BBQ Eel Chirashi Sushi

Unagi Chirashi Sushi

Always a crowd pleaser

Equipment

Double-lid donabe rice cooker, "Kamado-san" (3 rice-cup size)

Servings

4 - 5

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• vegetable oil
• 2 rice-cups (360 ml) short grain rice, rinsed and drained
• 1.5 cups (360 ml) water
• 1 tablespoon sake
• 1 piece (2" x 2" / 5 cm x 5 cm) dashi konbu (dry kelp), optional
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2/3 teaspoon salt
• 1 package (about 8 oz/ 240 g) BBQ eel (can be found at Asian grocery stores)
• 4 oz (120 g) sugar snap peas
• Pickled ginger, optional
• Sansho pepper, optional

Procedure

1. (To make the shredded egg crapes) Whisk the eggs in a small bowl.  Set a medium-size non-stick sauté pan over low heat. Drizzle some vegetable oil and rub by using a folded paper towel so that the pan is evenly coated with the oil. Pour 1/2 of the whisked eggs (or 1/3 if you wan to make the thinner crepe) and spread the egg evenly. Cook until the surface is almost dry. Carefully turn it over by using a spatula or chopsticks. Cook for another 30-60 seconds and transfer to a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining whisked eggs. Cool the egg crepes down and slice into thin strips.
2. Wrap the BBQ eel in a foil and heat in the 375F (190C) degrees oven for about 10 minutes or until it’s hot.  Cool it down to warm, and cut into smaller pieces.
3. Remove the stem from each sugar snap pea. Blanch in boiled water until crisp tender. Slice each into half diagonally.
4. In "Kamado-san", soak the rice with the water and sake, and put the dashi konbu on top of the rice.  Soak for 20 minutes.
5. Cover Kamado-san with both lids. Set it over medium-high heat on a gas stove.  Cook for 12-15 minutes. (Or, cook until 2-3 minutes after the steam starts puffing out of the top lid.)
6. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 20 minutes.
7. In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt together to make the sushi vinegar ("sushi-zu").  Make sure both sugar and salt are completely dissolved.  If they are hard to dissolve, microwave the mixture for 20-30 seconds and mix them again.
8. Transfer the rice to a large bowl and drizzle the vinegar mixture over the rice.  Fluff the rice with a spatula quickly so that the rice is evenly seasoned.
9. Plate the rice in a wide shallow serving bowl. Arrange the sugar snap peas, shredded eggs and eel over the rice in layers.
10. Serve with condiments such as pickled ginger and sansho pepper powder.