Almost Kosho + Chirashi At Home

Yuzu kosho is breathtaking. It is citrus, floral, salty, spicy and perfect. A little goes the longest way. It’s an exemplary condiment. Used effortlessly with sushi, but excels at playing well with others like… in chocolate. What feels like 100 years ago, I sat at the sushi bar at Cafe Sushi by myself during a weekday lunch and was given a bite of nigiri with a familiar but ORANGE note. They had made a fresh, homemade orange kosho. I think about that bite of food all the time.

Tyler Akabane (@mushroomsformyfriends) has been selling gorgeous citrus of Bhumi Growers. This year’s quat crop is the highlight of this quar winter. A true spring break.

I deseeded the kumquats a little bit and blended them with one deseeded, unpithed Habanero and a little too much salt. This just feels like hot sauce and not kosho. Almost kosho. What I should have done: ZEST the citrus, add salt (80/20) and hot peppers. It needs to resemble a dry paste and not a wet sauce.

Almost kosho acted as a garnish to a Sunday Chirashi. While VERY pretty, chirashi is the best way to clean out my fridge.

Chirashi means “scattered”
I can relate.

It is sushi rice sprinkled with various jewels: raw salmon, tamago, avocado, ikura, etc.

Sunday Sushi Rice
*Requires Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy 5.5-Cup Premium White Rice Cooker with Built-In Timer

1 Cup Short Grain Rice
1 Cup Water
1 TBL Rice Vinegar, unseasoned
1 TBL Mirin
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt

Rice Vinegar (Acidic, Tangy)
If you are using this recipe, buy unseasoned rice vinegar. If you can’t be bothered with multiple ingredients, buy seasoned rice vinegar (they do the work for you).

Mirin (Sweet)
Mirin is not rice vinegar. Mirin is distinctly sweet but made from the same ingredients. Historically, I have left out mirin from my sushi rice and added extra sugar because I find most grocery store brands to be very cloying. I use mirin made from a sake brewer in Brooklyn and can’t get enough of it.

How to do it:

  1. Toss rice and water in your Zoj. Hit the “sushi rice” button. Forget about it until it sings the song.

  2. Add rice vin, mirin, salt and sugar to a small saucepan. Heat until all ingredients dissolve.

  3. When rice is finished, combine rice and seasoned vinegar in to a bowl. Mix gently until there are no rice clumps. Each little rice grain coated with sauce.

  4. Put into the serving bowl and decorate with dollops of toppings of your choice.

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Photographed here:

Cubes of Sashimi grade Salmon* garnished with dots of Almost Kosho
Cubes of Tamago*
Dollops of Ikura*
Diced avocado
Diced roasted golden beets (a non traditional option, but I like adding an earthy note to this mishmash to zhuzh it up …and I have too many of them)

*These items were purchased from my local Japanese grocery store.
Read: ZERO PREPARATION

PS — An even lazier and delicious Sunday Supper:
Steam Rice. Dress salad greens with a vinaigrette. Place overdressed salad on steamed rice. Let the dressing season your steamed rice. Cold crunch lettuce over hot steamy rice.

Alyssa DiPasquale