish version was being made, so it had cooled and some time had passed, but the chef rated the balance of the sushi vinegar as "the best." Ryuji, too, was surprised that something so easy could be so delicious, and urged viewers to make it. Both agreed that the crisp texture of the lotus root makes a big difference and that lotus root should be included. It also goes well with sake. Staff members present also tasted it and said it was so delicious it was hard to believe it was the easy version.

Of the lavish version, Ryuji said the textures are fun, the marination is perfect, and it tastes worth all the effort. The chef revealed that he had intentionally kept the seasoning of the carrot and other ingredients in the mixed rice light. This makes it easy for children to eat, and the overall flavor isn't too strong. The effective texture of the tobikko also came up.

The chef suggested that the easy version is fine as a base, but you can also adopt some of the lavish version's techniques. For example, marinated tuna goes very well with the easy version too. Making the marinade on the sweet side helps the flavor come through. Any toppings will do, so you can choose whatever is cheap at the supermarket.

Finally, the chef said he had fun filming and would like to be invited back. Ryuji asked viewers in the comments for dishes they'd like to learn from the chef. The chef said that while shopping that day, he found it interesting that the supermarket had many ingredients he had never seen before, and the episode ended with an idea for a future segment: touring a supermarket with the chef.