(From Rice and Spice, p. 122-3)
Sushi Rice Salad
There are many ways to enjoy sushi rice without ever going near a piece of fish, raw or otherwise. Two such perparations are the refreshing rice salads called chirashi-zushi, sushi rice topped with vegetables, and bara-zushi, which means "scattered sushi." This is my own sushi rice salad, made with Japanese-style glutinous rice.
1 1/4 cups Japanese sticky (glutinous) rice 2 1/2 cups water 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) 1 tsp sugar 1 cup water 2 tsp tamari or other soy sauce 1 tsp white miso paste 1 tsp mirin (rice wine) 1 cup stemmed and sliced shiitake mushrooms 1 carrot, cut into long shreds 1 cup fresh bean sprouts (cw: canned ok too) 1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut into strips 2 tbsp chopped scallions 1 tsp dark sesame oil Soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes; drain. Place the rice, water and salt into a medium saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes, then transfer the rice to a shallow bowl and let cool to room temperature. In a small saucepan, heat the rice vinegar with the sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Drizzle the vinegar mixture over the cooled rice. Combine the water, tamari, miso paste and mirin in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the miso. Add the mushrooms and carrot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the bean sprouts and snow peas and cook about 1 minute longer, or until the snow peas turn bright green. Drain (cw: reserve the liquid, it's great) and return to the pan, then add the scallions and sesame oil and toss to coat. Spoon the rice into individual bowls and top with the vegetables (cw: and some of the reserved liquid too). Serve warm or at room temperature.