How to Make Chirashi Sushi (Scattered Sushi)

Gather the ingredients together. 

Peel the lotus root. Cut a slit lengthwise between the holes and hollow it out. If the lotus root is too long to work with, cut it into shorter sections. After hollowing out the entire surface, place it on a cutting board and make approximately 3mm intervals cuts all the way around, being careful not to slice through the holes.

Put 500ml of water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar (not included in the recipe), then place the lotus root pieces into the pot. Boil the lotus roots for 3 minutes.

After boiling, drain the lotus root pieces and transfer them to the same bowl as the additional seasonings. Mix thoroughly and let it cool.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them well with a pinch of salt. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with plenty of oil, ensuring the pan’s surface is evenly coated. Once thoroughly heated, place the pan over a wet cloth briefly to even out the temperature (this step is optional). Pour the beaten eggs into the pan in batches, spreading the mixture evenly. Cook for about 1 minute, then turn off the heat to allow the eggs to cook through. Lift the edges of the eggs and flip them over with your hands or a spatula. Let the other side cook with the residual heat.

Transfer the rolled egg to a cutting board and cut it in half lengthwise first. Then, roll up each half tightly and cut them into thin strips about 1~2mm apart from the edges. Finally, break the strips into smaller pieces by hand.

Remove the strings from the snap peas to make them easier to eat. Bring about 250ml of water to a boil in a saucepan, then add a pinch of salt followed by the snap peas. Blanch the snap peas for 30 seconds. Drain them using a colander and cool them in cold water. Finally, cut the snap peas diagonally into halves or thirds.

Cut 1 sheet of nori seaweed lengthwise into quarters with scissors. Stack them and cut them into tiny strips.

Cut the sashimi into bite-sized pieces. In our case, we chose salmon, tuna, and yellowtail for our chirashi sushi, but use your favorite types of sashimi or whatever is available.

Mix warm rice and sushi rice mix together in a bowl. Mixing the rice with a fan will quickly release the moisture and prevent it from becoming overly sticky.

In a large bowl or container, place the sushi rice in first and pack it down tightly using a rice paddle. Top it with the shredded nori, eggs, and other ingredients we prepared earlier. It is very beautiful when arranged the colors are scattered throughout the dish. It’s also nice to garnish chirashi sushi with some sesame seeds if you have them! Enjoy!

Note: If you don't have the chirashi sushi seasoning mix, you can use regular sushi rice instead. If you want to learn how to make sushi rice, then refer to our recipe here.