Shiitake are just one type of mushroom that works well for these morsels. Try a bundle of delicate enoki mushrooms for a subtler flavor, or robust shimeji mushrooms for a stronger flavor.
Rice Prep Time: Up to 1½ hours
Sushi Prep Time: 15 minutes
Makes 8 pieces
8 small shiitake mushrooms, wiped and stems removed
Oil for cooking
One 4 x 7-in (10 x 18-cm) nori sheet
1½ cups (300 g) Traditional Sushi Rice or Brown Sushi Rice
Tomato Furikake , to taste
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 green onion (scallion), thinly sliced
Score the top of each mushroom with a knife. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook just enough to release the fragrance. This should take a couple of minutes. Remove from the skillet and allow to cool.
Cut the sheet of nori crosswise into 8 strips.
Dip your fingertips in water and splash some across your palms. Squeeze a walnut-sized ball of the sushi rice, about 2 tablespoons, in your hand to form a neat rectangular bed of rice. Repeat to make 8 beds of rice in all.
Top each bed of rice with a mushroom. For variety, place half of the mushrooms on the rice beds upside down. Secure the mushrooms in place with a nori strip “seatbelt.”
Arrange the pieces on a serving dish. Top each piece with Tomato Furikake, grated ginger and sliced green onion. Serve immediately.
