Recipe and photo by Grimgrains, released under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA-4.0 license.
Sweet Mock Eel Nigiri
Servings: 2
Preamble
This is a derivative work, adding only the nutrition data found at the end. The original page, if it is still available, contains illustrations and recipe notes not (yet?) mirrored here, so I recommend checking it out at least once, especially if you intend to make this recipe!
This page was generated from an LWL file generated from a YAML file generated from HTML. The source files and code for most of that process can be found at my grimgrains-yaml project page, with the rest being a function of my wiki engine.
This derivative work is likewise released under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA-4.0 license.
Ingredients
black glutinous rice (140 g)
japanese rice vinegar (7 ml)
natural brown sugar (15 g)
nori sheets (1 sheet)
soy sauce (30 ml)
mirin (30 ml)
natural brown sugar (15 g)
sake (15 ml)
vegetable bouillon (700 ml)
chickpea flour (85 g)
sea salt (1.25 g)
ground turmeric (5 g)
Directions
Soak 140 g (~3/4 cup) of black glutinous rice overnight.
Drain the rice. Add water to a pot, superimpose steam basket and add rice in it, cover with lid and steam for 40 min. After that time, pour 240 ml (~ 1 cup) of hot water over the rice. Shake the rice, and let it steam for another 10 min. Remove from heat, keep covered until serving time.
Put 7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) of Japanese rice vinegar, 15 g (1 tbsp) of natural commercial brown sugar in a sauce pan. Stir over low heat, until sugar crystals dissolve. Let cool.
Once rice is cooked, transfer to a flat tray, and pour sushi dressing over it. Mix dressing into rice with a spatula, using a sideways cutting motion. Cover with a damp towel, and let cool.
Mix 30 ml (2 tbsp) of soy sauce, 30 ml (2 tbsp) of mirin, 15 g (1 tbsp) of natural commercial brown sugar and 15 ml (1 tbsp) of sake.
Bring to a boil in a pan, lower heat and let thicken for a few minutes.
Bring 350 ml (1 1/2 cups) of vegetable bouillon to a rolling boil in a pot.
Mix 85 g (1 cup) of chickpea flour with 1.25 g (1/4 tsp) of salt and 5 g (1 tsp) of ground turmeric. Add an additional 350 ml (1 1/2 cups) of vegetable bouillon. Stir until the mixture is lump-free.
Lower to medium heat, and pour in chickpea batter. Whisk continuously for 5-10 minutes, until thickened.
Pour into a 8x8 baking dish lined with a baking mat. Smooth out top with the back of a spoon.
Let cool and set for 1 hour, then refrigerate for a little while longer before cutting. This will give the 'tofu' time to set.
After 1 hour, cut into 12 pieces, and then cut in 2 again lenghtwise to make them fit over nigiri.
Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
Line backing sheet with a baking mat, line up pieces of chickpea tofu.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, brush chickpea tofu with unagi sauce and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Shape tablespoons of black rice into oblongs, smear tops with a bit of wasabi, lay a nori strip texture-side up, place strip of chickpea tofu as well as the rice ball (wasabi side facing downwards) and finally fold nori over bottom of rice (cut off excess, you can wet the edges with a bit of water if ever it isn't sticking).
Makes about 12 nigiri. If you have nigiri molds, shaping the rice into ovals will be very easy. Otherwise use your hands, keep them moist so the rice doesn't stick.
