Chirashi sushi (pronounced “chee-raw-shee-zoo-shee”) literally means “scattered sushi,” and is sushi rice with a variety of other ingredients mixed in and toppings sprinkled over the top. This was one of the meals that she would ask her mom to make when she was growing up, and now one of her favorite things to cook. Noriko shared her recipe for chirashi sushi with me. Her in-laws live in the countryside and grow organic vegetables as a hobby and send her tons of seasonal vegetables all the time, so she tends to use a lot of vegetables in whatever she cooks. But, she explains, she cooks mostly Japanese or Chinese food. She says that a lot of people tend to assume that she would cook American food now because she has lived the majority of her life in the US. The first thing she ever cooked was a fried egg when she was 3. Unfortunately, she passed away several years ago before I could try and learn how to make umeboshi from her.” Noriko learned to cook from her mother, father, and grandmother. She said, “My mom told me that when I was three, I used to take a jar of my grandmother’s umeboshi and hand them out to my friends when they came over. Noriko’s favorite food growing up was umeboshi onigiri (pickled plum rice balls) made with umeboshi that her grandmother used to make. Noriko had a Chinese nanny when she lived in Malaysia, so her mom also used to make Chinese dishes that her nanny taught her to make. Noriko thinks she did this because she wanted Noriko and her sister to have a “taste” of Japan, since they lived abroad longer than they lived in Japan. Growing up, Noriko’s mom cooked mostly Japanese food. Noriko was actually born in Singapore, lived in Malaysia for 3 years, a year in Shizuoka, Japan, 12 years in Seattle, and now has been back in Japan for the past 14 years. She has the most gorgeous little girl who was born a few months after we moved back to the US, so I have yet to meet her. I met Noriko when we were living in Tokyo because our husbands worked together. It’s thanks to Noriko that I posted that mystery ingredient last Friday, because you will be needing it in the recipe she is sharing with us today. It has been forever since my last post in the spotlight series! Today I’d like to introduce you to my friend Noriko. Since the food community is all about sharing in the collective experience, I am spotlighting some of those people. I gain so much inspiration from so many people in my life.
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