[Chirashi Sushi]

Whenever I see a large fan, I always remember the chirashi sushi that my grandmother used to make when I was a child. On occasions such as Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) and Children's Day, she would prepare it to entertain the family. My grandmother, who would always stop what she was doing to spend time with us, would take a spatula and a fan in her hands and stand in front of the sushi barrel, skillfully making the sushi rice without leaving the spot.

Every household probably has its own signature chirashi sushi. Generally, chirashi sushi refers to sushi rice topped with a scattering of ingredients, while sushi rice mixed with ingredients is called bara sushi. This difference stems from regional variations between eastern and western Japan, with western Japan often referring to mixed sushi as chirashi sushi.

The chirashi sushi my grandmother made for our family was sweetly seasoned with chicken, shiitake mushrooms, root vegetables, and other ingredients, topped with shredded egg, thinly sliced green beans, and nori seaweed. I had seen it at family and relatives' homes, but I was surprised that I had never encountered chicken-filled chirashi sushi at restaurants or in bottled sushi mixes. Upon researching, I discovered that this is a local dish from the Chikuho region of Fukuoka Prefecture. In Kitakyushu City, which has deep ties to the Chikuho region, there are households where this chicken chirashi sushi is a staple.

Here’s a simple recipe: Heat oil in a pan, then stir-fry diced chicken thigh meat, shredded carrots, shredded burdock root, thinly sliced lotus root, and shiitake mushrooms. Add sugar, sake, light soy sauce, and other seasonings, then add the soaking liquid from dried shiitake mushrooms and simmer until the liquid has evaporated. Once cooled, mix the ingredients into sushi rice, then garnish with shredded omelet, thinly sliced green beans, and nori seaweed. Unlike Fukuoka Prefecture's famous “kashiwa meshi,” this dish does not soak the rice in the broth, resulting in a colorful and visually appealing five-ingredient sushi.

I have tried making sushi rice several times, but I can't quite match my grandmother's skill. To achieve shiny, non-sticky sushi rice that remains delicious even after time has passed, it seems that the key is using a wooden sushi桶 that absorbs moisture appropriately and timing the gentle breeze from a fan. In summer, the heat can dampen one's appetite, but the refreshing taste of sushi rice stimulates the appetite. Please try this chicken chirashi sushi, which remains delicious even when cooled.

Yamaichi's Sushi Handai
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yamaichi/sushi.html
Kiya's Handai
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kiya/handai.html
Azmaya's Rice Scoop
https://www.shokunin.com/en/azmaya/miyajima.html
Kurikawa Shoten's Shibu Uchiwa
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kurikawa/
Appi Urushi Studio's Flat Bowl
https://www.shokunin.com/en/appi/bowl.html

References
https://www.city.iizuka.lg.jp/hoken-c/syokuiku/documents/tirasi.pdf (Recipe)
https://www.city.iizuka.lg.jp/hoken-c/syokuiku/furusato.html
https://omatsurijapan.com/blog/hinamatsuri-chirashizushi-tozai/