Japanese Rice with Nori Recipe

Ingredients :

Serves 4
Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes

• 225g (7½oz) Japanese sushi or glutinous rice

• 2 tablespoons black or white sesame seeds

• 1 teaspoon coarse salt

• 1 tablespoon groundnut or vegetable oil

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 4 spring onions, finely sliced

• 1 red chili, deseeded and sliced

• 4 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

• 2 teaspoons caster sugar

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

• 25g (1oz) pickled Japanese ginger

• 2 sheets of roasted nori (thin, dried seaweed sheets)

Method :

1. Put the rice in a saucepan with 400ml (14 fl oz) water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Cover the pan and set aside for a further 5 minutes, until the rice is cooked.

2. Meanwhile, put the sesame seeds and salt in a frying pan and heat gently for about 2 minutes until the seeds are toasted. Remove and set aside.

3. Heat the oil in the pan, add the eggs and cook gently until just firm. Slide the omelet on to a plate, roll it up and cut it across into shreds.

4. Transfer the cooked rice to a bowl and stir in the spring onions, chili, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, ginger and half the toasted sesame seeds. Crumble 1 sheet of nori over the rice and stir in with the omelet shreds.

5. Transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the remaining nori over the rice, scatter with the remaining toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Variations :

For noodle & chicken salad, replace the rice with 200g (7oz) wheat and buckwheat noodles, cooked according to packet instructions. Omit the omelet and stir-fry 200g (8oz) shredded, cooked chicken in the oil instead.